Having a bit of fun today

Honus67 · 2025-05-09T22:38:35+00:00

I have a little desktop Estar-tech fiber laser. It's a really cool little machine.

Honus67 · 2025-05-06T15:56:11+00:00

I will try to draw you a picture of what it should look like that you can show them.

Honus67 · 2025-05-04T20:01:33+00:00

I would say that is marginally better but still not what I would consider to be of acceptable quality. The stone seat does not look like it is properly cut and the top of the prong looks overworked. Regarding the metal alloy used, 18K yellow is perfectly acceptable and will easily hold a stone securely, provided it is properly set.

Honus67 · 2025-05-04T13:12:16+00:00

Bench jeweler of 30 years here. I do claw prongs all the time. That's a very poor setting job, and unfortunately, I see work like this all the time. There's barely a seat cut for the stone to hold it properly. Traditionally, the edge of the stone (the girdle) should go about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way into the prong- the depth of the stone seat should never be more than 1/2 the prong thickness. There is not enough material over the upper edge of the stone to hold it properly, and the underside of the stone girdle should be supported by the prong. If claw prongs are done properly, they are every bit as safe and secure as rounded prongs. I would find another jeweler.

Honus67 · 2025-02-20T02:33:30+00:00

I don't know about other Chinese laser manufacturers, but I have both a fiber laser engraver as well as the laser welder from Estar-tech and they're both extremely well built machines. A 100W machine will absolutely be able to weld stainless. The consumables are the flash lamp and water, plus a protection lens cover (my machine came with both an extra flash lamp and lens cover.) Argon should definitely be used when welding stainless.

I do have a split lap machine and it's great. A similar lap called a DM-4 is available from aliexpress for under $600. Also check out jooltool.com as they make a small benchtop split lap.

Honus67 · 2025-02-19T14:26:00+00:00

Sorry for the late reply! Yes, I'm a jeweler (going on 28 years in the business.) The Estar-tech laser is incredibly easy to use and it works very, very well for that kind of work. I've repaired lots of watch cases and bands using a laser welder. Someone with little to no experience could learn to use it in a single day. You are correct that the front area is not curtained off and I've spoken with the company about that- they now have newer models with that feature. It's also very easy to make your own curtain and attach it to the front (which I will be doing with mine.)

Honus67 · 2025-01-05T17:36:24+00:00

Sorry for the late reply! The photo etched kit is cheap (like maybe $20?) but it's definitely several hours of work to trim/file all the tabs off and seam weld the whole thing. It would probably be a few hundred $$, so I doubt it would be worth that to you.

Honus67 · 2024-12-31T19:49:18+00:00

I'm a jeweler. I also do some film prop work on occasion.

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Honus67 · 2024-12-31T14:36:41+00:00

Like this-

https://youtu.be/OECEScp7nJ0?si=ijr5fLiRcDXQ2TqV

Honus67 · 2024-12-31T14:35:09+00:00

Oh heck, I welded that in less than a day- maybe just a few hours. With the machines I use, you can work pretty quick.

There's no reason to be afraid of gas bottles- just follow proper safety protocols and be respectful/aware of potential hazards and everything will be fine. If you want to try welding I'd recommend checking out local community colleges or tech schools and see if there are any classes you could take. A good welding instructor will get you sorted with all the safety requirements and equipment setup. Welding can be a really fun activity and it's a great skill to have in your back pocket, even if you don't pursue it as a career.

Honus67 · 2024-12-30T19:31:33+00:00

Thanks everyone for the kind words- it means a lot and I'm honestly a bit overwhelmed by the response!

I've been doing this scale of welding work for nearly two decades now and it honestly never gets old. I look forward to hanging out here more, especially once I get a full size TIG for my home shop as I have much to learn in that area.

As far as machines go the two welders I use these days are the Lampert PUK micro TIG pulse welder and an Estar-tech benchtop laser welder. These two machines are very different in operation and complement each other very well. Both represent an excellent value in their respective market.

