Buying a gasless MIG welder in Thailand

[The Deerhunter]

I need advice on buying a gasless MIG welder in Thailand.  My friends back home have welders and most have welders that can do ordinary Arc (stick welding) PLUS either MIG or TIG welding as well.  The most popular system seems to be standard "Arc" plus  the relatively new gasless MIG system   So for ordinary banging together crude chunks of steel I can use the Arc mode with rods or sticks, but I have the added flexibility of gasless MIG away from from the wind for more tidy, precise work.    Lots of shops here can sell me a plain stick welders or MIG or TIG with attendant gas bottles which all said & done can be a nuisance if you don't use them very often.   Gasless MIG has the proper flux inside the wire and they all tell me you just need a wire feeder as with the other wire systems but no gas bottles or tubes.  I am not experienced with welding but living on a farm things always break and no-one in the extended family of farmers has a welder.  I refuse to use timber framing as termites are so bad around here so any shed mods or security screening always involves welding.  There is lots of Arc & MIG stuff for sale, even Gasless MIG  on the net including Lazada but simply speaking, I don't know what to buy and I could  waste money getting something through misunderstanding or ignorance that does not do what I want.  None of the shops I spoke to in nearby towns have even heard of gasless MIG and I think all of them denied that it even existed.

 

Surely there must be this equipment for sale here somewhere.   I am in Chonburi (north) but Chacheongsao and Bangkok are also doable for me.  I am going to go to Thai Watsadu Chacheongsao tomorrow to have a look but any advice on what I need and most importantly, where to get it, would be greatly appreciated.   Look forward to your advice. Thanks.

[transam]

I found the only worth while welder setup was MIG with argon/CO2 gas...Stick arc is used for near everything here..Cheap and does the job after a bit of practice. MIG takes a lot of practice..

[Crossy]

I'll move this to DIY.

 

I've not seen gasless MIG here, regular MIG has only recently started appearing in the big-box DIY places. Consumables are always going to be an issue if you have a less-common technology.

 

TIG is very popular with the stainless fabricators, could be the way to go.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

If you can

4 hours ago, The Deerhunter said:

The most popular system seems to be standard "Arc" plus  the relatively new gasless MIG system   So for ordinary banging together crude chunks of steel I can use the Arc mode with rods or sticks, but I have the added flexibility of gasless MIG away from from the wind for more tidy, precise work.

Gasless MIG is not new at all (developed around 70 years ago), any MIG welder can run the wire (fluxcore) but if you want "away from  the wind more tidy, precise work." Then you should be using CO2/argon and plain wire. Fluxcore is designed for exactly the opposite situation, as the smoke given off obscures your vision if there's no breeze.

 

The only new thing is the term Gasless MIG

 

The only advantage of fluxcore over stick (shielded metal arc welding) is that you don't need to keep changing sticks and distance of your electrode to the work.

 

Your main problem will be finding fluxcore wire.

 

[Crossy]

12 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Your main problem will be finding fluxcore wire.

Herein lies the issue methinks.

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, transam said:

I found the only worth while welder setup was MIG with argon/CO2 gas...Stick arc is used for near everything here..Cheap and does the job after a bit of practice. MIG takes a lot of practice..

I don't agree about the amount of practice needed for MIG. It Is way easier than stick (SMAW)

while not the best they are strong and with an afternoons practice I was doing well. With stick my first welds were terrible and it took a long time before I was slightly competent.

[transam]

I got good at welding rust too...?

 

I got hold of a high amp MIG, was trying 0.6/0.8/1.0mm wire, amp settings/wire speed etc. Took me a while to working on different steel thicknesses. Heavy stuff was no problem though..

[builder]

Can you run flux core on mig yes BUT you have to change your cables around you weld mig with work positive and ground negative for flux core ground positive


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Damrongsak]

MIG is "easier" than stick. However, it's easier to get a nice looking weld that sits on the surface and does not have proper penetration.  This is especially true on thicker material.

 

The smaller flux-core wires are typically self-shielded and the polarity is opposite that of hard wire.  Industrial MIGs for heavy work are often run dual-shield:  flux core plus gas.  The polarity of those can vary by the type of wire.

 

Some folks use straight CO2 rather than argon/CO2 as it's cheaper.  It burns a bit hotter and spatters a bit more, os it's not preferred for thin sheet metal like auto body work.

[The Deerhunter]

On 9/1/2018 at 4:37 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

If you can

Gasless MIG is not new at all (developed around 70 years ago), any MIG welder can run the wire (fluxcore) but if you want "away from  the wind more tidy, precise work." Then you should be using CO2/argon and plain wire. Fluxcore is designed for exactly the opposite situation, as the smoke given off obscures your vision if there's no breeze.

 

The only new thing is the term Gasless MIG

 

The only advantage of fluxcore over stick (shielded metal arc welding) is that you don't need to keep changing sticks and distance of your electrode to the work.

 

Your main problem will be finding fluxcore wire.

