Greg, for light work you will enjoy a tig/ mig type machine. Just a few pointers (1) Keep the feed cable as straight as possible, a sharp kink or bend will break the wire and cause a sudden loss of power while welding. (2) invest in an instant change hood. It allows you to see your target area clearly then blackens in a 1/1000th of a second as soon as the arc is struck. Depending on your choice of wire, and material a shield gas may be required. Most use argon/nitrogen and helium as shield gasses.Helium is the primary choice of gas for welding aluminum while argon/ nitrogen is good for stainless and carbon steels. Get an assortment of small plates, from 1/4 down to 18 gauge to practice welding with. On carbon steel the easiest method is the circle puddle where the molten metal is progressed in a series of overlapping circles. Remember that welding is a skill and will require practice to learn, kind of like cutting out boat parts to a tight tolerance. Sometimes you will need to grind it all off and start over and others it will burn through but with practice and patience you will learn.