#diywelding

Okay so here's the thing.

I used to be the person who'd fire up the welder and just… go. No gas check. No ground check. Just vibes. And then I'd spend twenty minutes wondering why the weld looked like a Rorschach test and half the bead was porosity.

Not anymore. I have a checklist now. It takes literally 90 seconds and it saves me from myself every single time.

🔵 Gas check (MIG/TIG/Plasma)

Tank pressure — A full bottle sits at 2,000–3,000 PSI. Below 500? Swap it. Low pressure = bad gas coverage = porosity city.

Flow rate — MIG wants 15–25 CFH. TIG wants 15–20 CFH. The little float gauge on your regulator tells you. Set it while gas is flowing.

Leaks — I keep a spray bottle of soapy water next to my welding cart. Hit the fittings. See bubbles? You've got a leak. Fix it before you weld, not after.

Right gas — MIG mild steel: 75% argon / 25% CO₂. TIG: 100% argon. Don't cross these. It sounds obvious but I've watched someone put C25 on a TIG torch and the tungsten ball'd up in seconds.

Wind — Outdoor welding? You need a windscreen. Even a light breeze kills your shielding gas. A couple pieces of sheet metal propped up works fine.

🔵 Wire / consumables

Right wire — ER70S-6 for mild steel, ER4043 for aluminum, ER308L for stainless. Triple-check the spool. They all look similar in the heat of the moment.

Diameter matches the liner — .035 wire in a .030 liner feeds like it's having a bad day. Check the liner.

Wire looks clean? — Rust, oil, discoloration = toss it. Seal your spels when you're not using them.

Flux-core = DCEN — If you're running gasless flux-core, make sure your machine is set to electrode negative. Most MIG machines ship DCEP. You'll need to swap cables.

Contact tip — If the hole looks oval or worn out, replace it. Tips are cheap. Bad tips cost you in wasted wire and frustration.

🔵 Ground clamp

This is the part everyone rushes.

The clamp needs bare metal. Paint, rust, scale — they all block current. Grind the spot before you clamp. And put the ground close to the weld joint. Not all the way across the bench. Close.

If you're on a welding table, the table needs to be grounded too. Rubber mats under the legs will kill your ground path.

🔵 Machine settings

Voltage/amps — Check the chart. Don't eyeball it.

Wire speed — Matches your voltage. Too fast = pushing. Too slow = burnback.

Duty cycle — Know your machine's limits. 20% at 150A means 2 min on, 8 min off. Respect that.

Polarity — MIG = DCEP. TIG = DCEN. Flux-core = DCEN.

🔵 PPE (yes, every time)

Helmet — Auto-darkening is a quality-of-life upgrade. Fixed shade works if you pick the right number (10–13).

Welding gloves — Not your dad's work gloves. Actual welding gloves.

Apron or sleeves — Because spatter finds every gap in your outfit.

Ventilation — Indoors = you need exhaust. Fume extractor or a fan pointing out. Non-negotiable.

Fire extinguisher — Within arm's reach. Not in the next room. Right there.

📌 Make it a habit

Print this. Stick it on your welding cart. Run through it every time. After a couple weeks you won't need the paper anymore — it'll just be what you do.

I made a PDF version of this checklist that I keep laminated at my station. If you want it, let me know and I'll share the link.

Good welds start before you strike the arc. That's it. That's the whole take.

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