 

 Thanks for your comments. Well I guess it only underlines how little I know about welding. I will copy your comments to my friends back home who actually claim to own and be using these items. I went to Thai Watsadu and DoHomes today and they had absolutely nothing in Mig at all. If I want to get one I will have to bring it in for myself somehow.  The jury is still out at the moment with no testamony from local witnesses.  So to speak. I really was trying to avoid getting involved in gas cylinders.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, The Deerhunter said:

 Thanks for your comments. Well I guess it only underlines how little I know about welding. I will copy your comments to my friends back home who actually claim to own and be using these items. I went to Thai Watsadu and DoHomes today and they had absolutely nothing in Mig at all. If I want to get one I will have to bring it in for myself somehow.  The jury is still out at the moment with no testamony from local witnesses.  So to speak. I really was trying to avoid getting involved in gas cylinders.

It is possible to find a MIG welder in a very few shops Hardwearhouse is one, they have one model only at about 27,000 Baht.

 

Your problem will be finding anywhere that sells the consumables, that will be more difficult than getting gas cylinders.

 

Bringing In a welder from Europe would be easy but from the US not so much as the small cheap machines are 110v and the 220v ones are much more expensive and designed for the US 4 wire system, 2 line, neutral and earth 60hz I have no idea if there would be any problems converting it to the world wide 3 wire system 50hz supply.

 

Dont even think that you can run a 110v welder on a transformer as it would cost more than the welder.

[Damrongsak]

Years ago I visited a tool/hardware shop area in BKK.  Not far from Chinatown around Yaowarat and Phahurat.  One specialty shop had welders of every description stacked floor to ceiling.  From off-brands to high-end Panasonic machines.  Stuff is out there.

 

Some inverter-based welders in the US run on dual voltage, though some are 220-240V only.  I have a 160 amp TIG/Stick welder that will run on 104 - 127V or 187- 253V (auto sensing), either 50 or 60 Hz.

[The Deerhunter]

10 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

It is possible to find a MIG welder in a very few shops Hardwearhouse is one, they have one model only at about 27,000 Baht.

 

Your problem will be finding anywhere that sells the consumables, that will be more difficult than getting gas cylinders.

 

Bringing In a welder from Europe would be easy but from the US not so much as the small cheap machines are 110v and the 220v ones are much more expensive and designed for the US 4 wire system, 2 line, neutral and earth 60hz I have no idea if there would be any problems converting it to the world wide 3 wire system 50hz supply.

 

Dont even think that you can run a 110v welder on a transformer as it would cost more than the welder.

I come from a 230 volt country and was thinking of getting a mste there to import it and on roll of wire like he did his own and buying more wire on Lazada if I nreed it.  It appears to.me that Lazada sell the correct wire but I am not sure about the actual welder.  I might order and get the wrong thing.  I go back home at least once a year.  Sometimes wife too so we have 80kg plus hand luggage.  Yesterday at Do homes TIG welder there seemed no more than 7kg.

[transam]

Back home they sold a small MIG that had small throw away CO2 bottles and wire drums, l had one but the amperage was fairly low as l recall. We need a "Machine Mart" outlet here..

 

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/c/welders-accessories/

[weegee]

Deerhunter....for what it's worth and the hassles here....stay with a stick welder and preserver until you get the feel for the steel you are welding....You get much better penetration with a stick, than any other type of welding machine, unless you are using Mig/Tig on a daily basis...On a Farm, stick is the sensible way to go.....Turn up the amps and rip it into it...lol

 

[Techno Viking]

Hardware House on the 7  out at Pintong have a few different welders... dont know if any are gasless as that something I would never consider.

 

https://www.hardwarehouse.co.th/categories/welding/welding-and-cutting-machines.html?p=1

[FLHR]

Global has them but not sure of consumables & can't remember the brand name. There's a whole line of them & they're encased in green. The MIG was about B30,000. Besides MIG, if I remember correctly, it was also capable of stick and plasma cutting.

[impulse]

This guy used to put out excellent welding videos on YouTube.  He's gotten a little full of himself as his channel has gotten more successful, but his older stuff is still gold for anyone wanting to learn about welding from a relatively non-technical point of view.  Being an engineer, I should hate the guy.  But I just can't...  His stuff (especially his older stuff) is just too helpful.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/ChuckE2009

 

Edit:  sorry you're going to have to sift through a bunch of tractor fanboy stuff, but it's worth it...

 

Oh, and for consumables, online shopping has made that so much easier...

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/falcon-jf-20108mm-i215055345-s325484881.html

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/falcon-jf-20110mm-i215051354-s325486255.html

 

The same Lazada shops also sells Jasic MIG welders in the 13,000 and up price range.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

16 hours ago, weegee said:

Deerhunter....for what it's worth and the hassles here....stay with a stick welder and preserver until you get the feel for the steel you are welding....You get much better penetration with a stick, than any other type of welding machine, unless you are using Mig/Tig on a daily basis...On a Farm, stick is the sensible way to go.....Turn up the amps and rip it into it...lol

 

And have fun burning through everything you try to weld unless it's over ½" thick, then you will just distort it

[impulse]

11 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

And have fun burning through everything you try to weld unless it's over ½" thick, then you will just distort it

 

Not if you can find some of this 1.6mm or 2.0mm rod:

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/weldmaxx-rx-60-16-2-i145407629-s168070522.html

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/yawata-51-20-x-300-mm-25-i125132841-s131198053.html

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/yawata-308l-20250mm-4-i235404125-s361043722.html

 

FYI, there are places with better prices per kg, but that requires many hours of scrounging, or knowing the welding shops better than I do...

