Put me on the right path please

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Hi Guys.., new to the forum but not totally new to welding Thirty years back I owned a fabrication business and did mostly light duty mig and tig processes on .030 mild steel for awning frames.  I maintained my mig skills off and on over the years with a SP100.., but haven't picked up a tig torch in thirty years.  I was proficient welding aluminum, stainless and titanium but was never certified.   So fast forward thirty years.., I recently purchased an Econotig to hone my skills once again.  Where I'm stuck at is.., where do I start ?  Back in the day I think we used one type of electrode.  Now there are several.  Also back in the day we did not have inverter welders..., so when it comes to "the setup" I'm totally in the dark.  Here's what I'm welding.., all light duty stuff.  Stainless exhaust headers, aluminum brackets, and miscellaneous stuff.  All centered around automotive.  So should I start with a 1/16th or 3/16th electrode ?  Should I buy red or gold label tungsten ?   Can I use blended gas or pure argon ?  I read the Miller guides but there is no substitute for real world experience so thought I'd ask.   And if anyone can recommend a good helmet I'd appreciate it.  I have a $30 special with automatic lense but not sure if this is what I should use.  I don't mind the lift-hood style. Thanks !Philo._____________
Reply:lots fo disscussion about which tungsten to use....... all i use is 3/32  red 2% thoraited (sp) ( i luv radiation) for everything and have for 20+yrs some will say 2% lanthanated and some pure kinda what ever work well for youi keep 1/16 and 3/32 fillers  mostly use 1/16  fillersidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:as a side note...pure (green) is NOT recommended for inverter TIGs. The radiation in thoriated is nil and really not a factor. Lanthanated seems to do better with higher frequencies (120+ Hz) I have 4 or 5 different tungstens but primarily use lanth and thoriated only for both steel and aluminum. Personal preferenceYou must use pure argon and 3/32 is a good place to start out. Theres a few articles on here about TIGging and getting set up. Do a search and see what pops up. Also post your location, someone nearby may be willing to help ya out