This machine was ordered as a Christmas present from a loving husband to his crafty wife.
It is a very nice vintage setup with blue hues. This post is dedicated to this particular machine. To know more about this model, read in my Knitting Machine Encyclopedia about its pros and cons.
The machine was cleaned from old dust and gunk and tested. The sponge in the retaining bar was replaced and will come inserted into the machine. I completely replaced the weaving brushes on the sinker plate as the old ones completely decomposed.
All needles were removed, cleaned and inspected, first visually and then by knitting on a full bed. The full-bed knitting tests were on stockinet, tuck, slip and holding patterns. The video with all these tests demonstrates that the machine did not have any problems knitting these stitches and none of the needles showed any signs of forming misshapen stitches.
Lace carriage was not tested but all knobs and levers move without problems.
While knitting on a full bed all patterning buttons, knobs and levers were tested in action (with the exception of the N/MC lever but it moves freely) and are fully functional.
The machine comes with all major assesories (lace carriage, rails, row counter, sinker plate) and the majority of the minor assesories.
The row counter is from the new stock – the original row counter was missing from the setup.
The minor assesories missing are:
- the assesories kit: it is simply a cover with pockets to keep assesories inside
- the lid for the assesories box. The plastic was so weak that it crumbled when the machine arrived to me and I had to discard it.
- hard copy of the manual will not be included but it is available online for free. I strongly recommend following the manual step-by-step as it is the best resource to start knowing your knitting machine.
The 3/1 needle selection/transfer tool is missing the one-prong therefor I will include a universal stitch transfer tool as well.
I will include an old wax in its tube that came with the machine. Also, there is half a bottle of still decent looking oil. I will include it as well. If it runs out, I recommend using Hoppe’s Elite Gun Oil, available on Amazon and in local hardware stores.
The manual lists mostly basic patterns but additional patterns are in this brochure.
Despite working flawlessly, the machine had some minor imperfections:
The pattern center panel has two cracks: on the right-hand side and in the middle. additionally the knob on the AB lever is from another machine and thus is not blue in color (the original knob was missing).
The assesories box has a crack on the side and a broken piece on the bottom. The plastics from the 1960s and 1970s were not as weathering resistant as current plastics and thus severely degrade with time especially when exposed to the UV light and moisture.
The case has some minor scuffs on the outer side.
Some of the stains on the lid will remain as they did not come off completely (and I do not subject the old plastics to extensive exposure to harsh solutions).
The lid has some minor rust stains on the inside.
The ratchet tool has a minor crack.
None of these imperfections and some minor missing assesories affected the functioning of the machine, as you can see in my test videos.
