Hi Mark, welcome to a very exclusive club of slightly deranged people with similar interests
I had never welded before so bought a load of scrap steel and practiced until I was good at it and then practiced some more. It's not actually that hard if you have a decent welder and the patience and desire to learn. Get yourself a decent auto darkening helmet and some decent gauntlets. Most people use mig but I am "different" I used arc. Best of luck with the build, any questions you may have will have answers somewhere on this forum.
Enoch