Home Made Welding Machine

Being on the ground in Nairobi makes it a little easier to find good AfriGadget stories. I took a walk down Ngong road, an area with a lot of shadetree mechanics, wood carvers and metal fabricators. The first place I stopped at had a home made welding machine.

Simon, the shop owner, showed me a couple of the machines and gave a video tour of how it works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.

Below is the video and some pictures. (Another video will be uploaded later, connection speed issues preclude me uploading another one right now).


DIY Welder

Home Made Welding Machine in Nairobi, Kenya

Home Made Welding Machine - Parts

Send in your stories of African ingenuity here.

47 comments for this post.

Comment from Electronic equipment ON review
31 December 1969 - 4:00 pm - :

links from Technoratientrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.Homemade welding machine, Thanks Violet! - Link. [Read this article] [Comment on this article]

Comment from At TEDGlobal 2007 - Tanzania | White African
3 June 2007 - 5:14 am - :

[…] [NOTE: New AfriGadget post on home made welding machines made in Kenya.] […]

Comment from Mark James Bowness
4 June 2007 - 1:47 am - :

This is brilliant. I just love the ingenuity of these people, it is the same in Fiji and other similar parts of the world they just use what they have to make something and yet what they make is efficient and very effective.

Mark Bowness

Comment from Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things
7 June 2007 - 6:07 pm - :

links from Technoratiit works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that. Link, with videos and more photos. Weird, it looks like the Afrigadget site has been eaten alive by some sort of malicious PWNer. Several BB readers wrote in to say that the link posted here includes a trojan hiding in an iframe, and that seems to me to be

Comment from LifeParticles.com
7 June 2007 - 7:01 pm - :

links from Technoratiit works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that. Link, with videos and more photos. Weird, it looks like the Afrigadget site has been eaten alive by some sort of malicious PWNer. Several BB readers wrote in to say that the link posted here includes a trojan hiding in an iframe, and that seems to me to be

Comment from Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things
9 June 2007 - 10:16 pm - :

links from Technoratiit works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that. Link, with videos and more photos. Weird, it looks like the Afrigadget site has been eaten alive by some sort of malicious PWNer. Several BB readers wrote in to say that the link posted here includes a trojan hiding in an iframe, and that seems to me to be

Comment from Flashcube.org » AfriGadget
23 June 2007 - 1:21 pm - :

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25 June 2007 - 10:14 pm - :

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Comment from Gadget Blogs
11 July 2007 - 9:17 am - :

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Comment from MAKE: Blog: Homemade welding machine
16 August 2007 - 11:12 am - :

Kramer auto Pingback[…] Simon, the shop owner, showed me a couple of the machines and gave a video tour of how it works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.Homemade welding machine, Thanks Violet! - Link. […]

Comment from isaac
16 August 2007 - 11:20 am - :

I once made a improvised welding machine using the case of a big truck battery filled with salt water with a couple of copper rods wrapped in electrical wire inside the water, and it worked.

Comment from Homemade welding machine » Developages - Development and Technology Blog
16 August 2007 - 12:07 pm - :

[…] Homemade welding machine, Thanks Violet! - Link. […]

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16 August 2007 - 6:05 pm - :

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16 August 2007 - 11:04 pm - :

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Comment from Friends
17 August 2007 - 8:15 am - :

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Comment from A//cardiac's Friends
17 August 2007 - 9:38 pm - :

Kramer auto Pingback[…] but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.Homemade welding machine, Thanks Violet! - Link. [Read this article] [Comment on this article] (Comment on this) […]

Comment from Homemade welding machine
18 August 2007 - 6:40 pm - :

[…] Simon, the shop owner, showed me a couple of the machines and gave a video tour of how it works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.Homemade welding machine, Thanks Violet! - Link. […]

Comment from Welding in Africa !! - WeldingWeb - Professional Welding Forum
19 August 2007 - 12:12 pm - :

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19 August 2007 - 6:09 pm - :

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Comment from MAKE: Japan
27 August 2007 - 1:53 am - :

links from TechnoratiHomemade welding machine - ありがとう、Violet! -Link訳者から: AfriGadgetとは、Erik

Comment from DIY gadgets in Africa: homemade welding machine - YANK ME! Webmaster Boards
27 August 2007 - 9:19 am - :

