Welding in Thailand

**High Welder** · 08-10-2006, 09:40 PM

Hello all, I noticed this forum and it seems like a good place to ask a few things about welding.

First off, I'm certified in Canada. MIG, TIG, Stick, Flux-Core, I've done it all. Pipelines, high rises, custom fabrication, oil rigs, logging, everything. I'm not looking to make tons of cash, I can do that easy enough here. I'm more interested in getting out of the cold-ass winters here.

Anyways, I was wondering what the over all level of welding quality is in Thailand from the native workers. Do they have a high quality standard there or do they usually import workers for anything where the integrity of the weld is important as to not spring a leak in a gas line or have a high-rise fall down?

Also, what do general level of quality do the local fabrication shops give off? Do they produce good work or do they just bird shit the welds on until it barely holds together?

I guess those questions are good for starters. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

**Thetyim** · 08-10-2006, 09:46 PM

The local fabrication stuff is definately a Mr Blobby job.

Each town will have at least one steel provider and that is where you can get a decent job done.
I doubt if you would be able to find employment there.

The specialist stuff I have no idea about and will let someone else answer that for you.

watterinja · 08-10-2006, 09:49 PM

HW, it could be worth your while contacting a few large Artisan Supply Agencies in the Asian region. I would guess that there would be a lot of work around for a grade welder.

I'd say the locals a a bit on the dodgy side - still weld without helmets & visors in many cases.

**friscofrankie** · 08-10-2006, 09:52 PM

There are alot of shit weldors here. There are quite a few good ones too. They've got a some pretty decent wleding schools (well I know of one anyway). if you're thinking of working here as one, forget it. If you've got some real fab experience, and excellent networking skills, you might be able to get a shop together and get by. maybe trun your skills into a light-weight Mf'g concern for export hire some weldors at monthly salaries of less than you'd take for two days work and get someting going. Be sure to have enough survival cash for the first year

There are some Oil guys posting here that might be able to offer some leads on work out of the country so you can earn enough to live well here. Welding (certified and otherwise) really ain't the high dollar thing it was a few years ago. Hell even in the states single-hand weldors are pretty cheap.

**Thetyim** · 08-10-2006, 09:59 PM

FF, there is nowhere in my town to get aluminium welding done.

Could there be a market there ?

**dirtydog** · 08-10-2006, 10:37 PM

Generally the big companies use farangs to check the welds, my mate had to do a job of walking 120 kms to check a pipeline, not bad only had to walk a few kms perday and good money.

**BillyZ** · 08-10-2006, 10:41 PM

There is a manpower company in Bangkok on Sukhumvit Road called Brunel or Brunell. If anyone can find you something like that, then they could. I don't have the contact details, I'll let you Google it.

But Thailand's actually got a lot of good welders here (along with the shit welders that will make gates and burglar bars, etc). If your specialty is 6G over head or welding on special metals, you might find a niche here.

**Goddess of Whatever** · 08-10-2006, 10:41 PM

We can do welding without wearing glasses.

**friscofrankie** · 08-10-2006, 10:42 PM

Plenty of decent shops here can handle it. What's the call for Aluminum welding in Your home town? I've welded Aluminum, Stainless, Cranes and all types of exotics (even did some touch-up TIG work on medical implants

). I thought about setting up a small shop and taking on speciality work; on further consideration I came to the conclusion it would be fine as long as I looked upon it as a hobby that occassionally earned a dime.

The key to the success in a shop like that (speciality welding) would not be the skill of the weldor (there actually are some skilled weldors here, look at all the stainless fabrications everywhere you go what do those guys make? 10k? 15K?) but the ability to make contacts and sell himself, being a farang, other farang would trust and feel comfortable that they had communicated their needs. Guy like that, that could speak Thai well and get Thais to perform the work in a workman-like and timely manner could do well.

Then there is the minimum investment of two million, to be legal I would not want to compete with other folks without ALL my ducks in a row on this. Tough for newb coming over but a guy gets some offshore work, lives here, learns the lingo, gets to know people after a couple years i could see it working out... Lotta fuckin work though. Loatta fuckin variables too.

Gotta know where to set up, a place where a strong farang community, maybe involved in light to medium manufacturing, racing? shop like that just takes time to grow.
Again, getting an hourly job in Thaialnd? Forget it unless you have some serious exotic work behind you and can find that opportunity, I don't know of any...

I'd look for work in the States or Canada that would involve coming ovr here as a way to use my skills to get a "toe in"

**Thetyim** · 08-10-2006, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by friscofrankie

What's the call for Aluminum welding in Your home town?

