Chapter 3: Performance of the Clarke
I got to try out the Clarke this afternoon. It came with a roll of 0.035 flux core in it so I started out with that. There are a few more plastic goodies to screw on the case than the HF, but two of them are feet that elevate the unit to open up vents on the bottom of the case. The fan is constantly on to help keep temps down. I was wrong initially, the liner isn't just a platic tube, it is wrapped in a coil much like the Hobart replacements I have seen at TSC. It threaded flawlessly the first time. Then it was time to run a bead. As a starting point, I set the heat on 3, the closest to the HF max output I was used to, and I set the wire speed on 7 like I was used to on the HF. The welder arced in spits and starts. Boogers everywhere. Turns out this welder fires out the wire MUCH faster than the HF. A 4 setting is just about the 7-8 I was used to. Here are some pictures...was pretty rough the first few beads, just needed patient adjustment.
