Troubleshooting guide › Specialised welding › Jewellery pulse-arc welding

Jewellery pulse-arc welding problems: black or pitted weld, weak joint, electrode sticking, no weld, gas lamp flashing

A pulse-arc jewellery weld is a single TIG-like pulse of a few milliseconds under argon, aimed through a microscope. It is clean and tiny when the gas, the electrode tip and the power are right, and black or pitted when any one of them is wrong. This page is for permanent jewellery chains, jump rings, prongs and small repairs in gold, silver, platinum and steel.

Covers: PulseGem 100 pulse-arc spot welder with microscope and argon shielding (50-600 A pulse, five preset patterns, power 1-10, time and deflate time settings).

Reviewed by the Cruxweld technical team, October 2026. Settings are starting points to confirm on a test piece; acceptance is decided by the code or drawing the job is built to. Checks marked “call” are for our technical team.

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Faults, most likely first, and the fix for each Daily care Questions we get asked

Before you start: Look only through the microscope with its filter in place; the arc is intense. Never let the two electrodes short together. Power off before opening the case or changing the lens.

Faults, most likely first, and the fix for each

1Weld black, sooty or oxidised

No or low argon (cylinder, regulator below 0.1 MPa, hose), gas lamp flashing; deflate time too short so the arc fires before the gas covers the spot; draught from a fan or window.

Fix: Check the gas path and pressure; set deflate (contact) time to 1 or 1.5 s; screen the bench from draughts.

2Pitted, cratered weld

Power too high for the piece; electrode blunt; metal dirty or carrying polish compound.

Fix: Lower the power one step; regrind the tungsten to 25 degrees or less; clean the piece in alcohol or an ultrasonic bath.

3Weak joint, ring opens

Power too low; ends not touching before the pulse; gap at the joint; metal with a high-conductivity alloy needing more energy.

Fix: Close the joint fully with pliers before welding; raise power one step; two pulses on opposite sides for larger rings.

4Electrode sticks to the piece

Pressing the piece hard onto the tip; blunt or contaminated tip; deflate time too long.

Fix: Touch, do not press: the electrode retracts automatically; regrind the tip; shorten the deflate time.

5No weld when the piece touches the tip

Ready lamp not yet on (Wait means charging); circuit clip not on the piece or not making contact through the chain; electrode exposed length wrong (10-15 mm).

Fix: Wait for Ready; clip directly on the piece, not on a coated chain; set the electrode length with the cover.

6Spot too big or too small

Power and time for the metal and wire size; a preset pattern not suited to the job.

Fix: Start low on thin chain and raise one step at a time; choose the pattern for the task; power display x10 is the percentage of full power.

7Cannot see the weld clearly

Cover lens coated with weld spatter; filter aged (about two years); optics dirty.

Fix: Replace the cover lens; replace an aged filter; clean the optics.

Daily care

Tungsten sharp (25 degrees or less), 10-15 mm exposed; polished when blunt, replaced when short.
Argon pressure at least 0.1 MPa; gas lamp not flashing at the set power.
Cover lens clear; microscope clean.
Work area dry, ventilated, lit; no draughts on the bench.
Dust cover on when not in use; cables away from heat and sharp edges.

Questions we get asked

Why does the machine switch to the first pattern by itself?

After five minutes with no operation it returns to the Ortho pattern. Re-select your pattern before the next weld.

Can I weld on the customer’s wrist?

That is what permanent jewellery welding is: the pulse is milliseconds and the piece is clamped a few millimetres from the skin. Use the leather guard, keep the chain taut, and practise on scrap chain first.

Models covered on this page

PulseGem 100Specifications →

Open your model for its specifications; the spares page lists the consumables for it.

Welding or cutting problem rather than a machine fault?

If the machine runs but the weld or cut is wrong, the cause is usually settings, consumables or the material. Start here:

TIG welding problems →

Does the machine matter?

The machine is only as good as its argon supply (at least 0.1 MPa, up to 5 L/min) and its electrode tip. The gas lamp under the Select button flashes when the pressure cannot meet the demand of the set power; a flashing lamp and a black weld are the same fault.

PulseGem 100 page Find the right machine Cost calculator Order spares

Still stuck?

Send a photo of the weld or cut, your machine model, consumable and plate thickness. Our technical team replies on WhatsApp with the likely causes and the next checks to make.

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