I taught myself how to stick weld with a buzz box a few years ago. Turns out, it's the most useful skill that I've learned.
My woodworking equipment is rarely used now, as I've gotten into various metal projects.

After watching too many TIG welding videos, I decided to purchase my first TIG machine.
I ended up with an AHP Alpha TIG as it seemed like a good machine for the money and I wanted DC stick capability.

So far, I'm through half a bottle of argon and have a pile of ground up tungsten.

I've never had any formal instruction, just going off Weld.com and other videos on YouTube.

I've got plenty of beer if someone would care to help this newbie out and critique my setup and technique.

if I was closer id help. check out welding tips and tricks on youtube lots of good info.

Its been a handful of years since I went through the program at MHS, but if you cant find anyone with more recent experience with TIG let me know. But honestly, I think the best teacher is really just practice.

Clean, clean, clean. TIG will fight you the entire way if it's not spotless. Keep brushes for everything you are using and aluminum needs to be separate from your steel brushes to prevent embedding loose steel particles into the soft aluminum.

If you dont have an auto darkening helmet, I would say its a huge help, and you dont need the nicest Miller model. Any with ANSI rating will protect your eyes, the difference is mostly going to be in features. With TIG, you can turn the shade down when running lower amps so you really can watch your puddle form and move.