Amperage chart for different metals and their thickness

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I looked in the stickies, but didn't see any charts for how much amperage to use when using a TIG welder. I'm in the process of making a welding table and I've burned a few holes on the 1 1/2" 0.95 square iron I'm using for the frame of the table. I had the setting to 125 amps, lowered to 115 and made a difference. Is there a chart the specifies how much amps to use on which metals with different thickness? I'd like to print this out and put on my garage wall or something.I'd also like to find out how much amps to use when filling holes I did earlier.
Reply:Until someone puts up a sticky for you I suggest "trial and error" has worked good for a lot of welders for a lot of yrs.                                         MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Rule of thumb with steel on tig is roughly 1 amp per .001' of material thickness. With alum add 20-25% to get the puddle to form faster, then back off as the material heats up.Miller has an app you can get I believe that can make suggestions on amps, tungsten size etc. They also have a calculator online and the old fashioned slide rule calculators as well. I have one of the old manual ones in my desk, but the 1 amp per .001 works fine for most stuff.Some adjustments will have to be made for joint type and prep as well as when doing edges ( ie holes). A good part of that adjustment is trial and error because it depends a lot on how you like to weld..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Miller has a nice calculator. I understand they also have an app. What ever the he!! an app is? https://www.millerwelds.com/resource...ng-calculatorsDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:I use the miller app on my phone if I ever want to check setting, works great.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPMiller has a nice calculator. I understand they also have an app. What ever the he!! an app is?
Reply:Originally Posted by PcmakerI looked in the stickies, but didn't see any charts for how much amperage to use when using a TIG welder. I'm in the process of making a welding table and I've burned a few holes on the 1 1/2" 0.95 square iron I'm using for the frame of the table. I had the setting to 125 amps, lowered to 115 and made a difference. Is there a chart the specifies how much amps to use on which metals with different thickness? I'd like to print this out and put on my garage wall or something.I'd also like to find out how much amps to use when filling holes I did earlier.
Reply:Thanks, guys. Just learned the rule of thumb is 1 amp per thousands of an inch. I was working with 0.095 steel, but had the amp setting at 115. I used the finger switch instead of the pedal because I was working on the floor. Gonna try to patch the holes later this afternoon.
Reply:Originally Posted by PcmakerThanks, guys. Just learned the rule of thumb is 1 amp per thousands of an inch. I was working with 0.095 steel, but had the amp setting at 115. I used the finger switch instead of the pedal because I was working on the floor. Gonna try to patch the holes later this afternoon.
Reply:1 amp per .001 thickness is not very accurate.if i got 1/2 plate thats 500 amps and if i got 1" plate thats 1000 amps.not many are tig welding at 500 to 1000 amps. and 1/16 tungsten at 100 amps usually will make a weld on 1" plate. maybe not very fast but usually will make a molten weld puddleLast edited by WNY_TomB; 12-17-2015 at 02:35 PM.
Reply:This rule only applies up to 1/4 " thick material. Also, testing and adjusting always required as per usual.
Reply:That rule also doesn't apply very well to multiple pass joints, especially if you're trying to lay a lot of thin filler rods instead of a few thick ones.Currently working as a Paralegal, but still interested in hobby welding.Miller Bobcat 225ntOne- Character Fractions: ¼ ½ ¾ ⅛ ⅜ ⅝ ⅞
Reply:The 1 amp per .001 weld goes up to about 160 amps and its just a rough guideline. And if you try too make the bead as small as possible your gona over heat your part. Hot and fast is best and get puddle going right away helps alot with not putting too much heat into the part. If I was welding 1.5" .095 wall I'd hit it with about 100-120 amps and weld each side of the pipe at a time, don't stop half way across and pay attention to tying in and out of the bead. 3/32 tungsten
Reply:And the 1 amp per .001 of metal thickness is for mild steel. For AL you could use 2 amps per .001 or more in some situations, same with copper, stainless takes less amps because it does not dissipate heat well
Reply:i have seen discussions like this before. one guy will say i can weld at 10 amps and the other guy will say i can weld at 500 amps.unless you are a highly skilled welder that can handle going extremely fast i would stick with lower amps, smaller weld width weld and slower travel speed. also amps welding down on a bench and welding out of position are different. usually welding vertically up you use lower amps for easier puddle control. and if filling butt weld joint gaps lower amps will helpLast edited by WNY_TomB; 12-18-2015 at 05:01 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by WNY_TomBnot many are tig welding at 500 to 1000 amps. and 1/16 tungsten at 100 amps usually will make a weld on 1" plate. maybe not very fast but usually will make a molten weld puddle
Reply:You are right about having to go slower on something way out of position but not 1/16 tungsten on 1" plate. Unless maybe if you never let it cool down after the root but it would still be iffy.the tip on a 1/16 tungsten will deteriorate pretty fast  at 100 amps. And 100 amps on ac won't work on a transformer. I guess you haven't seen jodeys video on travel speed and I did the same thing as he did and got best results welding a 1/8" lap joint at about 140 amps. I even did 160 and 180. And the HAZ got smaller and smaller. First one was 80 amps and it was waaaay too slow and the haz was 6x more then 180 amps. When I speed tack on 1/8" thick steel or stainless I use about 200 - 230 amps and I can literally put my hand on then weld 1 second after I speed tack it becuse it got zapped so fast with high amps the melts the metal super fast.
