Choice of a welder

[zaebis]

Folks

I am looking to buy a welder (can be more than one) that is able to do the following...

- weld steel (from 16 gage sheet to up to 3/8 thick)
- weld stainless (from 16 gage sheet up to 3/8 thick)
- weld aluminum (0.1" up to 3/8 thick)
-weld pure (90%+) copper (0.1" up to 3/8 thick)

I dont need a volume welder, just able to weld with min skills required. Oh and argon/hilium may not be available where I am at (flux core is available)

Any suggestions!?

[underthetire]

Your not going to get a flux core to weld anything but steel. Even then they are a splatter mess. Sounds like you need a good tig welder. However I've never seen copper welded in anything but a laser. I don't know if it can be done or not. Either way plan on spending 2k or more for what your trying to do. Cheap welders are just that. Get a miller or holbart.

[zaebis]

Your not going to get a flux core to weld anything but steel. Even then they are a splatter mess. Sounds like you need a good tig welder. However I've never seen copper welded in anything but a laser. I don't know if it can be done or not. Either way plan on spending 2k or more for what your trying to do. Cheap welders are just that. Get a miller or holbart.

Just to doublecheck. There is no way I can flux weld my way in stainless?

Also it should be possible to weld copper with TIG (in theory at least). Or am I detached from reality here?

[embraced]

Welding copper is very difficult, even with TIG. Copper is so thermally conductive that you have to increase the current to get any fusion at all, because it just wicks all the heat away. Much like welding aluminium on steroids.

There's a reason copper is brazed...