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

 

 

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

11 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

And have fun burning through everything you try to weld unless it's over ½" thick, then you will just distort it

 

Not if you can find some of this 1.6mm or 2.0mm rod:

You would be surprised how easily a novice welderwill be able to burn through.

[impulse]

Just now, sometimewoodworker said:

You would be surprised how easily a novice welder will be able to burn through.

 

Not surprised at all.   But I also burned through lots of steel learning to MIG and TIG.  Just to be clear, I'm a hobbyist so I don't do any critical welding.  But as an engineer, I do appreciate good work.

 

A small stick welder (inverter) at 3000-4500 baht, an auto-darkening helmet, at 1300 baht, some gloves, and a few kg of 1.6, 2.0 and 2.6mm rod and you can be stick welding in Thailand for less than half the cost of MIG.  Then if you decide it's useful, you can pop for the high $$$ toys.  I never got there in Thailand because I only pulled out the welder once or twice a year.  Strangely (?), I didn't run across too many welding jobs in my 5th floor apartment.   I did get to MIG and TIG in China, just to learn, and because the welders were so darned cheap.

 

On an aside, the Thai guys we have working offshore for us do some of the best welding I've run across.  But I wouldn't give a bucket of spit for a lot of the construction "fabrication" welding I walk past every day in the city.  I guess that's what happens when we paid real wages...

 

[mogandave]

Why not just contact one of the hundreds of welding supply shops here?

If you can wait, the Metalex show will be at the BITEC in November, great place to buy tools & equipment.

[mogandave]

[Litlos]

There are a few options and I have recently been down this path.  I ended up buying a multi mode (MIG, TIG, MMA) "Hitbox" off Aliexpress and have been pretty happy with it and have not felt the need to paint an S in front of the name.  Got hit for an extra 1200Baht by Thai post getting it in so all up was about 13000 Baht.  Came with a small roll of fluxcore MIG wire, 1kg I think.  Is expensive way to go to buy wire from China though with the postage though and I intended to buy from Australia when there.  Found 5kg rolls of Yawata 0.8mm flux cored at SCG and I think it was Watsadu, with Watsadu considerably cheaper, maybe 600Baht for the roll.  It was either Watsadu or Baan and Beyond near Pattaya, same company anyway.

There are some small MIG only machines in Thailand and most seem to be offered on Lazada, but the price is relatively high at 9000Baht and does not come with extra bits ie MIG torch etc.  The one from Aliexpress came with almost everything you need, though the helmet is a joke.

I am running on the MIG off a standard Thai outlet without problems, going to heavy stick welding and I would get a higher amperage outlet installed.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/HITBOX-MIG-WELDER-THREE-FUNCTIONS-GAS-MIG200A-MIG-LIFT-TIG-MMA-220V-DC-WELDING-MACHINE-IGBT/32841412191.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.5d464c4dsZIQ5C

 

Cheers

[George Bowman]

My DIY projects in Thailand are what I classify as rustic. My wife takes a different approach and asks "Is that the best you can do?"

 

Recently, I purchased a Mig welder that can operate with or without gas from HomePro. Also in keeping with the rustic look, I purchased a plasma cutter that I do not know how to use. The last time I welded was at least 40 years ago on the farm. My next project is a 2-story Thai museum, it should be fun. 

 

These products are from a company called Welpro and manufactured here in Thailand. The welder, cutter and air compressor ran about B40,000. Representatives will be here this week to teach me how to use their machines...

 

 

[mogandave]

Have fun with them!

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, missoura said:

Recently, I purchased a Mig welder that can operate with or without gas from HomePro.

The model information please, on the welder, the online store didn't give a result.

[transam]

4 hours ago, missoura said:

My DIY projects in Thailand are what I classify as rustic. My wife takes a different approach and asks "Is that the best you can do?"

 

Recently, I purchased a Mig welder that can operate with or without gas from HomePro. Also in keeping with the rustic look, I purchased a plasma cutter that I do not know how to use. The last time I welded was at least 40 years ago on the farm. My next project is a 2-story Thai museum, it should be fun. 

 

These products are from a company called Welpro and manufactured here in Thailand. The welder, cutter and air compressor ran about B40,000. Representatives will be here this week to teach me how to use their machines...

 

 

?

[George Bowman]

53 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The model information please, on the welder, the online store didn't give a result.

Currently, I am in stick mode with beads the size of Mount Everest. It's going to take a bit of practice on the MIG.