Dear fellow Orchid members, I have been a member for 2 years now,
and have received valuable tips and wisdom from the forum. I try and
appreciate everyone’sthoughts on each subject. We can all gain
knowledge and time saving tricks as well.
Earlier this year, an article was written about the Orion welders
vs. the PUK welders, and that was an interesting subject for me
because I have owned an Orion pulse arc welder for approximately 5-6
years. When I first bought the welder, I was very excited, thinking
that it would address all my needs and basically eliminate the need
for a torch.
I started to use it, but was immediately frustrated with my results
partially because the instructions back then were very limited and
somewhat vague. I was persistent in using the welder, but continued
to be plagued with poor results. I spoke with the techs at Orion and
they were able to walk methrough what they knew of the welder, in
regard to what a jeweler might use it for. They advised me right off
the bat that no one on their staff was a professional jeweler, and
that although they use the welders on a daily basis, the
applications probably differ.
Some of the tips I received were helpful. others not so much. I soon
realized that there were significant differences in the
applicationsthe staff at Orion were using the welder for vs. what a
jeweler would use it for. I continued to use my welder probably 20%
of the time in my shop. I was nothappy, but felt that was how it was
going to be from that time on. Then the article came out for Orion
vs. PUK. And with that I saw an article written by Terry Reichert
talking about how much he has beenable to do with the Orion. Right
away I emailed Terry, and we started todiscuss things using the
welder. I then saw an article on the forum/blog where Terry asked
fellow jewelers to come up to his shop for a hands-on workshop. I
was very excited about the opportunity for some hands-on learning. I
worked out a time period in mid-November to meet with Terry and Bob
to get some training on the welder. I drove 22 hours from western
Pennsylvania to Scottsbluff, Nebraska. We met at his shop, and
immediately started going over the equipment andprojects on their
bench. Terry was very energetic and excited. he told meno one else
had taken advantage of the invite for the workshop. Then, I met
BobMoore, who is the hands on guy in the shop. Bob told me it took
him 5 weeks of working on the welderbefore he was able to start
getting positive results. Bob has a laid back approach, and is
extremely knowledgeable on the welder, making him an excellent
instructor. He told me he has never had a torch in his hand to do
any repairs. everything has been done on the Orion.
Over the next 5 hours of the first day and 7 hours of the next, Bob
and Terry willingly showed me everything that they do with
thewelder. The tips that Bob gave me were invaluable. literally
years of experience just handed to me. The generosity that I
received was great, as was theconfidence to use my Orion more
effectively.
Terry and Bob showed me a product that Terry invented called Sand
Hills Gem Guard. It basically protects ANY stone from direct contact
with the welder. I watched as they used it on a soft, synthetic
stone as they re-tipped prongs right on top of the stone, with
absolutely no damage to the stone.
When I got home, I was very anxious to jump on the welder and try
out the different things I learned. The modifications I needed to
make were few, but extremely vital. I have been very pleased with
the results, and I know that with another week’s practice, I will be
able to use the welder for most applications.
I read some of the previous responses to the forum/blog and saw
where people were upset saying that Terry was profiting by the
article and that he was getting a kickback from Orion. Nothing could
be further from the truth. Terry and Bob are genuinely thrilled with
their ability to use thewelder for all jewelry applications, and are
willing to share that with others, PERIOD.
I want to sincerely thank Terry Reichert and Bob Moore for their
time and knowledge.
Sincerely, Tom Tyma