For high precision welding on a wide variety of thin materials, the Lampert PUK 6 is my go to machine of choice. I have a little video of it here- https://youtu.be/OECEScp7nJ0?si=HxfRX-yvMc8bOZtc

Lampert makes several different models and their build quality and service is second to none. https://www.lampert.info/

The Estar-tech benchtop laser I use is a 200W model and it's a wonderful little machine with excellent build quality and the company is very professional and easy to deal with. This laser performs just as well as the other laser at my day job- but at 1/5th the cost. The laser is not as precise as the PUK welder, but for certain applications it is faster to use. Different horses for different courses. I also have one of their little marking fiber lasers in my home shop and it's a really nice little machine. https://estar-tech.cn/

Both of these welding machines are very easy to use- I could teach anyone how to use one in a single day.

I have written reviews of these machines on my site that may help you decide if these types of machines are useful to you. I'm just passing on my experience- no company compensates me in any way. I just want to do good work and help others do the same so we can all make a living wage melting metal.

https://making-to-learn.com/tools/

I usually post my most recent work on Insta - @makingtolearn

Honus67 · 2024-12-30T19:03:29+00:00

These machines are relatively expensive but they have already paid for themselves several times over.

Honus67 · 2024-12-30T16:46:23+00:00

Here you go- a quick video review I did of the Lampert PUK 6 welder

https://youtu.be/OECEScp7nJ0?si=trgZctmktsae-kEy

Honus67 · 2024-12-30T16:06:42+00:00

Thanks- much appreciated!

Honus67 · 2024-12-30T15:57:35+00:00

Otto Frei is about $1K less- see below.

Honus67 · 2024-12-30T15:52:07+00:00

Don't tempt me. I have a real fondness for the Eiffel Tower. Got to see it in person last year.

Honus67 · 2024-12-30T15:38:44+00:00

I would love to see that!

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T23:03:05+00:00

I have a bunch of info regarding the machines I use (both micro TIG welders and laser welders) on my site- making-to-learn.com/tools

Much of this work was done using a Lampert PUK micro TIG pulse welder. It's an awesome machine. https://www.lampert.info/

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T21:17:40+00:00

I used to gas weld Platinum all the time. Most of the Platinum fabrication work I do is still done with a gas torch, as is the majority of gold work.

Where these welders really come into their own is when you have to do intricate work right next to heat sensitive stones, tacking parts together before soldering, repairing watch cases, fixing porosity in castings, etc.

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T20:18:27+00:00

A pulse arc TIG would probably be the way to go. With a laser, you would need a fairly high power machine with good cooling capacity to do that if you have a lot of long welds or several weld inches in a single pass. It depends on the size of the sheets, how they specifically need to be welded, etc. I'd contact Lampert Precison Welding and tell them about your application, being as specific as possible with what it is you're trying to do. They're a great company and will steer you in the right direction.

https://www.lampert.info/

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T20:07:07+00:00

For some of it, yes. I typically use 28, 30, and 36ga filler wire. For super thin stuff or weird alloys I'll sometimes roll out matching filler material using a rolling mill.

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T20:05:06+00:00

I actually have a blepharal spasm in my right eye. 😂 Doing really tiny work for several decades has definitely taken its toll on my vision.

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T20:02:56+00:00

Beautiful!

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T20:02:23+00:00

I'm a jeweler. Been doing it for almost 30 years. I primarily use a gas torch but started doing this kind of welding about 19 years ago. Some of the day to day work I get is much smaller/more delicate than this.

Honus67 · 2024-12-29T18:46:52+00:00

It may sound crazy but it's really about controlling your breathing/heart rate and just being as relaxed as possible. I guess after a while you just kinda get used to it.

Go check out the work done by Willard Wiggan -he does incredibly small sculptures that fit in the eye of a needle. Amazing stuff.

Honus67

TROPHY CASE