I welded once very long ago

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Hello to all.  I live in Thailand and I need to weld something.  I welded in vocational agriculture class many, many years ago and I remember enjoying it.  I am curious what kind of welder to buy for my project, but if a torch would do the job- like a small-ish jeweler's torch- that would be my preference.  If you tell me, gosh that's not going to work at all- well then I might just buy something else.I don't expect that this welding thing will be easy and I am prepared to go through it just as a learning experience, even if I end up not welding a thing.  Right now I have a chair with a broken wheel and I can see that is was "spot welded" in three places.  I don't know any welding terminology so that might be wrong.  I would like to repair the chair, but in the process of mounting a safe on my wall I realized that steel channel is darn cheap here in Thailand and maybe I would do more than just fix my chair.  So- my business is focused on colored stones and it wouldn't pain me much to invest in a small jeweler's torch.  Is this pure foolishness to think that I could weld the wheel on my chair with it?  Also, I realize that you guys will want to know what my chair is made from- the leg and the UFO-shaped disc that I need to re- weld to the leg.  But I don't know the answer to that question and I don't know for sure how to find out.  The leg is very shiny metal, and the disc is dull metal.  Most people in this area do not speak English so I can't just walk in anywhere and start asking questions.  I don't even know where they sell welders around here but surely I can find the place if that is indeed what I need.  Or I suppose I could have it shipped via slow-boat from the states, but maybe there are welders made in Asia that have decent quality?  I would guess you folks will tell me to buy Miller- I've seen some fans of that brand right here.Yeah, we are getting way ahead of ourselves.  I realize that.  So let me prioritize- first, i want to fix my chair.  Next, I would like to weld some steel channel to my safe.  After that I will take some leftover channel and make some very simple brackets for my wall- a shelf kind of deal.  Maybe none of these things will come to pass, but where should a guy start?
Reply:you started in the right place..many people here will help. and it seems like you are ina frame of mind to learn and see how it goes.. very helpful..there a three million things you need to know.. read, look on this site.. shiny stuff is probably plating and should be ground away before welding..a real small torch is good for real small things.but a good torch is the best most versatile tool you'll get...welding is about controlling the melting rate of the metal you want to join..there is  no such thing as enough tools...junky  welders will cause trouble and you wont know if it is you or the machine..re"priorities" post a foto of the broken chair  which will allow the members here to see what youy need and make recommendations to  you..
Reply:Hey thanks Weldbead!  I read through this thread and learned a bit:broken ellipticalI'm not really looking for a quick fix.  And I don't expect to find anything at a department store that meets my needs- especially not here in Thailand.Let's see if I can post a pic of this broken chair...Now I have just noticed that of the five remaining wheels, they are all "backed out" of the UFO disc a little bit.  Some are way out, some just a little bit.  It looks like these were not tightened at the factory.  I wonder if the failure of the welds was because this issue put the chair off-level?  I am fat as it is- I take full credit for being a strain on the wheel!  But these wheels were designed to be threaded into the UFO so the bolt head is flush and obviously some are not.If anyone has comments on these images please feel free!  I am guessing that this UFO is not very high quality metal?  Why is there a concave wormy looking thing on it?  Oh, and by the way I have noticed that the other side of the UFO, which is totally away from the welds, is still shiny.  Did the welding mess up the finish?  I mean, it seems like it did but was it because of the heat, or did the process deposit some kind of particles on the UFO?The last two pics are of wheels that did not fail- the UFO's are still welded in place.All comments are most welcome.  Thanks so much for your help guys!
Reply:Welcome to the site!Hi SWells*insert welding gibberish here*                    Mandy
Reply:For the chair repair, A jeweler's torch is not going to work. It could be done with a light duty oxygen/acetylene torch but by the time you bought a torch kit and gas bottles a mid sized MIG welder would be cheaper and it would be a better choice for the chair repair and safe frame. I would suggest a MIG welder of at least 130 amps otherwise you will quickly came to hate it. If that is just not possible you might settle for a 100 amp unit but I would avoid anything smaller.When you start your repair the chrome, the shiny plating on the metal, must be ground off of the area to be welded. The old welds should be removed also. I would weld the disk to the leg completely, not just 2 little spots. Hope this helps.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:Welcome aboard. Hi Mandy....your quick!If you don't want to stand behind our Troops, feel free to stand in front of them.
