.. this article is a constant work in progress as I collect more information and personal experience…
… Please, read the whole article first before proceeding.
Abbreviations used below:
- KM = knitting machine
If you purchased your KM serviced from a reputable seller, you can this post and go straight to the post where I recommend the very first steps/tests with your new KM.
If you were not as lucky and got a machine that still needs TLC, below are the steps you can follow. A lot of new machine knitters get a machine from friends and relatives or just find one on a garage sale and feel very overwhelmed. Well, I hope the steps below will help you to guide your approach to cleaning and testing your KM.
First inspection, cleaning, and servicing steps:
- Check against the manual if all parts are present. (If your KM did not come with a hard copy of the manual, search its model number and you will easily find a free PDF file of the manual). The most critical ones are a carriage and a sinker, they are a MUST-HAVE. The secondary is a tension mast (I managed to knit on a machine by just holding the yarn in my hand and creating tension by hand, but this is far from ideal but doable if you have to.). Also nice to have are claw weights. If others are missing, you can probably manage to knit without them. If the major parts are missing, search on the Internet to purchase them and while they are arriving, work on the steps below.
- Clean/wipe the visible dirt from all parts.
- Remove the retaining bar (metal strip sitting on top of the needles). Push it on the side until the other end shows up and then pull completely out. The manual should mention the retaining bar in the section about needle replacement. If you have a long-tail brush, insert it into the channel for the retaining bar and clean the gunk out of there. DO NOT RUN THE CARRIAGE ON THE NEEDLE BED UNTIL YOU INSERT A RETAINING BAR WITH THE NEW SPONGE BAR. I have a separate blog post dedicated to the retaining and sponge bars and how to clean/refurbish/restore them.
- After the sponge bar is out, remove all needles, clean/wipe them, and inspect. I visually inspect if there is deep rust (if there is just shallow rust – I gently polish the needles with fine sand-paper), and obvious bends. Wipe all the needles while inspecting them. Check if the latches move freely back and forth and do not stick (sticky latches can lead to incorrectly formed stitches, especially to tucked stitches).
- Vacuum the needle bed from the top (simply run the narrowest attachment your vacuum has over the needle bed). If you are brave, and if the machine has them, unscrew the top plastic panels, detach all the plastic components from the machine’s front panel, and vacuum underneath.
- If are you even braver, remove the plastic end-caps and vacuum from the sides as well. But: if the machine is clean under those long front panels, you probably don’t need to remove the end caps, which is good news because they are kind of a pain to deal with.
- While the panels are out of the way, check if the punchcard reading mechanism moves freely. Often those gunk-up too (or freeze simply due to time) and need to be cleaned. There are video resources available online on how to clean the punchcard reading mechanism. However, I do not recommend disassembling the punchcard mechanism completely without trying less drastic measures (like simply spraying with Kroil oil and cleaning with wipes and Q-tips). It is often not even needed to go that deep and the error of assembling those intricate mechanisms back happens quite often.
- Then check if the buttons on the carriage move freely (middle button and tuck/part buttons). Those often get stuck as well. Kroil Oil will take care of that: spray the Kroil oil over the frozen parts and try to jiggle them every several hours. Reapply Kroil oil as needed.
- Check the undercarriage for visible lint, dust, dirt, etc. Clean with Q-tips if needed. If the carriage is very dirty, use the UP lubricant/cleaner for a faster (but significantly smellier process). Make sure all levers on the undercarriage move symmetrically when you press the buttons on the carriage. Move the levers with your finger or a tool and ensure they move freely and snap back to the original positions without lag.
- Inspect and clean the sinker plate. Often yarn is caught
- Insert back all the freshly inspected and cleaned needles.
- Insert a refurbished or new retaining bar with the new sponge. (Read my other blog post on how to clean/refurbish/restore them.) I will soon have some sponges and complete retaining bars in my store. Make sure the retaining bar is inserted correctly (with the spongy part touching the needles and the retaining bar being on TOP of the needles.)
- Put together all large plastic pieces (covers, boxes, and lids) if you removed them for cleaning.
- Place the carriage onto the needle bed.
- Attach the sinker plate according to the instructions.
Once you are satisfied with all the cleaning, you can start testing your machine. Please read the first tests I do for my freshly-refurbished knitting machines in my other article.
