Thanks for your advice! In this show-me-the-money world it's
refreshing to see people freely offering their advice simply out of
their enthusiasm for a subject.
With regards to MHill's comments, I agree, the total cost of
ownership is much more than just the power unit. I was disappointed to
learn that the argon becomes a significant cost at 20 cf/hr. And
stainless and aluminum aren't cheap, either. However, some money can
be saved. I have seen posts about using water pumps and 5 gallon
buckets of water in place of a $500 Coolmate. I have also thought of
renting, but here in St. Louis the only available TIG units from CK
Gases (www.ceekay.com) are Synchrowave Tigrunners for $83 a day, $193 a
week or $441 a month. That is a much better option if you have
accomplished skills already, and just need the unit occasionally on a
few projects. I will be moving to Sacramento, CA in July, and will try
to enroll in courses at American River College. They have a course
with 36 hours of lecture and 54 hours of lab on GTAW for only $78
dollars tuition. But like playing an instrument, I imagine lessons are
best complimented by additional practice at home. It sounds like the
Thermal Arc Prowave is the best choice. Unless someone has a used unit
in their garage that they might like to sell ;).