Electric Welder

[xerostar]

A few years ago I built myself a steel framed shed using a hired stick welding machine.

I remember being worried because years before I had real difficulty to weld with a stick welder.

I was using one of those heavy "transformer" type stick welders.

However I was told that this unit was one of the new generation welding machines.

It was very light and was no bigger or heavier than the

average desk-top computer housing.

I was amazed at how good I could weld within a short time.

The sticks did not stick and as long as I was only doing

"downhand" welding the resulting welds were smooth and the

slag chipped away cleanly.

I want to buy a similar welder when I get to Thailand.

We will need it for general repair work as well as construction

of a steel framed farm shed and house roof construction.

Does anyone know what this type of welder is called?

And does anyone know a shop in Thailand where I might find one?

I read with interest the thread on the new automatic welding helmets.

Any advice on welders/equipment and steel welding welcome.

.

.

[Lickey]

Have seen the ones you want in Home Pro, or Tool Pro in Udon Thani, you mean the type you can hang on your shoulder and climb a ladder ect, Ive used these in UK a few years ago, lovely light weight set, I think the price here is about 21,000, plus rods,helmet ect, Cheers, Lickey.

[paulsmithson]

crazy to pay 21k! ark welding sets are available from 3k upwards! Migs are available but not eay to find and getting the wire is a pain. Welding rods are 260 baht a pack.

hope this helps

[C-sip-degree]

You pay for what you get folks.

And yes Lickey is right with his pricing just don’t forget he is talking about a very portable Inverter welding machine being Stick electrode and GTAW welding.

Basically buy the accessory parts needed connect gas cylinder with a different lead and you can do Gas Tungsten Arc Welding handy on the stainless steel work, and YES Home pro has a good supply.

Depending on what you require you have choices from 3k to 30k and then some $Bht but your now starting to get away from the single phase units for the garage. I don’t think it’s crazy to pay 30k for a welding machine myself nor would I think its crazy to have more than one welding unit in the garage.

Inverter welder's win my vote.

Regards

C-sip

[Gary A]

I have both a MIG welder and an arc welder, I think the MIG welder was about 30,000 baht and the arc welder about 3,000 baht. I buy the MIG wire in, I think, 15 KG rolls so it last quite a long time for me. I get the CO2 gas locally and a bottle of it lasts a long time too. Gun tips and wire are not that difficult to find.

Getting old sucks! My hand eye coordination has deteriorated to the point that I rarely use the arc welder. Trying to weld something thin is possible only with the MIG welder. Arc welding thin stuff is out of the question for me. Chipping flux off welds is also not one of my favorite activities. Maybe a state of the art three phase arc welder works better, I don't know, but I spend more time cussing and unsticking the rod than welding.

I actually bought the arc welder so when the Thais want to weld something they use it and NOT my MIG welder. I also have two helmets, one of which is an automatic and that stays in the house.

[soundman]

A normal rod type inverter (not transformer) welder made by a reputable manufacturer in Thailand will set you back about 9,000B for 150amp model (2.6 - 3.2mm rods) - 15,000B for a 300amp model (2.6 - 4.0mm rods). Weighs about 5 kgs & the reason they are easy to weld with is because the output current is DC.

Recomend "Engineer" in Ban Bua Thong - welders available in most welding supply shops.

For wire feed MIG welders with the full range of options, "Palung" brand make some great three phase 400 amp units starting at around 45,000B.

Soundman.

[xerostar]

Thanks a lot for all that useful info guys!

Now I can't wait to get started!

But first I have to build the shed/workshop ..

and an attached house.

Then I want to revive my old hobby of shoe-horning

big engines into small cars.

My last effort was a Lotus Europa.

I removed the little 1.6 L Renault motor/gearbox

and replaced it with a 4.4 L alloy V8.

Now I will have to ask a question in the motoring forum ..

How do the Thai authorities view modified cars

being driven on the highways?

Going by what I've seen - homemade trucks, highly

modified motorcyles for transport..

Seems like I can do anything I want?

..

[dotcom]

Yeah wire feed would be great for auto repairs where you are welding on paper thin steel. You only need MIG for stainless or aluminum.

There are a few good hardware stores on 71 just before the bridge over the Klong. on your left opposite petrol station at PD46.

[Somtham]

A normal rod type inverter (not transformer) welder made by a reputable manufacturer in Thailand will set you back about 9,000B for 150amp model (2.6 - 3.2mm rods) - 15,000B for a 300amp model (2.6 - 4.0mm rods). Weighs about 5 kgs & the reason they are easy to weld with is because the output current is DC.

Recomend "Engineer" in Ban Bua Thong - welders available in most welding supply shops.

For wire feed MIG welders with the full range of options, "Palung" brand make some great three phase 400 amp units starting at around 45,000B.

Soundman.

So how many amps do you need to get a good weld on say 3.2mm thick box steel used in typical construction here?

rgds

[soundman]

So how many amps do you need to get a good weld on say 3.2mm thick box steel used in typical construction here?

rgds

2.6mm rod set to about 90 - 100 amps should give a nice weld on 3.2mm SHS steel. You can use 3.2mm rods but keep the heat low and you'll have to move the arc a bit faster to avoid burn through.

Personal opinion: I find that 3.2mm rods on low heat are better for vertical or underside welding even using 2.3mm SHS and C sections.

Also, buy a decent brand / correct grade rods & keep them dry - otherwise the headaches will pile up real quick.

[C-sip-degree]

Also, buy a decent brand / correct grade rods & keep them dry - otherwise the headaches will pile up real quick.