Kramer auto Pingback[…] around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.Link, with videos and more photos. Weird, it looks like the Afrigadget site has been eaten alive by some […]

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12 September 2007 - 12:50 pm - :

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Comment from Weekly links: Blogging for democracy and African ingenuity : crisscrossed blog
15 September 2007 - 1:14 pm - :

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20 September 2007 - 7:49 am - :

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Comment from Thrown for a Loop
4 October 2007 - 9:49 pm - :

links from Technorati. Without the money to buy the pre-fab necessities we don’t even think about in the developed world, enterprising types across Africa are doing it themselves with ingenious results. Check out this payphone-on-a-bike or thishomemade welding machine. For decades, generating economic growth in Africa focused on building huge dams, factories and mines - nearly all of which fell prey to corruption, mismanagement and lack of support services like a reliable energy grid. If farmers and fisherman can

Comment from Svenska ElektronikForumet -- Lser mne - svets???
10 October 2007 - 1:27 pm - :

Kramer auto Pingback[…] (hittade dock tyverr inte den jag tnkte p…) http://home8.inet.tele.dk/jan_p/index.htm http://www.afrigadget.com/2007/06/03/home-made-welding-machine/_________________ Bekmpa missbruket: Krossa Karmasystemen! Syntetic Dieselpower Rules! High […]

Comment from Pulse soldering iron - Hack a Day
10 October 2007 - 7:27 pm - :

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Comment from Where the World Sees Junk, Africa Recycles — AfriGadget Archive
15 October 2007 - 7:38 am - :

[…] that his team uses are made by the team from leftover metal plates and copper wire. (See an example of the welder at this earlier AfriGadget […]

Comment from Mashada Blogs
15 October 2007 - 5:25 pm - :

links from TechnoratiSimon, beyond the actual artwork that he fabricates, is that everything he does and works with is made from left over metal junk. Even the welding machines that his team uses are made by the team from leftover metal plates and copper wire. (See anexample of the welderat this earlier AfriGadget post) This is an excellent example of how Africans reuse and recycle to meet their needs. Many times their ingenuity creates thriving businesses, proving that entrepreneurship and environmental needs aren

Comment from homemade welder - Web - WebCrawler
19 October 2007 - 10:23 am - :

Kramer auto Pingback[…] home8.inet.tele.dk/jan_p/welder/mig1.htm [Found on Google, Yahoo! Search, Windows Live] 11. Home Made Welding Machine — AfriGadget Archive The welders sell for around 14000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a […]

Comment from Mashada Blogs
20 October 2007 - 7:32 am - :

links from TechnoratiSimon, beyond the actual artwork that he fabricates, is that everything he does and works with is made from left over metal junk. Even the welding machines that his team uses are made by the team from leftover metal plates and copper wire. (See anexample of the welderat this earlier AfriGadget post) This is an excellent example of how Africans reuse and recycle to meet their needs. Many times their ingenuity creates thriving businesses, proving that entrepreneurship and environmental needs aren

Comment from Diy Welder - Dogpile Web Search
26 October 2007 - 6:54 am - :

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27 October 2007 - 12:12 am - :

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15 November 2007 - 2:16 pm - :

Kramer auto Pingback[…] Simon, the shop owner, showed me a couple of the machines and gave a video tour of how it works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.Homemade welding machine, Thanks Violet! - Link. […]

Comment from Arc Welding Safety First :) - Page 4 - Electronic Circuits Projects Diagrams Free
18 November 2007 - 8:54 am - :

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Comment from MAKE: Blog: Made On Earth Archives
30 November 2007 - 5:27 am - :

Kramer auto Pingback[…] Simon, the shop owner, showed me a couple of the machines and gave a video tour of how it works. He’s a prime example how an entrepreneur in Africa will figure out ingenious solutions to meet local market demands. The welders sell for around 14,000 Kenya Shillings (just over $200), but fabrication costs only a small fraction of that.Homemade welding machine, Thanks Violet! - Link. […]

Comment from Build a Microwave Transformer Homemade Welder - The World's Biggest Show & Tell - tech, craft, diy
23 December 2007 - 9:05 pm - :

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Comment from luis123
13 April 2008 - 4:51 am - :

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