Weld retip 1 claw on a diamond with Lampert PUK 3 .

Retipping a claw on a solitaire diamond ring in 18ct white gold using the Lampert PUK 3 Professional Plus welder on Standard 7ms 30% power.The claw is thin and welds into a ball so I have to weld onto it then rotate the tipping wire down onto the diamond, pivoting at the edge of the diamond while welding at that point. The claws only need to be shaped afterwards.

[@loktinl]

Hello Tribletman, Would you be able to comment on the situation where the tungsten electrode becomes stuck to the workpiece? I have a lapert PUK3 at the shop I work at for my job, it sits in the back and nobody that still works there uses it. I just tried it once and experienced a lot of sticking, which resulted in the electrodes splitting. Could you provide some insights as to what I've done wrong? Apologies if this is an amateur question, I shall read the manual again to see if its something obvious...

[@tribletman]

The reason this is happening is that you are not holding the work solidly enough. If necessary you need to adjust the height of the microscope and the handpiece bracket so that you can rest your hands on the base while welding. This will help you hold the work more sturdily. When the work is held steady the electrode will not stick to it. I tend to also rest my thumb against the side of the nozzle the electrode comes out of for even more steadiness, but that's probably not necessary.