So were do you buy Unitor GPR-300, GPA-303, LHL-319, electrodes Diam 2.0, 2.5, 3.2 in the LOS.

Regards

C-sip

[soundman]

So were do you buy Unitor GPR-300, GPA-303, LHL-319, electrodes Diam 2.0, 2.5, 3.2 in the LOS.

Regards

C-sip

I can check in the shop tomorrow if you like. This particular shop carries many different grades & brands.

[Somtham]

...Also, buy a decent brand / correct grade rods & keep them dry - otherwise the headaches will pile up real quick.

Thanks Soundman. Any recommendations on "decent brand" inverters? The weld rods I see in the local hardware stores are all made by "Kobe".

rgds

[nobber9999]

A few years ago I built myself a steel framed shed using a hired stick welding machine.

I remember being worried because years before I had real difficulty to weld with a stick welder.

I was using one of those heavy "transformer" type stick welders.

However I was told that this unit was one of the new generation welding machines.

It was very light and was no bigger or heavier than the

average desk-top computer housing.

I was amazed at how good I could weld within a short time.

The sticks did not stick and as long as I was only doing

"downhand" welding the resulting welds were smooth and the

slag chipped away cleanly.

I want to buy a similar welder when I get to Thailand.

We will need it for general repair work as well as construction

of a steel framed farm shed and house roof construction.

Does anyone know what this type of welder is called?

And does anyone know a shop in Thailand where I might find one?

I read with interest the thread on the new automatic welding helmets.

Any advice on welders/equipment and steel welding welcome.

.

.

Have you had a look around Do Home???? They have a new superstore in Korat in addition to others scattered around Thailand. Prices seem to be reasonable and they normally have a great selection of stock to chose from. One warning, they open their new stores whilst building work still going on and shelves half empty and no marked prices!!!! The one in Korat seems to have their act together now apart from their checkout system which seems to be a copy of Macro UK and you never want to experience that!!!!!

[david96]

A few years ago I built myself a steel framed shed using a hired stick welding machine.

I remember being worried because years before I had real difficulty to weld with a stick welder.

I was using one of those heavy "transformer" type stick welders.

However I was told that this unit was one of the new generation welding machines.

It was very light and was no bigger or heavier than the

average desk-top computer housing.

I was amazed at how good I could weld within a short time.

The sticks did not stick and as long as I was only doing

"downhand" welding the resulting welds were smooth and the

slag chipped away cleanly.

I want to buy a similar welder when I get to Thailand.

We will need it for general repair work as well as construction

of a steel framed farm shed and house roof construction.

Does anyone know what this type of welder is called?

And does anyone know a shop in Thailand where I might find one?

I read with interest the thread on the new automatic welding helmets.

Any advice on welders/equipment and steel welding welcome.

.

.

Have you had a look around Do Home???? They have a new superstore in Korat in addition to others scattered around Thailand. Prices seem to be reasonable and they normally have a great selection of stock to chose from. One warning, they open their new stores whilst building work still going on and shelves half empty and no marked prices!!!! The one in Korat seems to have their act together now apart from their checkout system which seems to be a copy of Macro UK and you never want to experience that!!!!!

They use a switched mode power supply ( no transformer) and the ouput can be AC or DC. They are light enough to carry on your shoulder by way of a strap. Will run off a 16 amp single phase outlet.

[Whitworthsocket]

A few years ago I built myself a steel framed shed using a hired stick welding machine.

I remember being worried because years before I had real difficulty to weld with a stick welder.

I was using one of those heavy "transformer" type stick welders.

However I was told that this unit was one of the new generation welding machines.

It was very light and was no bigger or heavier than the

average desk-top computer housing.

I was amazed at how good I could weld within a short time.

The sticks did not stick and as long as I was only doing

"downhand" welding the resulting welds were smooth and the

slag chipped away cleanly.

I want to buy a similar welder when I get to Thailand.

We will need it for general repair work as well as construction

of a steel framed farm shed and house roof construction.

Does anyone know what this type of welder is called?

And does anyone know a shop in Thailand where I might find one?

I read with interest the thread on the new automatic welding helmets.

Any advice on welders/equipment and steel welding welcome.

In the steel industry we use the Nickname "Caddy" Welder. There are at least two brands that are available in Thailand. Welpro is one that comes to mind. I have seen these in two stores in Roi et and One in BKK. Global house http://www.globalhouse.co.th has them in Roi -et from 16000 upwards.

Maybe less if you dont want the Tig component.

I should be going there tomorrow I will see what I can find.

I imported an old MIG from Perth.What a drama.

I use Gasless wire and Its OK for 1.6 wall thickness upwards.

I am new here can I recommend a brand name for the welding rods?

[Whitworthsocket]

Welders At Global house 30-12-07

I saw some more in BKK will update you when I find the address

Regards Whitworthsocket

[Whitworthsocket]

Two items.

Kobe rods are very good. They are what we use to fabricate mining process equipment in Westrn australia.

A 52u low hydrogen is great for vertical Up. It takes some practise. It is also prone to porosity in strong winds or if it is not kept warm and dry.

I have not found the Bangkok address yet. However I saw a very inexpensive CIG brand inverter in Alltools in Bayswater Perth.

And a very small (The size of two milk cartons stacked on their side)and inexpensive Telwin? brand inverter.At Bunnings? This was so small it would easily have fitted into your suitcase.

Regards Whitworth

[captbob]

Hi ,In Pubia center Laos i see Thai Mecanic co. using small DC Lincoln arc welding anyboday know werre to bye in udon or around cose in laos only f*** chineese a.c. arc welding machine need a good one for my farm job .captbob Laos