“Any welding tips? “
There used to be a time when it was possible to sign up for evening classes at a local school, college etc. but they seem to have sold all their equipment or just given up. But that would have been the way to go about learning and getting the work done at the same time for minimal cost to you. Still worth looking into.
If you have access to an oxy-acetylene set then it can be used for brazing / bronze-welding, OA welding, plus aluminium can be welded with OA.
http://www.welddownunder.com/video_menu.htm
Although the Dillon/Henrob/Cobra DHC torch is an expensive way to get a (surprisingly heavy) torch.
The Meco torch demonstrated by tinmantech on youtube is lightweight and capable of doing steel and aluminium welding, but still a bit expensive.
Although a decent Mig torch will do, but still expensive.
You can hire welding kits, which is one way of keeping the cost down even if it is costly to have it for more than a week or so at a time it should (idealy) be in good usable condition (or you can get your money back, maybe). So you can concentrate on using it, and not trying to fix a cheap / unreliable secondhand set.
http://reynoldstechnology.biz/assets/pdf/rtl_2010_moto_tech.pdf
ER70S2 filler wire (or ER70S6) is mild steel but is good for any steel that you will be welding : mild steel, cromoly, Reynolds 631, 853 etc.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=84hF-qoR5I8C&pg=SA16-PA1&lpg=SA16-PA1&dq=tony+foale+weld&source=bl&ots=FYE3sIR6Lg&sig=ZQwxizx-C037zxPQK6GDjZPoj-Y&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
Youtube is as good a source of info as most places: type in chopper weld, bike weld, brazing, propane braze etc.
