A welder is something that I would recommend that you start off frugally, then upgrade. It is one of those funny things that people get super excited about, then don't keep on track with. I think that the big deal here is aluminum. People start out thinking that they are going to weld huge amounts of aluminum. Then, they end up welding not much of anything. The first thing I'd do is take a class in a community college, which it seems like you have already done. It's a good idea to take the class with the project in it. I have a friend who teaches community college welding down the street. They have a great setup, but he tells me that 80-90% of the students lack direction and are never ever going to do any welding. They just need to take the class to find that out. Rub shoulders with these guys, find out what makes them tick, and make sure that it doesn't have anything to do with you. Then, figure out what you absolutely need to weld right now. If it is indeed aluminum, get that AC TIG welder. I'd be tempted to stick with a basket case Miller 330 AB/P off Craigslist. I saw a pristine Sync 250 at a machine shop going out of business that they were selling for $600. That would have been fantastic, but I just filled up my space with a milling machine, and I already have a DC TIG which is just great. I've had to weld aluminum twice in the past several years, and both times that was for other people. The first was a trailer, and I was able to scrounge a small MIG welder temporarily, and I got the guy to spring for a liner. I already had argon, so that did it. The second time, it was some fancy door work, and the fellow already had an AHP and I just had to teach him how to weld aluminum. By the way, that AHP worked just great, and did a nice job. No hiccups.
What do you have to weld, RIGHT NOW?
