[rees2001]

You may consider contacting a local welding supply company to see if you can borrow or rent a TIG welder. (Have them list the expense as a donation & put them down as a sponsor). For FIRST a tig welder is really the way to go. We borowed a welder for the 6 week build period for 4 years before we had enough money to buy the one we wanted. A Miller Dynasty 200. It is a very nice machine for FIRST purposes, easy to setup, easy to use. We have 2 small tanks and try to keep both filled. When one runs out we swap tanks & get the other refilled. A few years ago we ran out of gas in the middle of the night and had to wait until morning to get a refill.

good luck