None.
When I bought my first house I set myself up with an oxy kit and made all my own steel gates and fencing and a few other things around the house and garden.
Then I noticed that all alu products here were rivetted, I couldn't find a single piece of welded alu .
I thought about starting an alu shop but never did.

**Bung** · 08-10-2006, 11:15 PM

The guy's that do the welding at my place are typical.

They arrive with a machine the size of a small car, then attach it to the electrical supply by twisting the cables together and pushing bared ends into the plug socket.

They then try to weld the earth onto some part of the job and set to work. I was inside when they tried to energise this beast and it actually "stalled" my fridge, it was draining that much power (bear in mind that the supply at my joint is pretty bad).

They then attached more cable and connected it directly to the supply, bypassing the main fuse. this got it going alright.

The oldest and most decrepid guy then tried to weld with a pair of sunglasses on hanging off a stick scaffold 20 feet up with one hand. I guess being the oldest made him the most experienced.

I was able to then sit back and watch in amazement as he tried to fire an arc, usually 1 time out of every 5.

Come here and be prepared to be shocked and awed.

**daveboy** · 08-10-2006, 11:16 PM

Make all your dosh in Canada HW and go to Thailand anyway but don't bother working.

**forreachingme** · 09-10-2006, 05:18 PM

Hi HW,

would be glad to know more about you and what you expect...

can you get in touch with me by forreachingme@hotmail.com

i'll tell you more about welding, lumber, and metal prices if you wish so...

**hillbilly** · 09-10-2006, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by Goddess of Whatever

We can do welding without wearing glasses.

Ain't that the truth! I wonder how many welders end up with eye problems later in life?

**friscofrankie** · 09-10-2006, 06:26 PM

What? the "Teeshirt hood" and darkglasses aren't OSHA approved????
actually the glasses are quite dark and may even be actual rated uv filters. or they may just be "really dark" if I was gonna weld here I'd bring my own shit. the safety equipemnt is hard to come by, expensive and of limited selection. wonder if they've ever heard of cobalt lens or gold lens; or skin cancer for that matter...

**BillyZ** · 09-10-2006, 10:36 PM

A few years ago I went to see how the guy doing our steel fence was coming along. Man! The poor guy's face was burned from the welding (even with his dark skin, you could tell that he had a 'sun burn') and his eyes were squinted, the whites were all red and he had tears coming out of both of them.

He only used a very fashionable set of immitation Wayfarers that were half covered in paint that he'd hold between his eyes and the work. When I saw this, I felt sad for him and his sweet wife and his shy daughter. Sad for their future.

So Billy-To-The-Rescue went to Home Pro, which has some decent welding hoods for a cheap price, and took one to him the next day. He'd never seen one and said that he didnt' know how to use it. I show him how easy it was and was feeling good about what I'd done.

He never used it. The next time I went there, it was Ray Ban City all over again and "mai pen rai" about his eyes and stuff. They all laughed at me later, I'm sure, "Stupid farang, he doesn't know the first thing about welding!"

But come 5 or 10 years from now, I'll probably be able to read a book (maybe with glassed by then) and the only thing he'll be able to see is the flash of an arc from the welding rods....I hope I'm wrong about that, though.

**forreachingme** · 10-10-2006, 11:20 AM

If you do welding on industrial scale with safety first, the thai's know what to use, as Leather sleeves on arms and body, scalf towel to avoid sunburn to head or other hat, mask covering full face with reaction to lighting...

The new welding masks are great, you do not need to remove each time you stop and restart a firing, there is a reacting cell making the protection glass dark or clear see through depending on emission of ligth at welding side...

The second generation is used actually of this reacting masks as the first were subject to functionning from Battery life, and well organised this welders only changed the Batterys after it is really " mot ", so they got often eyes problems with this first generation...

The second and new generation of this " automatic masks" is recharged by solar or ligth emission, making them work longer and safer, good stuff...one of this can be purchased from 3'000 thb to 15'000 thb...

**forreachingme** · 10-10-2006, 11:28 AM

here is what you should see when a welder welds...

Auto solar welding mask, this one is from Optrel and should be around 3k or less...

It is also important to cover all face as the skin is sunburned is unprotected...

The glass is see through clear if no welding and as soon as you fire it darkens...

**klongmaster** · 10-10-2006, 12:58 PM

now that is neat...

I worked in the industrial safety business as a sales rep when I was in my 20's...but they never had anything like that...

t'was a long time ago though!...

**Whiteshiva** · 10-10-2006, 02:10 PM

Don't ever get welded to a Thai! It will end in ruin, Thais are terrible welders, and the sin sot is...

Uuuups - sorry - wrong thread!

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