Abstract: A welding device capable of providing a blanket of nonreactive gas to isolate atmospheric gases from a weld zone to prevent weld contamination and capable of providing a stream of suppression gas across the path of a welding beam to suppress the formation of a beam absorbing plasma is disclosed. The device comprises a housing having a welding beam entrance port, a structure wall cooperating with the housing to form a first cavity therein and having an exit port aligned with the entrance port, means for supplying suppression gas to the first cavity, means for exhausting the suppression gas from the first cavity, a base cooperating with the housing and the structure wall to form a second cavity within the housing, means for providing a nonreactive gas to the second cavity, and means for passing the nonreactive gas from the second cavity to the weld zone.