New Knit Machine Project

I have completed my fair share of samples on my new

knit machine and it is high time to start a sweater for Jace.

 Picked out the yarns.  I am not 100% happy with the colors I

bought, but the selection at the store I went to wasn't great.

 Then I rolled the yarn into balls and that takes a long time.

*The knit machine manual instructions against this method

of yarn preparation, but I don't have a winder, and I haven't

had any trouble knitting with yarn prepared this way.

Swatches

Studio SRP 50N Ribber

Before:

After:

The ribber arrived and I have been busy cleaning it, finding a manual for it,

oiling it, setting it up, and knitting a few samples on it to make sure it works.

Replacing Gear on Superba Knit Machine

Apologies for my absence.  Holidays and visiting.

Lately I have been having no luck with the knit machine.  It knits
swatches beautifuly, but as soon as I try to knit something across
the entire bed, it jams up on the left most side of the knitting.  
Stitches stay on the left needles and the stitches become tight.
No tension problems anywhere else on the knitting.

After months of playing with swatches and tension and still having
no luck, I decided to finally replace a broken gear in the front bed.

Jace bought my Superba used; actually a kind woman in Wisconsin
was nice enough to give it to him for free, but the machine
hadn't been used in some time and it may have been damaged
slightly in shipping.

Once I had my machine up and running, I noticed that the front bed
didn't lift and lower properly (due to the broken gear).

So I bought a new gear and went about replacing it last night.
I used the information found in the Superba maintenance guide,
but as usual, I found it confusing.  Hopefully this blog post will
provide clarity to anyone who need to replace a gear!


If you look under your knit bed, there are two gears, one on each
side of the machine.  See the image below (sorry images aren't as
crisp as usual.  I moved and can't find my camera battery charger).

Maybe you are smart and already know that the front bed can come
off of the machine.  I was not so clever until I read the manual, but it was
a bit confusing.  It states:

"On each side of the front needle bed, withdraw the graduated scales (6) just as the release lever springs (7)."

The big aha moment for me is when I realized that the "graduated scales"
are the numbers beside the bed which indicate the needle position.

You simply pull them out and you have access to the release lever springs.

Then finagle the release lever springs out from each side and you are
then able to remove the front needle bed from the rest of the machine.
EASY.

Release Lever Spring

Once the front needle bed was away from all the fussy stuff on the machine,
it was easy to pop off the old broken gear and replace it with the new
gear and slip the bar back into place.

Once that is finished, line the front needle bed back up to the rails and
replace the release lever springs and slid the graduated scales back
in place. 

Success!

For anyone who follows this blog (I think my viewership has increased to 3 people now); Jace got me a double bed knit machine for my birthday before I graduated.  Of course, I knew we would be moving soon after graduation, so the knit machine remained in its box until we moved to Winston Salem, NC for my job.

Once there I began the search for making a suitable table for the knit machine.  I never was able to make one that was sturdy enough so I ended up buying a used Superba Knit Machine Table.  From there I went through the process of cleaning the 12 years of disuse off of the machine.  When I put the machine back together, I broke the retaining spring and it just wasn't knitting properly.  Around that time, I took another job in Cincinnati, OH and had to pack the whole apparatus up again and move. 

After moving in, the process started again.  Setting up the machine, realizing I would have to replace parts, and sourcing them online (a bigger problem than I expected as this is a French knit machine that is no longer manufactured).  Once my parts arrived, I replaced them and set the machine up again to find that the yarn tension guide was not working properly.

But tonight, I fixed the yarn tension guide and SUCCESS!

Now there is no stopping me.

Replacing Retaining Springs on White 1502 Double Bed Knit Machine

Disclaimer: I am not a professional, nor do I have any experience with White Knit Machine maintenance or repair.  I received this machine for my birthday and have been learning about it with the help of other blogs and online forums. All knit machines are different and my instructions only apply to White 1502 model.

After frustrating months trying to use my used knit machine (White 1502 Double Bed) I came to conclusion that I needed to replace the retaining spring on the front bed and some needles.

When the knit machine can't hold a needle in a position, you know you have bent the retaining spring and it needs to be replaced.  The first thing I did when I got this knit machine is bend the retaining spring.  I bought two just in case I would need a second.  Since my machine hadn't been used since the 1980's I decided to change the retaining spring on the back bed as well.

To change the retaining spring you will need the replacement springs.

You will also need a lot of light to see the screws, and a 3.0mm flat head screwdriver and needle nose pliers.

First, unscrew (with a regular size flat head screw driver) the screws on the bottom on each plastic end of the knit bed.  There is only one screw on each side.  Set screws aside in a safe place.  Pull off the plastic ends and set aside (I had to shimmy them off).

