I have also had very mixed results. There must be someway to make this work
like sparkle post welder. I am going to get some fusion welder posts with r
the little nib and see if that will work. I am surprised that Orion has not
come up with a jig that will work like sparkle. Vince Larochelle.
Sorry for the delay in my response Ally.
I’ve found that the gold and platinum respond better with the welder than silver does. Smooth welds, more predictable metal movement, etc.
Vince,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
The settings for tacking ended up being more trial and error for me. Also, the control panel is different between the original version I have an the new one I think you have (150s2). It took me some time and a few disposable posts to find the right power setting as well has the right positioning of the post to the earring. If I remember off the top of my head, it was between 50-70 Ws (start low and work up) to get the right amount of power versus attachment.
If they are connected well, the current moves between the two pieces and you might get a superficial connection that breaks really easily. If the gap is too much and the power is too high, the arc will jump across and blow out the end of the post. Eventually you will settle in on a value that melts the end of the post to the earring, then you can either solder or arc weld it for proper finishing.
Regards,
Ron
45° angle is very important, especially for silver. If your angle is off in either direction, you can push the metal away from where you want it to go, or even create a divot as you blow metal out of the zone where the arc is generated.
I use my 150s to fix porosity in some of my sterling silver castings and if I am being lazy, I create more work for myself because I have to fix the damage I cause. 
I wouldn’t give it up though, it is a valuable tool on my workbench.
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Did anyone ever use flux to help the metal flow with the orion welder. Just curious, I haven’t tried it myself.
I wouldn’t recommend using flux with the Orion. You will likely contaminate the tungsten electrode which will interfere with the arc creation. You might also force flux into the molten pool of metal weakening it internally.
Getting the metal to move isn’t difficult. Finding the right setting to move just enough or not too much is the challenge sometimes.
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Thanks!
I use an Orion. One thing that has made it easier for me to weld silver is to use Argentium, it welds much better than standard sterling. It probably won’t work for your enameled earrings, I find it much easier to weld. Good luck!
I just got mine and after wanting it so long, im bummed. They show videos of closing rings and all sorts of stuff.
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Using a pulse arc welder requires that you become friends with it. Silver works very well with the later versions because it takes more power. Argentium works like gold with settings. I’ve found that a slightly dull electrode works much better with regular sterling than a very sharp electrode. I’m using a PUK 5.1
Judy
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I have tried and tried today to get a post onto an earring to no avail.
Apologies if this is a stupid question - is arc welding better than traditional soldering with a torch? (this is an academic question for me, as I don’t have the $ 
to buy one)
Be sure not to have the probe sticking out to far. If it’s out to far the argon won’t even reach the weld. If the probe must be extended further out try turning the pressure up slightly. Silver is tricky but can be done.
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Not a stupid question at all!! Arc welding vs soldering ear posts. Both ways have pros and cons. Arc or laser welding posts really shine when you need to repair a broken off post and you don’t want to pull a stone.
But traditional soldering works great for adding ear posts. If that’s what you already own, I don’t see any reason to buy an arc welder, especially if you can’t afford it.
The forum is filled with fantastic tips and tricks for soldering ear posts effectively. You can do a search. Just a few weeks ago jhammer52 wrote a great tutorial. Search for the topic: “Remove stone from bezel or solder with stone still in there” and you’ll find Jo’s tips in there.
Thanks!!
Jeff
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SueS,
If you are looking to solder or repair earring posts without removing stones, etc., a simple old style pulse welder, sometimes called a spark welder, will work OK. These are also used for ring resizing, too. The Chinese models run about $170 on Ebay and Amazon. A far cry from the thousands for the laser and pulse arc welders. -royjohn
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@SueS11184 to be honest, ive done both and i just got my arc welder. The ones i did w my arc welder have already broken and ones i soldered myself are super strong.
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Thank you. I suppose that may just be a matter of needing more practice, I don’t know. But I figure people have been soldering them since forever it’s fine if I stick with that.
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