Welder purchase advice

[EVENKEEL]

Looking to buy a welder for small around the house projects. Which brand name and model would be good. Me, I usually just buy middle of the road priced tools because I'm not a pro. I haven't welded since my teen age years when a welder was a monster. I've seen the guys welding, I'm sure I can pick up the skill again.

 

Anyway, any recommendations on brand name.

[BritManToo]

I bought this one, been using it since mid 2019.

Works perfectly ....... and 200bht less than when I bought it.

I've made frames for solar panels, rabbit cages, fence repairs, can't fault it in any way.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/inntech-inverter-igbt-450a-3-supreme-edition-i274609952-s436457675.html

 

The rods were surprisingly expensive at 380bht (2mm)

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/yawata-ft51-20-mm-x300-mm-25-kg-i125132841-s131198053.html

 

The welder comes with gloves and a mask, but you might want to spend another 200bht on an auto dimming mask which I find really helps. Thicker welding rods are a lot cheaper (2.6mm @ 150bht/box) but it's harder to weld box steel with thicker rods.

[Hummin]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I bought this one, been using it since mid 2019.

Works perfectly ....... and 200bht less than when I bought it.

I've made frames for solar panels, rabbit cages, fence repairs, can't fault it in any way.

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/inntech-inverter-igbt-450a-3-supreme-edition-i274609952-s436457675.html

Does it come with everything you need, except the electrodes? 

 

1100,- baht include shipping, not bad price. 

[Olmate]

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Does it come with everything you need, except the electrodes? 

 

1100,- baht include shipping, not bad price. 

Even includes the'cocky $hit'!! 

[bbko]

Great topic, I was thinking of taking up stick welding for small projects around the house (work bench, garden shelving, small gate for dog area) but I've never welded in my life.  I've watched enough videos to know which rod to use, now I need to find the right inverter.

[BritManToo]

16 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Does it come with everything you need, except the electrodes? 

 

1100,- baht include shipping, not bad price. 

Yep, I added a link for welding rods, 300bht+ for a box of 300 x2mm.

And the auto dimming mask is a worthwhile extra, although there's a cheap mask included with the welder which is OK. The gloves that came with the welder are fine.

I was mainly welding 2x1 box steel.

 

All cut with this 4" grinder,

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/masaki-4-750w-i220463375-s336037455.html

and these cutting wheels ...... mind your fingers .........

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/mailtank-4-12-mm-25-i219056598-s332928234.html

 

[Hummin]

7 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Yep, I added a link for welding rods, 300bht+ for a box of 300 x2mm.

And the auto dimming mask is a worthwhile extra, although there's a cheap mask included with the welder which is OK. The gloves that came with the welder are fine.

I was mainly welding 2x1 box steel.

 

Thank you, just order now! 

[Crossy]

As @BritManToo notes, an auto-dimming mask is the best thing since sliced bread.

 

And a small angle-grinder with both grinding and cutting disks will save your arms on the hacksaw.

 

I did buy a chop-saw as it was on offer (and came with a free angle-grinder too) but for small jobs it may not be worth it.

[azt219]

Can try these guys, English speaking customer service, good support, prices are slightly higher than your average lazada shop but better quality, and they have warranty that is easy to claim and good servicing.  

 

https://www.kovet.com/

 

Can contact them on Line @Kovet or facebook. There stuff is on Lazada too. 

 

[Cake Monster]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I bought this one, been using it since mid 2019.

Works perfectly ....... and 200bht less than when I bought it.

I've made frames for solar panels, rabbit cages, fence repairs, can't fault it in any way.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/inntech-inverter-igbt-450a-3-supreme-edition-i274609952-s436457675.html

 

The rods were surprisingly expensive at 380bht (2mm)

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/yawata-ft51-20-mm-x300-mm-25-kg-i125132841-s131198053.html

 

The welder comes with gloves and a mask, but you might want to spend another 200bht on an auto dimming mask which I find really helps. Thicker welding rods are a lot cheaper (2.6mm @ 150bht/box) but it's harder to weld box steel with thicker rods.

The 2.6 MM rods are the preferred rods used for all welding that I have seen performed in Thailand.

A 2 mm ( or possibly even smaller ) rod would be ideal for welding thin section Box Tube, because the Amperage and therefore the heat generated can both be reduced, which prevents blow out.

Thais have a certain way of welding thin Box section Etc, and this entails a " dabbing " of the Rod to make a Weld.