Reply:OK I am slowly leaning away from a jeweler's torch, but you have to give me a little shove.  Tell me why the 6300 degrees I get out of a small oxy/acetylene torch (one type that jewelers use) will not do the trick.  Or tell me why I am missing the point, and the temperature is not the issue at all!Here is page that is giving me information, and if I should disregard it please let me know.  I'm not terribly stubborn- but enough to be a problem.http://www.jewelryartistmagazine.com...e/jul03str.cfmI would imagine that tanks are a whole heck of a lot less expensive here in Thailand than they are in the states.  It seems that anything made of metal is very cheap here.  No comments on the chair.  LOL.
Reply:A very large torch Make about the same temperature as a very small torch. A small torch does not put out nearly as many BTU or calories of heat. Just like a disposible lighter gets just as hot as a cook stove you'll never boil a pot of water with a lighter.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:I understand.  So MIG or full-size oxy/acetylene are my options.  Which is harder to learn?  Which is more versatile over the long run?  What can I learn about the metals in my chair product based on the pictures?  Thank you guys; I really appreciate your help!
Reply:Sawadeekaupt.(or however you would spell it in english)To me neither is hard to learn.  Oxy/Acetylene are very handy other than welding.  You can cut metal, braze, solder, heat up rusty bolts and one that you will never use there, thaw frozen pipes.  This is just some examples.MIG is fast and easy, but it is for welding only. It really depends on what you want to do, but be forwarned, to some people this sorta gets in to the blood so to speak.  If that is the case for you it will really be the case of "which should I buy first"I say get a good 4" hand grinder and a mig machine and start welding.  Practice lots.A larger mig will handle the beams to the safe a lot better than gas welding will.Wish I was in Thailand now instead of here. I miss it there.  I did a lot of scuba diving near Phuket, some near Ko Samoui and I spent some time in the villiages north of Chaing Mai.  Miss the food, the people and the diving.Mack
Reply:For your chair the MIG will do a neater job. Both will make a mess of the chrome but the torch will burn more of it. Which to buy first? That is going to depend on what type of work you're going to be doing. As for myself I could get by without my MIG but would be lost without my torch and stick welder but I might have to weld 1 1/2 (36mm) steel plate or as thin as about 1mm sheet metal.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:If you are set on a torch because you can use it for the rest of your work, then use a bronze brazing rod and do the repair with that.  A little grinding/ sanding of the chrome, and a fresh filler rod and flux, and you will be done quickly.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Originally Posted by SWellsWelcome aboard. Hi Mandy....your quick!
Reply:OK this brazing thing sounds interesting.  Any chance I would be able to braze some 1" channel (right word?  it's like a tube but square) to my safe?  Would I be able also to make brackets for a bookshelf using this technique?I have soldered before.  Heat the parts, not the solder.  Is brazing similar? Is the bronze brazing rod doing basically the same as solder would do?  What is filler?
Reply:The term your looking for is square tubing.  Yes it can be brazed but any type of butt joint will be a weak joint . It still would be fine decretive pieces. Brazing is a lot like soldering but takes more heat.Tough as nails and damn near as smart
Reply:I think I saw a Bernzomatic torch kit online for $200.  Is that the kind of setup I need for brazing my chair?  Is that brand OK?  I don't care how it looks- I don't have that kind of office.  I like the idea of the torch for a wide range of uses.  I want to work more with that 1" square tubing and likely bigger pieces for brackets, shelving, things of that sort.  Is this another job that the mig would be ideal for and the torch would be so-so?  Do I understand correctly that brazing is not as strong as the joint from a mig welder?  BTW, a jeweler's torch uses the same connectors as that Benzomatic and the same tanks.  That makes oxy-acetylene appealing. Mack- you are right there is a lot here to be fond of.  It's a superb quality of life at a reasonable cost.  I did a lot of freediving in Hawaii when I lived there and that was amazing.  I have not yet been to the diving resorts here but it's on my list!
Reply:Is that chair the only thing that you plan to weld? If so it would be cheaper to have a shop do the job for you.But if you have other jobs lined up waiting to be done Then you need to consider the types and thicknesses of the metals as well as other factors.Co-Own CNC shop:Miller :1251 plasma cutter, MaxStar 700 TIG/Stick, & XMT 456 Multiprocess Welder.&  2 Hypertherm HPR260's Plasma CutterSorry I had a bad stroke but now I am back.
Reply:If I understand which torch you're discribing and depending on the wall thickness of the tubing I would guess that the torch just might do that but no more. My bet is that a plumber Air/acetylene torch would braze heavy metal.Tough as nails and damn near as smart