Brother KH860 is a knitting machine capable of creating patterns using punchcards. Read about pros and cons of this model in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia. But in the mean time, read below about this particular machine.
This machine was cleaned and fully serviced. The sponge in the retaining bar was replaced. All needles were inspected and cleaned. The needles were also tested by knitting on a full bed (see the video).
This machine will be sold with ALL assesories. All looked brand new (even wax and oil). Even its own hard copy of the manual will be included although it can also be found online for free.
The row counter included with this machine is brand new (new stock).
The machine was tested using the same punchcard for tuck-, slip- and fair isle patterning on a full bed and all tests were great: no missed stitches, not tucked stitches where they are not supposed to be (tuck stitches often form due to bad needle latches).
The picture below shows the fair-isle pattern upclose knitted using a custom card.
This knitted fabric was then converted into this beautiful Christmas present bag.
Now about imperfections:
There is slight discoloration on the carriage handle – probably the motor was attached to the machine at some point. The plastic around the connection point has slight UV damage but is NOT damaged where the handle was attached to the motor head.
There is a little bit of delamination on the top plastic layer on the carriage. Also, the corner of the name plate is a bit chipped.
A plastic section of the rail guard/slider on the left-hand side of the carriage broke off. All my tests were performed without it. I did not experience any problems knitting. I still have the piece and it will be included with the machine but it will not be glued on.
If knitting on a full bed with the patterning option engaged (for tuck, slip and fair isle), the carriage needs to be pushed a bit down on the very edges otherwise the sinker plate touches the needles a bit. Maybe the bed is a bit warped on both ends. When knitting in the middle of the bed (when the panel is not knitted on all 200 needles), I did not need to push the carriage down a bit. Only when I knitted on all 200 needles in tuck stitch. As you will see in my video, it did not affect the knitting: I was able to knit without trouble and without too much effort. It is just something the operator needs to be aware of. All knitting machines have their own character and this is simply one of those character features.
Despite these minor flaws, the machine knitted and worked great. Other punch-card Brother knitting machines are available in my store.
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