This will of course be a long, long way off a good weld, as impurities, blowout Etc will get into the weld, as well as gaps that will allow moisture and therefore rusting to occur

My SIL does some Welding here in Thailand, and I have tried to explain all this to him.

His reply is " uses a lot of Welding Rod your way "

Unless you are intending to use a welder all Day, every day, then go with Britmans recommendation.

 

 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, bbko said:

Great topic, I was thinking of taking up stick welding for small projects around the house (work bench, garden shelving, small gate for dog area) but I've never welded in my life.  I've watched enough videos to know which rod to use, now I need to find the right inverter.

Protect your eyes, as I've watched my father, get 'welder's flash' too many times, dumb a$$, and not a pleasant experience at all.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, bbko said:

Great topic, I was thinking of taking up stick welding for small projects around the house (work bench, garden shelving, small gate for dog area) but I've never welded in my life.  I've watched enough videos to know which rod to use, now I need to find the right inverter.

You should also get some thin rods, 2mm & 1.6mm if you don’t and don’t use thick steel you will be burning through really quickly.

[AhFarangJa]

Good topic, as I too am looking for a machine. Been reading up on it a bit, and noticed an invertor machine is best for running on domestic electricity. However, does anyone have experience with the three in one machines I have see. I think they use Mig,Tig, and rods?

[Adumbration]

@BritManToois on the money here.  Although there must be hundreds of pigeons at his place.

 

The yawata 2mm rods are the best you will get here.  But you have to buy them on line because I have yet to see them sold in any shops here or in Phuket.  When I was younger I worked in breakdown maintenance as a contractor in mines and quarries.  Our motto was cut your way in, weld your way out.  It was all stick welding back then.

 

My ten cents worth.

 

1. The cheap boxes work well however the leads are often as cheap as they get.  They are also too short for a lot of jobs.  You might want to invest in a better (longer) set of leads. 

2. The cheap clamp on the earth lead will fail after a few months of use.  Replace it with good quality magnetic clamp (shopee)

3. Although I worked as a welder for decades I moved into other work and had never even tried a auto dimming helmet.  I bought a cheap one (around 360) baht and did not expect too much.  It is brilliant, a game changer because you can hold materials in place with your free hand then just tack weld.  You absolutely must buy one.

4. Keep your rods dry.  The flux on them will absorb moisture from the air anyway because it is so humid here.  If you want your rods in top condition you should also buy one of those glass bowl fan ovens.  You can keep your rods in there and bake them a little (just a little) before use.

5. Avoid all of the 2.6mm Thai brand rods.  Kobe especially.  Rubbish the lot of them.

6. When you start out all of your welds with have slag inclusion.  Clean off all pigeon <deleted> before rewelding.  If you have serious inclusions grind out the old weld.  You cannot successfully just weld over slag...never....

7. A little prep of your surfaces before welding goes a long way.

8. After welding you might want to mark the hot area with a piece of chalk.  So you don't pick it up by mistake (good habit)

9. If possible set up your welding bench near a sink or tap, so that you can cool down items if needed.

10.  If you fail and need to hire a Thai welder, never, ever, ever, ever hire one that uses sunglasses instead of a proper helmet.

 

PM me if you need further help.

[bbko]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Protect your eyes, as I've watched my father, get 'welder's flash' too many times, dumb a$$, and not a pleasant experience at all.

I recently bought some safety equipment, auto dimming full face mask and leather gloves and already had the Bosch angle grinder, just need the rods, inverter and practice ????

 

[AndyAndyAndy]

These 1000 Baht stick welders suck. You can as well weld with your car battery, the result will look the same. ????

 

I bought MIG welder a few years back for my small projects https://www.lazada.co.th/products/polo-co2-p191-mig200-jasic-2-i233556476-s358211500.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.31.293c6971kO80UM&search=1 little bit more expensive but worth the money. It's POLO (cheap brand) but owned and made by JASIC (quality brand). So cheap price but quality product.

 

You don't even need gas for welding if you use fluxcore wire.

[Hummin]

1 minute ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

These 1000 Baht stick welders suck. You can as well weld with your car battery, the result will look the same. ????

 

I bought MIG welder a few years back for my small projects https://www.lazada.co.th/products/polo-co2-p191-mig200-jasic-2-i233556476-s358211500.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.31.293c6971kO80UM&search=1 little bit more expensive but worth the money. It's POLO (cheap brand) but owned and made by JASIC (quality brand). So cheap price but quality product.

 

You don't even need gas for welding if you use fluxcore wire.

Do you weld galvanized with your mig? 

