As an inexperienced welder I started off the same way. My welder is also the clarke 135 and as said above, you need to try feeds and power settings to see which works the best. The thing I found was having a well supported steady hand, I tend to try to rest/support my hands so that I have more control over the distance to the weld and the weld pool.
The disposable bottle last for no time at all. I ended up chatting my local landlord into selling me a CO2 bottle from his cellar. He let me have it for the cost of a refill (£14) on the proviso that I returned it when it was empty, I welded my chassis, my mates chassis, side steps for my landie, a full length roofrack for the same and I'm still using it. You just need to buy a regulator (got mine from machinemart. Hope you find some of this ramble useful.
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