Welding Tips and Tricks

Jody says one amp per thousandth is good up to about 160 and then you start making multi pass welds. My welder helper app says use a bunch of amps for thick material. So my question is do I just never go above 160 and anything thick just weld on 160 amps? I ask because I'm doing beads on 1/4" steel and don't want to be practicing wrong. My welder only goes to 150 on 110v and that's what I've been welding on. p.s. I know the metal is gross but it was free and I ground it the best I reasonably could.

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The best evidence will be to cut a welded section, then polish and etch it. That will tell you how many amps you need to get proper penetration. 150 sounds pretty low on .250 plate unless you mash it full tilt. Subsequent welds will do better as the base metal soaks up some heat, and it will get HOT.

You need to invest in some quality flaps disks, or waffle patter disks to get that mill scale off. Not only will it negatively effect your weld, but it will also contaminate your tungsten, AND your gas lens screen. That leads to more issues. TIG requires BRIGHT, SHINY metal. Nothing less. Even for practice. Practice your metal prep as its all a significant part of welding.

I often run 180-200 amps. 160 is too slow for heavier metal for me

TravisBeard wrote:Jody says one amp per thousandth is good up to about 160 and then you start making multi pass welds. My welder helper app says use a bunch of amps for thick material. So my question is do I just never go above 160 and anything thick just weld on 160 amps?

i think what hes referring to is prep work. ie grooving out or tapering the joint and using multiple passes to fill it up.

if your welder only goes to 150 amps then i suggest not using it that high. unless you have a good industrial machine, most welders do not run well or for long at max. if you need to weld at 160 amp then get a 200 amp machine.
for a 150 amp welder i suggest keeping it down to 100 amp or so.

tweake wrote:

TravisBeard wrote:Jody says one amp per thousandth is good up to about 160 and then you start making multi pass welds. My welder helper app says use a bunch of amps for thick material. So my question is do I just never go above 160 and anything thick just weld on 160 amps?

i think what hes referring to is prep work. ie grooving out or tapering the joint and using multiple passes to fill it up.

if your welder only goes to 150 amps then i suggest not using it that high. unless you have a good industrial machine, most welders do not run well or for long at max. if you need to weld at 160 amp then get a 200 amp machine.
for a 150 amp welder i suggest keeping it down to 100 amp or so.

Sorry for not clarifying, it's a 200 amp machine but I don't have 220 here so I'm using 110. As far as amperage I was asking if I had a big fillet or I was welding something with a bevel -would I just run 160 and make multiple passes? I thought Jody said something about something to do with base metals depositing somewhere or something at high amps.

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If you are amp-restricted and need to multi-pass, it is also good to reduce your filler size. Using too large a filler will cool your puddle and limit penetration. A multi-pass uses numerous smaller welds to create the overall weld size necessary. So, a multi-pass 160 amp 3/32 weld will penetrate better than 2 1/8 welds. But if you are practicing, I would not get too hung up with it at the moment. If you are doing something "structural" or critical, then wire a 220v outlet. For sure.

One amp per thousandth is just a rule of thumb, not a law of physics or anything. For padding beads, it all depends on the filler material you are using. You don't need to worry about full penetration or cutting and etching for padding beads. if you are using 1/16th or 3/32 size filler, I wouldn't go over 130-150 amps...its just practice after all, and it will lay down beads fine. Larger filler rods WILL require more amps just because they act like a heat sink in the puddle. Once you actually get into welding practice joints, then maybe you might need more power. Jody says in a couple of his videos that he rarely runs over 160 amps in real life.

Also don't forget to quench your plate in a bucket of water every couple of beads, or it will REALLY mess with your practice as the piece builds up heat.

I’m with Louie. 130-150 is plenty for practice on mild steel. As long as your using 3/32 or 1/8 filler you should be fine. From the picks I think you might be fighting a gas issue as well.

The one amp per thousandth gets you in the ball park. I like to have a good amount in reserve so I can move faster by pulsing the pedal to control heat

Do yourself a huge favor and get yourself a 4.5" angle grinder with a hard (usually black) grinding disc (usually included with some models). You absolutely need to start the good habit of cleaning your steel very very clean for TIG welding, and that is the quickest and usually cheapest way to go about it. If you already have one, start using it.

Oscar wrote:Do yourself a huge favor and get yourself a 4.5" angle grinder with a hard (usually black) grinding disc

Why hard? I thought those went out with pure tungsten lol

Just playin. I used to use those but even after all the fillings fell out of my teeth because of the vibration I still couldn't feel my hands for days.