 

I'm not so sure this 2mm galv steel here is appropriate to weld with mig. 

[jvs]

9 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

These 1000 Baht stick welders suck. You can as well weld with your car battery, the result will look the same. ????

 

I bought MIG welder a few years back for my small projects https://www.lazada.co.th/products/polo-co2-p191-mig200-jasic-2-i233556476-s358211500.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.31.293c6971kO80UM&search=1 little bit more expensive but worth the money. It's POLO (cheap brand) but owned and made by JASIC (quality brand). So cheap price but quality product.

 

You don't even need gas for welding if you use fluxcore wire.

I also got a Jasic mig welder last year,should have bought it years ago,great machine and i did a lot of projects with it already.First i used core flux but now i use solid wire and gas.

Very happy with it.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/jasic-combo1-co2-mig160-n219-co2-08mm5kg-jasic-1-1-i233600270-s358277771.html?search=1

[AndyAndyAndy]

6 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Do you weld galvanized with your mig? 

 

I'm not so sure this 2mm galv steel here is appropriate to weld with mig. 

Not galvanized. Just regular steel from local shop.

 

They sell for example round  tube, 6 metres for 120 Baht. Which I used for this.

 

 

Or square tube for 220 Baht per 6 metres. Which I used here (+ plywood for bottoms + sheet metal for sides)

 

 

 

 

 

Over the years I welded a ton of stuff. 

 

With prices 120 - 200 baht per 6 metres it's very cheap to make anything.

[bankruatsteve]

I have been using 20x20x1mm galvanized steel for most of my projects lately using Kobelco 2.6mm electrodes.  I use them because it's the only kind the local places have but have never been happy with them.  Some times I get a nice bead but then they act like a blow torch or just stick.  Even when turned down to 45A.  Anyway, with care I can avoid blowholes in the galvanized steel but still more than a few that I can't repair.  The welds are mostly good though and still holding up years later.  BTW: I bought a smallish inverter model at Global 11 hears ago and still going strong.  I had to replace the ground clamp and electrode holder (with Western style).  

 

Agree the self darken helmet is a must and also suggest a lamp that you can put close to your work, chaps, a welding hammer, brushes, and several 4-6" clamps.  I also made a 4' x 1m table using a 4x8'x3mm sheet of steel that I more or less cut in half to give a 6mm table top.  A bit expensive but well worth it.  Easy to clamp down for right angles and just need to put the ground clamp onto the table.

 

I taught myself to weld when I hit 70yr and now have dozens of projects big and small.  I find it therapeutic and enjoyable to accomplish.  One of my favorites is a drying rack hanging between cabinets above the sink.  Wife loves it and no more crashes trying to balance pots, bowls, etc. in the dish holder.

 

Cheers.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, bbko said:

I recently bought some safety equipment, auto dimming full face mask and leather gloves and already had the Bosch angle grinder, just need the rods, inverter and practice ????

 

The gloves and helmet are good, you also need a long sleeved shirt and trousers/jeans or you will be needing an ocean of calamine lotion, DAMHIKT ???? So a leather apron is a reasonable purchase later. 
 

But if your desire is sticking bits of metal together rather than learning to weld then a MIG welder is very much easier to learn to use.

 

as you can see these are not beautiful but functional, these are much better than my first stick welds

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, Hummin said:

Do you weld galvanized with your mig? 

Galvanised is evil and it can kill you, if you try it make absolutely sure you have a fan blowing the fumes away or a ventilated welding helmet

 

 

”Symptoms of galvanize poisoning can be similar to flu symptoms.  The onset of symptoms typically begin shortly after exposure to zinc oxide and may include a mild headache and nausea.  If you have a more severe case of exposure, your symptoms will be consistent to those you experience when you have the flu.  A moderate case of exposure will result in symptoms including chills, shaking, a slight fever, vomiting and cold sweats.  If you begin to experience any of these symptoms you should immediately stop working and get some fresh air.  In severe cases the symptoms may be so bad that you will have to go home until they subside.  The most severe cases of galvanize poisoning can result in death. If you feel that your symptoms are worse than ever before, you should seek medical attention at once.”

Quote

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

NB. The difference between an OK welder and an excellent one is often down to skill with an angle grinder ???? 

[bankruatsteve]

12 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Galvanised is evil and it can kill you, if you try it make absolutely sure you have a fan blowing the fumes away or a ventilated welding helmet

Can't dispute but I've welded 100's of joints on galvanized with no issues (other than blow throughs).  I just puff the fumes away.  ????

