Inspecting your Machine

If you have just purchased a sock machine, from a antique store, garage sale, eBay, etc.  Congratulations on your new hobby.  These machines are a wonderful way to bring a old way of knitting back into the modern day lifestyle.

Please note these photos below are all from my customers machines, these photos show the condition of the machines upon arrival.  All machines require cleaning prior to use.  Much of the rust and dirt you will not be able to see on the machines until you take the machine apart.  

Be vary careful when taking these machines apart, if the screws are rusted and you can not remove them, or the heads of the screws are damaged STOP  and do not force them.  You may need to take the machine to a shop and have someone remove these screws for you.  It may help if you take photos of the machine prior to taking it apart so you can get all the parts back together, take notes, lay the items out in order of removal, etc. 

 

Click on all Photos to see larger images	When you get your machine, unpack it carefully, looking at each piece to see if there are any breaks, chips or cracks in the parts.  You may want to open the machine on your kitchen floor, garage,  as there may be oil on the parts or worse a oil bottle that has broken.  Have newspaper or towels available to place your parts on, as they will be dirty.   These machines are 80 + years old and have been sitting for quite a few years not used.
	Lay all the parts out, and look at each part.
	Check all the packing to see if there are small parts in bags, or wrapped in paper.  Look in the bottom of the box to ensure you have all the smaller parts.
	Look over the machine and ensure there are no cracks. If your machine arrived assembled  you will want to take it apart and inspect the machine. Turn the machine over and there will be 2 screws,  unscrew these.   Be careful when you unscrew the screws as these 2 screws are all that is holding the machine together.    Hold onto the machine and ensure nothing falls onto the floor. Now you can take the cylinder out to inspect it.
	Inspect the Cam Shell See all the dirt on the ridge that the needles ride along.  This will need to be cleaned. Top photo is a Auto Knitter and lower photo is a Legare
	Inspect the Gear Ring This gear ring has alot of built up oil, grease, and dirt that will need to be cleaned off.
	Look at the bed plate, and the ring where the gear ring sits, this should also be free of any dirt build up.
	This is a photo of a machine in very poor condition it is not repairable.
	Cylinders   Look closely at the cylinders, is there any cracking on the outsides of the cylinders ?  Do you see any chips, or missing metal parts ?  If the needles are still in the cylinder  take them out so you can inspect each slot.   Looking at each slot around the cylinder, is there any dirt, lint build up, broken needles lodged in the slot?  Be sure you look at the entire slot  from the top all the way to the bottom  the bottom of the slots is where you will find the most build up of old oil, grease, lint.  Each slot should be clean, free from any debris.
	This is a photo of a cylinder in very poor condition  notice the many hairline, and large cracks. It is not repairable.
	Inspect the ribber also,  in this photo you can see the rust buildup on the parts.  This would all need to be cleaned before using the machine.
	Unscrew the screw on the ribber arm.
	Take the post out and then the tappet plate and ribber dial can come off so you can inspect them.
	Look closely at the tappet plate, and ensure there is not a build up of dirt and grease.
	Look very close at each slot on the ribber dial.  Each slot should be free from debris.
	Turn the ribber dial over and under most dial will be numbers telling you how many slots it has, the gauge of needles to use, and the size.
	This is a example of a ribber dial in very poor condition  this is also not repairable.

Needle condition  Most needles that come on the machines are not usable, it is highly recommended that you purchase a new set of cylinder and if a ribber came with your machine also get a set of ribber needles.  New needles are being made and can be purchased from Angora Valley.

Cylinder spring  The cylinder spring is another item on the machine that in most cases should also be replaced.

Do all the cylinders fit inside the machine ?  The cylinders depending on where the machine was stored over the years can go out of round.  If a cylinder is not round any more it will not fit into the cam shell, or may not sit on the bed plate.  Check all your cylinders and ensure they all fit and will turn easily in the cam shell.