Reply:And you would go through a whole 336 tank trying to get a 8" wide piece welded.
Reply:for me amps depends on weld size i want. if i want a 1/16" wide weld i will use less amps than if i want a 1/2" wide weld.1/16" tungsten about 30 to 100 amps and weld size maybe 1/16 to 1/4.3/32" tungsten obviously you can use more amps and make a bigger weld although if you sharpen it to a point you can easily be below 100 amps.if i got tubing where the rounded corner butts to 90 degree joint the rounded corner act as a big gap. i would avoid using 90 amps if tubing is .090" thick. i would try for 3/32" wide weld (or fill gap but keep weld small) which is easier with less than 90 amps. my concern would be 90 amps will make to big a weld..there are many times i want a small weld. if i am welding 1/16 sheet metal to 1.0" thick plate i will try to make a 1/16" weld. i cannot see making a 1/16" wide weld at over 100 amps. it is easier to make a smaller weld at lower amps using a sharp pointed tungsten.i have made many sheet metal parts and worked with many expert sheet metal welders. all of them use low amps to make narrow welds to limit distortion. i have worked with easily over 100 welders over the years. none, not one weld thin metal with big wide welds at high amps..i would say if you want a 1/16 wide weld try using 60 amps or lessif i want a 1/4 wide weld maybe try using 100 amps or more.i would not base weld amps on metal thickness but more on how wide do i want the weld to beLast edited by WNY_TomB; 12-18-2015 at 05:42 PM.
Reply:Lets see your 1/16 wide weld?
Reply:basically small welds require a sharp pointed tungsten and low amps. i have worked with many many other welders with far greater skill than me who easily can make small narrow welds and i have often seen welds 1/16 to 3/32 easily done. or easy for them to do..my welding skill level is not that high. i have trouble making welds smaller then 1/8" with tig. i am a former millwright who was a certified structural steel stick welder for over 20 years. i have been welding 35 years.  i know enough that you can easily make a warped distorted mess out of thinner stuff making welds too big. i have done enough handrail and tubing welding to know if you want to limit weld distortion avoid big welds..weld tubing on one side and it always pulls or warps in that direction. bigger and wider the weld the more the distortion. the bigger the joint gap you try to fill the more the weld distortion. usually better to take the time to make nice tight tubing weld joints with no gaps before welding.with tubing i often use a smaller welding rod or smaller and more sharper pointed tungsten at lower amps not cause i cannot use a bigger welding rod or tungsten at higher amps but cause i want to make smaller weld to lower part distortion..my point is tig amps is more based on width of weld desired not part thickness. if i want a bigger and wider weld i go more amps. if i want a smaller and narrower weld i use less amps and a smaller and more pointed tungsten. travel speed can influence weld width a little but too much amps cannot make a very narrow weld no matter what you do in general..the very best welders i have had the privileged to work with could make the smallest and most narrow weld when they wanted too. sheet metal welders are also very good welders. it takes great skill to make up a sheet metal duct or machine guard from scratch and weld it up and not make a warped mess out of it. i can do sheetmetal work easily but i am not as fast or as good as regular full time tinknockers. .it can be a very humbling experience to see a warped welded part i did next to another persons sheetmetal part that is not warped. you got to not necessarily fail but often see and be honest with yourself that your welding could be better if you did what?? often that means is take the time to make better tighter joints and make smaller narrower welds. sometimes to go faster and better you got to go slower. that is do not take shortcuts with weld joints preparation, tight joints will save time and make a better looking part. filling big gaps will require less amps but still will make for more warpage as the weld is ultimately too big. less amps and smaller narrower weld is usually a sign of great skill.and my welding is not with any pulse welding or square wave stuff but only with old fashioned welding machines usually with no foot pedal and no high frequency arc start. a millwright is also called a field machinist. that is i often worked outside in a field or parking lot on the ground making stuff. takes a different type of skill. or welding high up on steel beams. kind of sucks when the wind blows your helmet off your head and it falls over 20 feet and breaks. or you