And so it begins…
Definitely get the feeling more set up is required (it’s a stepped calibration cube BTW)
If it’s any consolation, it’s better than what I could output, prior to cooking my J-head
I look forward to having this problem! 
Still have to get slicer software running.
OK so I’m getting a “bobbly” feed… retried and I have a thread laid down with what looks like a bobble every 4mm
Can you easily push the filament through the extruder when it’s hot? What temperature are you printing at (and what material)?
@Rex_Bigger Do you mean “bubbly”, as in bubbles in the melted plastic? This is a sign of damp filament (the water in the filament boils, creating bubbles). Many suggest putting your filament in the oven at ~250F for an hour or two to dry it out. I’ve not tried this (dry climate), so try at your own risk.
@Michael_Hohensee no. Very tough to push filament through. Hitting extrude on Pronterface and trying to adjust the filament coming through.
I am printing PLA at 185C for the head with a heated bed at 60C
@Carlton_Dodd not bubbles, hair thin strand, lump, hair thin strand, etc.
Try printing at higher temperature. Bump it up to 195 and see if that’s easier. You should be able to push the filament through the extruder easily by hand.
Yeah - I think I have a blocked nozzle. Bumped it up to 235C and still not easy to push the filament through.
Printing at 235 though I actually have a print appearing.
It doesn’t have to be easy, but it should be smooth. 235 ought to be way too hot for PLA… Basically, your problem is twofold. If you run too cold, your extruder will have a hard time getting an even flow. If you run too hot, thermal creep up the hot end can make the PLA expand and possibly stick intermittently above the melt zone. If you get really hot, the PLA will just burn up, and block your hot end.
Unless your thermistor is miscalibrated, 210 C ought to be more than hot enough. What kind of hot end are you using? Try running a fan over the top of your hot end to reduce premature heating and sticking.
I must run a fan on the hot end to extrude pla throuh my hotend. My temp is 200c and had to adjust the extruder speed. Now everything works like it should.
Is the filament that comes out soft, or does it harden instantly. I’m wondering if your thermistor is reading hot. I honestly think it’s a clogged nozzle as this is really common. Make sure to clean your filament. I use a small binder clip with a paper towel clamped in it around the filament as it enters the feed tube. To clean the nozzle try this:
Heat nozzle to temp
Using your hand, push filament thru nozzle slowly, then yank filament back out.
Trim off melted end of filament and repeat several times.
This should pull out any debris from your nozzle. I get burnt dust and carbonized plastic clogged in my replicator 2x nozzle at work.
Good luck
Thanks @Eric_Moy . Yes it was a clogged nozzle. Replaced with a clean one and the filament started flowing at the right temperature.
Use a Simple extruder and a needle tip at the nozzle. You can get better filaments and bead size. Great attempt!