Take knit bed off table and put upside down on the floor (either on carpet or a blanket).  I suggest taking all needles out BEFORE turning it upside down.  I didn't and I broke 2 needles.

Let's start with replacing the retaining spring on the front needle bed:
After removing the retaining wire and all the needles, place the knit machine upside down on a blanket on the floor.  You will see two rows of screws.

The screws on my machine were old and soft, so I wanted to be careful not to strip them.  In order to loosen them, I used the 3.00mm flat head in my left hand and used the needle nose pliers in my dominate hand to unscrew them.

Once I unscrewed the screws (they only loosen; they do not come out) I taped them in fear of them falling out.  This turned out to be unnecessary since they don't come out.

So, there is a screw on each extreme end that is covered by knit machine gears.  In order to get to these screws, you must push in both release lever knobs and pull the front bed down as far as it will go (it will not come all the way off).

Once it is in the farther position from the machine, there will be holes that line up over the screws so you can access them to unscrew them.

Once all screws are loosened on the row, turn machine right side up and the slide rail.  You will see the retaining spring under it.

See the tiny spring under the bar?

If your machine hasn't been used in a while it may be dirty, as mine was.

The retaining spring is held on each end by two metal discs.  You simply pick up the spring to remove it.

Here is a shot of the bent part of the old retaining spring.

Before replacing the spring be sure to clean the groove the spring sits in.

I vacuumed in the groove and I used Q-Tips (smush the ends so they fit into the groove) to run inside the groove to clean it.

Once clean, take the new retaining spring and anchor it on each end of the bed, letting a few spirals hand over each disc.

Then place the slide bar over the retaining spring (get a friend to hold it) and tighten the screws on the bottom.  Return front needle bed position to normal.

DONE

Replacing the retaining spring on the back bed:
The back side of the back need bed is covered in a sheet of metal.  There are holes so you can access the screws.  Using the same plier method, loosen screws.

There is a surprise waiting for you once you have loosened all the screws and turned the knit bed right side up.  The slide bar will fall off to reveal, the earth band, a metal strip that runs in between the retaining spring and the inside of the slide bar.  Do not ask me what this "earth band" is for; I don't know.  All I know is that it is vital to the knit machine and should be treated with care.

So, as you remove the old retaining spring and clean the groove be sure not to bend the earth band.

Replace the retaining spring as you did with the front bed anchoring it to each disc on the ends.

Once the new retaining spring is in place, hold the slide bar over the retaining spring, letting the earth band fall beside the machine (you will slide it in later).  Have a friend hold the slide rail as you turn the knit machine around to reach the screws that are accessed through the holes in the metal.  Be prepared for frustration.  Slightly screw in the screws on each end of the back bed.  It should hold the slide rail, but not be tightened all the way.

The angle that the 3.0mm flat head screwdriver must enter the hole to access the screws is not ergonomic and you will have to fiddle around to get the screws to catch the thread of the slide rail.


After the two end screws are loosely screwed on, slide the earth band under the slide rail and into its position between the retaining screw and slide rail.

Then hold the slide rail and turn the knit bed over and tighten all the screws.


You have just replaced the retaining spring on the front and back needle bed.  Be sure to put the needles back in the comb.

Once the needles are back in the bed, replace the retaining wire and mount back on the table.

You can see how excited Ebe is with my completion.

Sunday Funday

I tackled deep cleaning my V-Bed Knit Machine today.  I referred to the Superba Knit Machine Blog for instructions.  You can find this information near the end of the following article.

Superba Blog; Deep Clean your V-Bed

 I set the knit bed on a sheet on the ground.  If you have a table, use it because your back will hurt after hours of hovering over the machine scrubbing it.

 If you read the article, the type of metal in a Superba or White knit machine dictates that you use denatured alcohol.  Work outside to avoid the fumes.  Another note, if you can, work in the shade.  I worked in direct sunlight.

 The article suggests saturating the beds with denatured alcohol using a sponge or cloth (or old tee shirt).  Above you see I tried the sponge, but soon started using a cloth because the sponge deteriorated and pieces came off into the needle beds, which I later had to clean out.

 I took out all the needles and put them in trays and poured denatured alcohol over them.  I let them sit for a few hours.

 Using a small instrument wrapped in a cloth soaked in denatured alcohol I cleaned the needle beds.

 I cleaned each attachment.

 Needles drying in the sun.

 A cleaner V-Bed!

 I took it inside and vacuumed it to remove any extra lint and grim.

 BEWARE!  Here you see me cleaning and in the photo below you see the results.

 Keep out of direct sunlight, or at least wear sunscreen.

I'm still not finished with the V-Bed Deep Cleaning yet.  I need to oil the needles and needle bed.

 Then I made savory scones.  Parmesan and mustard.

End result.