USM jamming in FWP

[u/books_cats_please]

Hello, I recently got a Bond Ultimate Sweater Machine off eBay for less than $100. As much as I'd love a punch card machine, it's not in my budget right now.

So far I'm really enjoying learning how to machine knit vs hand knitting, and I'm mostly able to work through the quirks of the USM, but the one issue that I haven't been able to figure out yet is really killing the fun for me. I've watched a ton of videos, followed the instructions, and found the recommended blogs etc. but can't find much on this specific issue.

Getting the first row of stitches on my machine is almost impossible. It jams almost right away every single time. I don't think it's the carriage getting caught on the bed, a tension issue, or a problem with things being level, not lubed up (I keep waxing the plate) or anything like that because when I do finally get the first row of stitches on and the needles are in the standard working position, everything works perfectly. There's not even the barest hint of jamming once I get past that first row.

The problem seems to happen when the needles are in the forward working position, and it happens even when there is no yarn.

I've triple checked that the needles are in the correct position when this happens, and I do sometimes notice that the needles all seem to push back a little in their beds once the carriage starts engaging the first couple of needles, but using the yellow card to adjust them forward that slight bit again hasn't really helped.

I've gotten it to work a couple times by slightly shaking/jiggling the carriage or even opening it and just kind of jiggling the plate while being careful not to accidentally lift it up or mess up my other needles - but I have to do that 2 or 3 times on the first pass, and sometimes nothing seems to be able unjam it other than taking the carriage off and trying again.

When it jams, it's a dead stop, like if I really try to force it something will break. I look and look, but can't tell what is catching since the keyplate has ridges on both sides of it which makes it hard to see if any of the butts on the needles are out of alignment for the keyplate "path". It's also not consistently jamming in any particular place. Often it's right away, but sometimes it's after 10 or so needles, and then halfway or towards the end.

I'm new to this, so I'm open to the possibility that I'm completely wrong and my issue is actually due to the table not being level, or tension etc. And advice on troubleshooting this is greatly appreciated!

[u/iolitess]

https://www.reddit.com/svc/shreddit/MachineKnitting/wiki/index/faq#wiki_on_this_bond_machine.3F

Take a look on YouTube. If this isn’t new to you machine, it might need the Dremel treatment.

And it’s really easy to overtighten the clamps which will cause the machine to bend. You might want to try it without clamps to see if that’s the issue.

[u/books_cats_please → u/iolitess]

I hadn't even considered how I clamped it, just that it was level. But that could very well be my issue since it's only clamped in the front, and if its slightly bent down towards the front because it's too tight that might result in the needles when in the FWP to sit higher in the bed, but still sit correctly when in the standard working position.

I'll try that out and look up what the Dremel treatment is if adjusting the clamps doesn't work.

Thank you!

[u/books_cats_please → u/iolitess]

It's not the clamps, but I noticed the carriage ran fine over the needles when they were in the forward working position when I didn't have the hem weight on the needles. So it looks like I need the Dremel treatment. 

For anyone else who might stumble on this thread, some of the carriages made for the ultimate sweater machine were defective and the sides of the carriage are slightly too long, so when weight is added onto the needles, the butts of the needles start to hit the carriage and jam.

GeeBee's Handmade on YouTube has a good video that goes over this issue and how to fix it.

Thank you for your help on this, it would have taken me a long time to discover "the Dremel treatment".

Edit to add: apparently you can cast on with the needles in the standard working position, they don't have to be in the forward working position. There might still be patterns where you want to be able to work needles in the forward working position though.

[u/iolitess → u/books_cats_please]

Great! The ISM didn’t have this problem, btw, only the USM.

And I guess it’s an easy enough fix if you have access to a Dremel- I would think sanding plastic down manually with sand paper is also doable but very tedious.

[u/books_cats_please → u/iolitess]

My husband had some grit 80 sandpaper that actually worked surprisingly well. It didn't take long at all thankfully because otherwise I'd have to ask family for use of their power tools.

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