Irrespective of the type of welder, make sure that proper protective gear is worn. No skin should ever be exposed due to the intense UV light levels (especially TIG). Thin clothing and synthetics are unacceptable. I heard of a guy who ended up with a "sunburned" logo on his chest because the shirt passed the UV except where the logo was silkscreened on the shirt! A treated cotton welding jacket is cheap.
Aluminum must be absolutely clean for successful welding. Sanding or grinding should be done with a tool dedicated to Aluminum only. Degrease with a solvent but DO NOT use anything containing a chlorinated hydrocarbon! (Read this:
http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm ) Brush away any oxides just prior to welding using a stainless steel brush that is dedicated for use on Aluminum only.
Here's a bit more on TIG welding Aluminum:
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowl...nt/tigalum.asp
My young one turned out to be a natural with TIG, after taking various community college welding classes. He started out with Oxy/Acetylene which helped with the filler-torch coordination needed for TIG. He even got a 3 month job reconditioning Inconel steam turbine blades at Alstom while he was still taking classes. The downside is that we now have 5 different welding rigs cluttering up the garage.
