[Bernice Daniels]

We're pleased to announce a Resistance Ring Welder Kit - Designed by Eric Matwe (Lorenzo)

There is a lot of info about this kit located on our site so I will link to it here
http://theringlord.c...164&cat=Welders

The basic jist is it costs less than 1/3 the cost of the cheapest other system - yes it includes the welder.


This is what this new welder can do

Click these images for really large pics with close up of rings.



This is how it looks in action




Enjoy!

[Gunter]

Wow, that is crazy cool...

I need to pencil in a welder into my expansion possibilities now!

[Malea]

Bernice Daniels, on 27 July 2010 - 01:38 PM, said:

We're pleased to announce a Resistance Ring Welder Kit - Designed by Eric Matwe (Lorenzo)

omg that's badass. i have no need for a welder but the geek in me totally wants one!!! or maybe i DO need one and i just don't know it yet!!! great job Lorenzo and TRL!!!!

[Apocalypse]

Dayum! Too bad there's no Gathering to give this a try, get some expert tips and save the (likely high) shipping! It's be the kick in the pants I need to get back into maille....

Good on ya, Lorenzo!

[SteelWeaver]

It's all fine and good, but what are the jewelry possibilities? I'm quite interested, and the price tag is good, but as I don't do armor aside from high end inlay armor anymore, what are the possibilities for us nanomaillers and jewelers? I'll buy one today if there is enough benefit for me to have one.

[Bernice Daniels]

I didn't want to repeat all the info I had listed but I supposed I should have included the following

This system can weld stainless steel, mild steel, titanium and bronze. Its also possible to weld brass and nickel silver with a bit more work.
Wire sizes from 0.032” to 0.094” are easily weldable – wires outside this range are possible with more effort.

Beyond this only Jon and Lorenzo know its limits and how to push them.

[SteelWeaver]

Yeah, I read that, but the only metal listed that applies to me is Titanium from there. What are it's capabilities on Niobium? Silver (fine, sterling, argentium), gold, goldfill, platinum? And while it's RECOMMENDED down to .032, how much "convincing" does it need to get smaller than that in those metals?

[lorenzo]

If you want to know more about it I reccomend that you read the book.

http://theringlord.c...ButtedRings.pdf

It welds niobium about as well as it welds titanium.

I've welded down to 24g 1/16" rings with it, you'll need a way to limit the input voltage to the welder.

Silver, copper and gold are not practical for resistance welding.

I have not experimented with platinum or gold filled. Just by calculating their resistance they should be weldable.

[SteelWeaver]

That was the answer I was looking for lorenzo. If it's not practical for silver, I'll probably pass, since that's about 70% of what I do now.

[Bernice Daniels]

Thanks Eric, I've updated the comments on the site. I assume the titanium and niobium heat color when welded?
Does this tumble out? No one has mentioned this to me yet.

[The Ring Lord]

I'd have to say I don't really recommend this welder for silver/gold/platinum applications. If you are planning to weld precious metals and small wire then you should likely get one of the readily available jewelry welders. While the $1600 MPIII from ABI is the cheapest available jewelry welder it has a lot of issues (i.e. it dies more often then not). ABI's $4000 welders are awesome for jewelry work but there is the $4K price tag problem. Should anyone need an ABI welder I might be able to help get you either a deal or a refurbed model.

[The Ring Lord]

I stand corrected - Lorenzo just made some pretty sweet jewelry quality welds on sterling. Note that TRL sterling is a special alloy and this might be important. TRL uses a "tarnish resistant" alloy that uses Indium and Zinc in place of copper. I suspect that traditiona copper silver alloys will not weld at all.

We have samples of niobium, titanium and sterling rings that we'll photograph.

[lorenzo]

Yep, I had a hunch so I tried it. Sterling and fine silver are normally too conductive but the tarnish resistant alloy has enough tin in it that it welds just fine.

That likely means that most karat gold will also be weldable on this welder.

For tarnish resistant silver the welder will only weld down to 18g wihtout needing to reduce the input voltage. I'll start working on a cheap voltage reducer add-on right away.

[The Ring Lord]

lorenzo, on 28 July 2010 - 08:23 PM, said:

I'll start working on a cheap voltage reducer add-on right away.

There is always your 100 ft extension cord voltage reducer (pat. pend.)

[lorenzo]

Here are the best and cheapest options I've found for voltage control so far:


A light dimmer, very cheap. It seems to work decently but if you weld too fast or too large rings it will burn out very quickly. Unplug it before you weld high resistance rings. You'll also need to be able to do your own wiring.

$6 http://www.canadiant...r.jsp?locale=en


This is a lamp dimmer, it's only two prong so you need to cut off a bit of plastic to plug your welder into it. Unplug it before you weld high resistance rings. It only has half the capacity of the light dimmer(burns out very easily) but it's already wired up.

$11 http://www.canadiant...r.jsp?locale=en


A 5 amp variac, about the same capability as the light dimmer but it has inexpensive and replaceable fuses that blow(you might want a couple). It is also plug and play and has a built in voltmeter. Unplug it before you weld high resistance rings.

$50 http://www.circuitsp...itml/icOid/7674


A 20 amp variac, this has a higher amperage capacity than the welder itself, it has replaceable fuses but I doubt you'll ever blow one. It's ready to go, has a built in voltmeter, two outlets and comes with a coupon for a free electrical multitool/tester of your choice. Seems like a good deal to me, I'd get one if I didn't already own a variac.

$104 http://www.circuitsp...itml/icOid/7673

[lorenzo]

I would personally recommend at the very least getting a cheap variac for doing jewelry, the light dimmers are really a bit sketchy for working with valuable metals. The $104 one might be a bit of overkill but it's a much more versatile unit.

[Blessed Wrath]

lorenzo, on 30 July 2010 - 08:57 PM, said:

I would personally recommend at the very least getting a cheap variac for doing jewelry, the light dimmers are really a bit sketchy for working with valuable metals. The $104 one might be a bit of overkill but it's a much more versatile unit.

Can this unit lower the output power of a 15 amp stick welder?

Until I can afford the new resistance welder, this is the only option I have. I have been able to weld as low as 18g stainless, but only with very careful hands. The thing is just too beefy, and burns right through them. It needs to be taken down a notch to be effective.

[lorenzo]

It's possible, but not likely, stick welders need a certain voltage to start and maintain a stable arc whereas for resistance welding very low voltages are normal. It might work, I've heard of stick welding done off of a 12 volt battery, but it's a risk you'll have to take if you want to find out. Some relays need a certain voltage to fire and most electronics don't function as well if the input voltage is changed. A lot of simple equipment works just fine at a reduced voltage, but you never know.

[Blessed Wrath]

Is this kit shipped in usable condition, or does it require modifying/assembly which necessitates specialty skills?

[lorenzo]

Each welder is ready to go and has already been used to weld test rings which you'll find attached to the electrodes, just plug it in and flick the switch to weld. You may need to adjust the position of the electrodes to get proper ring alignment.

Installing the timer is optional but will allow more precision, speed and consistency while welding. It requires no special skills and only very simple tools(wire cutter, crimper) just follow the diagrams in my booklet.

To break it down step by step;
First you unscrew the OEM switch.
Second, cut the wires as close to the switch as you can and throw the switch away.
Third, strip the ends of the wires.
Fourth, crimp the timer relay terminals onto the ends of the wires.

There are a couple convenient mounting points where you can bolt the timer to the welder for easy adjustment, the bolts are supplied with the welder.

If you have any trouble with the setup you can always get more help and advice here on the forum.