Dan, I meant "shaper". Too fast typing, to slow proof reading!
The Gingery type would probably be the only kind I would consider. I could buy a used one, but the DG one looks about the right size for my small, fairly full shop, and it's one I could move around without a lifting apparatus.
I was also a welder at my main job for some 20 years, until I changed directions due to degradations of my personal structure.
I expect you were probably using the TIG on the fixture you welded as a way of getting in some practice. That's about what it takes, too. Welding is very much a "doing" thing, and it's less easy to tell about it than to show about it. If you have questions, though, at least you know there are a couple of guys here who've spent some time under a welding hood.
Now, time for me to sit back and watch this casting stuff!
Dean