Not sure what equipment to use~

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Hello everyone!   I am a noob and had a few questions and I do not know any expert welders or any welders at all for that matter. I am wanting to learn how to weld aluminum so I can start fabricating custom brackets and intake's for my car.  Now I know that aluminum is not easy to weld. I will probably have to learn how to weld steel or something first and then go on to aluminum, but I do not know at this point.  I was also thinking of taking a course at the local college to lean. I do not think I would ever have to weld really thick metal (no more than like 1/4 in I would guess). Well anyway, I am looking for a machine that can weld metals like steel and aluminum.   I know some machines can do one thing good but not others. I really would like to find the best all around welding machine for my needs.  I would also like the machine to be of quality, I do not want to have to buy another one for years to come. Thoughts ideas?
Reply:How much are you willing to spend? For a TIG that can do aluminum, your starting point is in the $2k ballpark. You can do oxy-acetylene for quite a bit less, and it works for aluminum, although I have no idea of the difficulty level.So I guess the first question becomes, what is the budget?- John
Reply:Have you considered mig? It's probably the easiest process to learn if you will be teaching yourself. And as long as you buy a name brand machine, they all work very well. As I've heard before on the forum, choose your color. Noob is not a bad thing. Go check out some of the web sites like Miller, Lincoln, ESAB, and Hobart, you will be suprised at how much is freely available for the computer savy on these sites. Oh yeah, here too.  A wealth of collective experience, friendly and willing to answer questions like yours.  Here's some quick links to get you started:http://www.esabna.com/us/en/educatio...university.cfmhttp://www.millerwelds.com/education/library.htmlhttp://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowledge/http://www.hobartwelders.com/techtips.html But there is nothing like hands on with a knowledgable instructor in the booth with you, so if you are interested in the college course, by all means look into it. Talk to some people who are taking it or have taken it and find out what they thought of the class. And good luck!Last edited by Clanweld; 11-14-2006 at 10:38 AM.If you don't have the time to do it right, then you definitely don't have the time to do it over.
Reply:[QUOTE=txfirehawk]Hello everyone!   I am a noob and had a few questions and I do not know any expert welders or any welders at all for that matter.   Now I know that aluminum is not easy to weld.  Hi noob. First off get rid of the idea that aluminium is not easy to weld, as it's really the same as welding most metals. Create a weld pool, add filler, done. That's really a little breif, but you get the idea. A mig would be cheaper than a tig ( which will need AC high frequency, and preferably a foot or thumb variable amp control and a water cooled torch ) but a tig would probably be better for custom/performance automotive work. Good luck.