[bankruatsteve]

7 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

NB. The difference between an OK welder and an excellent one is often down to skill with an angle grinder ???? 

Agree but first a good chip peening is absolutely necessary.  Grinders don't always remove the slag and can hide defective welds.

[JSon]

5 hours ago, Adumbration said:

@BritManToois on the money here.  Although there must be hundreds of pigeons at his place.

 

The yawata 2mm rods are the best you will get here.  But you have to buy them on line because I have yet to see them sold in any shops here or in Phuket.  When I was younger I worked in breakdown maintenance as a contractor in mines and quarries.  Our motto was cut your way in, weld your way out.  It was all stick welding back then.

 

My ten cents worth.

 

1. The cheap boxes work well however the leads are often as cheap as they get.  They are also too short for a lot of jobs.  You might want to invest in a better (longer) set of leads. 

2. The cheap clamp on the earth lead will fail after a few months of use.  Replace it with good quality magnetic clamp (shopee)

3. Although I worked as a welder for decades I moved into other work and had never even tried a auto dimming helmet.  I bought a cheap one (around 360) baht and did not expect too much.  It is brilliant, a game changer because you can hold materials in place with your free hand then just tack weld.  You absolutely must buy one.

4. Keep your rods dry.  The flux on them will absorb moisture from the air anyway because it is so humid here.  If you want your rods in top condition you should also buy one of those glass bowl fan ovens.  You can keep your rods in there and bake them a little (just a little) before use.

5. Avoid all of the 2.6mm Thai brand rods.  Kobe especially.  Rubbish the lot of them.

6. When you start out all of your welds with have slag inclusion.  Clean off all pigeon <deleted> before rewelding.  If you have serious inclusions grind out the old weld.  You cannot successfully just weld over slag...never....

7. A little prep of your surfaces before welding goes a long way.

8. After welding you might want to mark the hot area with a piece of chalk.  So you don't pick it up by mistake (good habit)

9. If possible set up your welding bench near a sink or tap, so that you can cool down items if needed.

10.  If you fail and need to hire a Thai welder, never, ever, ever, ever hire one that uses sunglasses instead of a proper helmet.

 

PM me if you need further help.

@Adumbration

 

Have you tried these ones?

 

Pretty much the same as Yawata in my experience, no issues, slightly cheaper as well. 

 

Available in the smaller hardware stores on the streets in Phuket, not in HomePro or places like that though.  

 

Agreed with some of the others - MIG is the way to go these days.  Made the transition from stick a while back and it feels like going from riding a bike to riding a motorbike.  MIG with either flux core/gas, flux core makes your life easier since you don't need gas, but can be a pain to use sometimes on the <deleted>tier cheap machines.  Gas still produces better results in my opinion.

 

Got one of the cheap MIG ones like Polo on Shopee previously and it just failed after a few months of use.  I had some pretty big projects as I was renovating and doing up my place so wanted a better machine went with this one https://www.lazada.co.th/products/kovet-mig-200ct-200a-dc-mig-2-talaytools-i2595738493-s9245091398.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.21.ef83631fJeIokO&search=1&fastshipping=0&sale=&price=18600.00&review=1&ratingscore=5.0&location=Bangkok&stock=1&lang=en

 

Been great, no issues, as good as my Forney when I had one back home.  If you're going to keep the machine for a few years then it's better to spend a little more as an investment otherwise you might be throwing it down the drain.  

 

For stick machines getting a crappy cheap one is probably ok since they don't cost that much, but if you're going to be doing a lot, I'd suggest getting a good MIG one, you won't regret it.  

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

Agree but first a good chip peening is absolutely necessary.  Grinders don't always remove the slag and can hide defective welds.

Right. I wasn’t suggesting that you should de-slag with a grinder, chipping is the way to go, but meant that many not so pretty but sound welds can be tarted up and the blobs and splatter erased with a flap wheel so they look nice.

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

Can't dispute but I've welded 100's of joints on galvanized with no issues (other than blow throughs).  I just puff the fumes away.  ????

But you understand the danger and how deal with it. For a neophyte they probably don’t know exactly how nasty zinc oxide is and consider it as normal smoke.

[EVENKEEL]

12 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

But you understand the danger and how deal with it. For a neophyte they probably don’t know exactly how nasty zinc oxide is and consider it as normal smoke.

I never would have known the danger of galvanized if a friend hadn't warned me when I told him of my plan to start welding. He said to have a good fan to blow away the smoke.

[DUNROAMIN]

Weld Pro inverter 12000B