AVOID A MAJOR PROBLEM -
Knitting Machine Tips By Judy
One of the biggest and most frustrating problems a machine knitter can face is that of a damaged needle channel. A damaged channel can be seen as a small nick our gouge in the side of the needle channel. This slight gouge will cause the needle to be stopped as it is trying to move up in the channel. This will bring the locks to a sudden and complete stop. In other words, the locks jam. The cause of a bad needle channel is simple.
As the needle tries to move up in the channel, it is met with enough resistance that it is having difficulty moving vertically. The horizontal motion of the lock is greater and the lock simply tries to run over the foot of the needle. This creates the gouge in the needle channel. (in some instances its possible for the needle to be completely ripped from the channel).
The things the knitter needs to be aware of are: If your tension is set too tight or if you have poor quality yarn, you will have a situation where the antenna of the mast whips down so far that it hits the front of the mast tension unit. This causes the yarn flow to stop as it moves through the lock. Without yarn flow the momentum of the lock simply runs over the needles.
A technical tip that may allow for easier movement of the needles is to oil the channels. Raise the needles as high as they will move in the channels. Then, using knitting machine oil, put a small drop in the top of each channels (a Q tip will work great), and let it run down through the channel. Be careful not to oil channels in excess, especially the front channels of the Passap E6000. I also advocate to monthly take a paper towel or lint free cloth, pull your needles out to “D” position, and put a few drops of oil on the cloth or paper towel and wipe the tops of the needles, then run the carriage across thereby lubricating the channels. Again, do not over oil - just a few drops is enough.