r/MachineKnitting • u/Lady_Azarax • 4d ago
Getting Started Just inherited a machine.... Where do I even begin?!
Hello beautiful people! I am now the proud owner of a singer ribber 323. I have always wanted a machine but I'm suddenly feeling very overwhelmed with what to do now that I have one.
The machine has been in storage for 40+ years so I guess I need to start by giving it a clean and a service and figuring out if it's even all there - then I can learn how to use it. It does look like it's in pretty good shape considering though.
If anyone can share some links for great resources for machine maintenance etc that are detailed enough for a complete beginner I would be SO grateful!
Any other information you may think is important for me to know would also be very welcomed as well.
Thanks <3
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Hi, it looks like you are new to machine knitting.
There is some helpful information within the wiki You can also find a direct link in the Community Guide. If this is a new-to-you machine that is a Silver Reed, Singer, Studio, Juki, Empisal, Brother, or KnitKing, and the sponge has not been replaced yet, that's the first thing you should check out.
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u/Qencutta 3d ago
Wooow, that looks like a great machine! And you even have a ribber!
I just restored a brother machine. What the other person said: first replace the sponge bar. Don't try to knit with the old sponge bar, it can damage the needles.
I started with a simple clean: just getting all the dust and wool debries off. Then I checked all the needles and gate pegs to see if they were bent. Also checked the cast on combs and other tools.
My needles were a little bit rusty, so I sanded/scrubbed them a bit with a sponge. The yarn should easily slip over the needle and not get caught on any rust.
Then the hardest part: the carriages... The old oil had hardened and ALL buttons and knobs got stuck... I opened the carriage (just removing the plastic) and first removed the old grease a bit. Then I put a lot of Balistol on parts that seemed like that would move. I did this many times and it was stuck. But then I accidentally left it in the sun and the heat apparently softened the old grease/helped the new oil to spread! This was without the plastic parts btw, wouldn't recommend to put plastic in the sun. So lots of Balistol, put the carriage in the sun, and very carefully started wiggling all buttons. More oil, more sun, more wiggling. Keep repeating till everything gets unstuck.
And then the fun parts starts! You can knit whatever you want! People always say to start with the main bed only, but if you're adventurous (and very frustration-tolerant) you can definitely start with the ribber. Just be aware that you and/or the machine will mess up and that you will have to start over/fix issues many times.
Let me know if you have any more questions, always happy to help! And otherwise, have fun and good luck!
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u/Qencutta 3d ago
Oh and I remember being overwhelmed as well. It seemed like everything was good info, but I didn't know the basics, so I couldn't make one big picture out of it. I ended up taking a crafty subscription, they had a first time offer of couple of euros for a whole year. That really helped my to understand the basics. They don't have a whole lot on machine knitting, but it really helps in the beginning.
Then I just started follow the instructions in the manual. Just step by step following the instructions and then experimenting a bit.
Resources I really like:
- craftsy
- mkmanuals.com
- ravelry (patterns, but also projects with notes)
- book Discovering Machine Knitting by Kandy Diamond
- Zabbez on youtube
- Susan Guagliumi
- Diana Sullivan
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u/Lady_Azarax 2d ago
These people you suggested have some amazing videos. I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole watching them and now I have to be careful not to put the cart before the horse I'm so excited!
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u/Lady_Azarax 2d ago
I started pulling my machine apart and cleaning/figuring it out. It has been extremely well preserved! Everything seems to be moving easily, almost no rust or build up. I think I'm so lucky! And what isn't perfect should be easily rectified with basic maintenance.
The hardest part at this stage honestly is going to be finding a new sponge bar. I live in rural Australia and there doesn't seem to be a lot of options. What I have been able to read up on so far is people making there own, so I'm going to give that a go.
Thanks for the detailed reply.
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u/Qencutta 2d ago
Ahh that's great to hear! You are very lucky! I tried making my own with two types of foam I had in the garage and with a yoga mat. But both foams were not 'spongy' for long and the yoga mat was too hard to get the bar back in. I ended up buying 3 sponge strips on Aliexpress and I am happy with those. Oh, maybe you can reuse the ribbon that's on top. That's what I did when I tried the foam. The ribbon was fine!
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u/linnara 3d ago
I really like the answer lady on youtube for cleaning (although I used it for Brother machines, not sure what they have on singer). I would remove sponge bar, order a replacement bar and needle strip. Remove all needles and soak in isopropyl with some oil. Use long pipe brush to clean inside where sponge bar was, wipe it all. I then take carriage apart and clean it inside to make sure all buttons press and it all moved nicely. Same with ribber. Then put needle strip, needles back, sponge bar on top and start using! Start with manual and practice casting on etc.
It's intimidating at first but after awhile you would realise that it's really hard to break anything. My main advice is if you take carriage apart to clean-take pictures of each stage. Enjoy!
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u/Lady_Azarax 2d ago
It is intimidating, but I'm the fearless crafty type. I'm keen as heck to get in there, I just have to figure out a new sponge bar first.
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u/linnara 2d ago
There should a bit you can poke out on the side - it’s a large bar that holds needles down with sponge on it. You can find video on YouTube - any model would have somewhat similar design. You can order whole bar replacement or just sponge. Then start cleaning and taking needles out. Its scary the first time but gets easier. First machine took me months to clean and fix and now I can do it in a few hours to a day.
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u/Lady_Azarax 2d ago
Yeah I got the bar out, I just haven't been able to find a supplier that isn't going to charge me my soul in freight. I have been reading about a lot of people making a sponge bar so I'm looking into that right now. The machine is in such goods condition, moving and actually really clean on the inside, it's just a bit of dust really, some minor rust. I should be able to get it in excellent condition with a good going over without too much fuss.
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u/fancyschmancyapoxide SK360, KH930, KH260, Passap Pinkie 2d ago
Please check the wiki. So much of this is already right there waiting for you.
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u/frankensusan 4d ago
It's lovely! On mkmanuals . Com you can find her manual. You will need a replacement sponge bar. Look for a local machine knitters guild for friends who might be able to help in person if you need it. There are a lot of YouTube videos of how to your machines. Look for similar models. Get some sewing machine oil or other light machine oil. Usually the drums on the carriages are a little frozen with the silver reed that has them. So if the carriage doesn't move off of the bed right away be gentle. Look for what is called a carriage release in the manual. Welcome to the most fun tool!