sit on a ice covered beam getting a wet *** as you do not want to fall when welding. i often made stairs and handrail using chalk lines on a concrete floor. people look at handrail and tubing rail everyday. important to not warp it too much. big welds cause more warpage.Last edited by WNY_TomB; 12-19-2015 at 10:52 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by WNY_TomBbasically small welds require a sharp pointed tungsten and low amps. i have worked with many many other welders with far greater skill than me who easily can make small narrow welds and i have often seen welds 1/16 to 3/32 easily done. or easy for them to do..my welding skill level is not that high. i have trouble making welds smaller then 1/8" with tig. i am a former millwright who was a certified structural steel stick welder for over 20 years. i have been welding 35 years.  i know enough that you can easily make a warped distorted mess out of thinner stuff making welds too big. i have done enough handrail and tubing welding to know if you want to limit weld distortion avoid big welds..weld tubing on one side and it always pulls or warps in that direction. bigger and wider the weld the more the distortion. the bigger the joint gap you try to fill the more the weld distortion. usually better to take the time to make nice tight tubing weld joints with no gaps before welding.with tubing i often use a smaller welding rod or smaller and more sharper pointed tungsten at lower amps not cause i cannot use a bigger welding rod or tungsten at higher amps but cause i want to make smaller weld to lower part distortion..my point is tig amps is more based on width of weld desired not part thickness. if i want a bigger and wider weld i go more amps. if i want a smaller and narrower weld i use less amps and a smaller and more pointed tungsten. travel speed can influence weld width a little but too much amps cannot make a very narrow weld no matter what you do in general..the very best welders i have had the privileged to work with could make the smallest and most narrow weld when they wanted too. sheet metal welders are also very good welders. it takes great skill to make up a sheet metal duct or machine guard from scratch and weld it up and not make a warped mess out of it. i can do sheetmetal work easily but i am not as fast or as good as regular full time tinknockers. .it can be a very humbling experience to see a warped welded part i did next to another persons sheetmetal part that is not warped. you got to not necessarily fail but often see and be honest with yourself that your welding could be better if you did what?? often that means is take the time to make better tighter joints and make smaller narrower welds. sometimes to go faster and better you got to go slower. that is do not take shortcuts with weld joints preparation, tight joints will save time and make a better looking part. filling big gaps will require less amps but still will make for more warpage as the weld is ultimately too big. less amps and smaller narrower weld is usually a sign of great skill.and my welding is not with any pulse welding or square wave stuff but only with old fashioned welding machines usually with no foot pedal and no high frequency arc start. a millwright is also called a field machinist. that is i often worked outside in a field or parking lot on the ground making stuff. takes a different type of skill. or welding high up on steel beams. kind of sucks when the wind blows your helmet off your head and it falls over 20 feet and breaks. or you sit on a ice covered beam getting a wet *** as you do not want to fall when welding. i often made stairs and handrail using chalk lines on a concrete floor. people look at handrail and tubing rail everyday. important to not warp it too much. big welds cause more warpage.
Reply:Originally Posted by shovelonGood insight as to there is no hard and fast rule to this. Only a starting point.
Reply:I would have to say travel speed has more of an effect on heat input than amperage or voltage settings. With a mig, a somewhat higher setting with a fast travel speed can put down a narrow, low profile weld with real good penatration on thin sheet metal. Of course fitup and type of joint are factors here. Just seems like there are so many variables that only real experience can overcome.
Reply:Originally Posted by M J DI would have to say travel speed has more of an effect on heat input than amperage or voltage settings. With a mig, a somewhat higher setting with a fast travel speed can put down a narrow, low profile weld with real good penatration on thin sheet metal. Of course fitup and type of joint are factors here. Just seems like there are so many variables that only real experience can overcome.