PASSAP MAINTENANCE
Keeping a clean machine is vitally
important, especially when knitting with the E-6000. The electric eye on
the lock becomes 'distracted' and wanders when it finds dust, lint or oil
residue, thereby causing the pattern to distort or not knit accurately.
So, a clean machine means accurate and easier knitting.
CLEANING AND OILING YOUR PASSAP
KNITTING MACHINE
This material is intended to keep your Passap knitting machine operating at its best. Dirty machines are harder to knit on, cause untold "Error 200" messages and selection errors.
SUPPLIES FOR BASIC CLEANING AND OILING
• 3 clean lint-free rags
• Denature alcohol or Mineral Spirits
• 1 tube Bellador oil
• 1 red Handle Passap brush
• 1½-2" Paint brush
With front bed lowered, lay one of the lint-free rags over the front bed.
With the paint brush, dust the gray striking combs out onto the back bed.
You may have to slide the rag to the other end of the bed to continue dusting the striking combs.
Take the rag off the front bed and shake well. Place the rag over the back bed and repeat the process.
With the second rag, wipe off the end plates of the bed and also the main bed sections.
Next, place a small section of the rag in the grooves of the guide rail and wipe out dust and old oil.
This is a good time to check the latches of the needles and needle heads.
Push the needles all the way up and, with an old credit card, place the card under the latches and close over the needles.
Check to see if all the latches are closed over needles and not lying off to one side.
Now open all the latches checking to see that they all come open freely.
If a needle latch lies only half open it may be a sticky latch and you may want to remove this needle.
If one of the latches does not close over one of the needles properly, or there is no latch at all, you will want to clip the head of the needle and latch off.
I also check the needle channels at this time to make sure there is not a damaged one.
If I find a damaged needle channel, I take that needle out of the machine to tell me this is a bad channel.
Show Me We will discuss how to change this channel a little later.
Now let's check for a bad brake spring. With our needles still
all the way up, take your orange pattern ruler and run across the top of the needles:
They should all go down about half way but once in awhile one will stay in the up position.
Run this check several times. You will, at this time, also look at that needle channel to make sure it is not a tight needle channel or damaged.
Show Me We will discuss how to change a brake spring later.
The way you damage a brake spring is putting the needle in wrong or taking out wrong, or the screws holding the rail in place have been
over-tightened. Show Me
SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR CHANGING A NEEDLE CHANNEL AND BRAKE SPRING
• 5.5 mm Box Spanner
• Medium screwdriver
• Wire cutters or needle nose pliers
• Needle channels
• Brake Spring
• Orange tool
BRAKE SPRING
Lay a bed sheet folded several times on your kitchen table.
Remove the knitting beds from the stand and place them on the sheet.
The sheet will protect the table from becoming damaged and keep the beds from sliding on the table.
For this repair do not lower the front needle-bed. The back bed has to be on "Transport-Position"
-- (at the left topside of the beds, the two arrows facing each other). At this time, take the needle retaining rail out of the machine and put it aside.
Turn the machine over so that the underside of the beds is facing up.
You will need to loosen all the nuts of the main rail about 1½ turns with box spanner (5.5 mm).
You can loosen more; just do not remove the nuts. Turn the machine over into the normal position (beds and needles facing you).
Slide the main rail sideways and take out the defective brake spring.
INSERTING NEW BRAKE SPRING: Put the eyelet of the new brake spring into the channel of the side plate (this is on the right side that has the serial number).
Hold the eyelet of the brake spring and push the main rail carefully about
½" over the brake spring. Then lay the brake spring in its channel over the whole length of the machine.
Now push the main rail carefully over the spring. In case the brake spring is too long cut it off, but pay attention that a few turns are embedded in the channel of the left side plate.
Continue pushing the main rail until it is flush with the side plates.
Turn the machine upside down again and tighten the nuts. Do not cinch the nuts down, as this might cause the screw to break or strip.
Slide the needle rail back in the side of the machine.
HOW TO EXCHANGE A NEEDLE CHANNEL
For this repair do not lower the front bed.
The back bed has to be on "Transport-Position" (at the left topside of the beds you will see two arrows facing each other).
Take the needle retaining rail out of the machine and set it aside.
Turn the machine upside down (bottom side of machine facing up) and loosen all the nuts of the lower guide rail about
1½ turns with 5.5 mm box spanner (you might have to loosen nuts more, but not enough to
remove).
Locate the channel to be removed. In that area remove the two nuts and screws at the left and at the right of the defective needle
channel. Also, take the color changer and the front extension plate off.
With a screwdriver, take off the large knurled nut and the special nut that covers the hexagon nut.
With 5.5 mm box spanner, loosen the hexagon nut.
THE FOLLOWING REPAIR IS FOR THE DM-80 AND THE BACK BED OF THE E-6000.
Turn the machine right side up.
Take the needle and the pusher out of the defective needle channel. It is
easier if you take several pushers out on one side. Also, on the DM-80 and the back bed of the E6000, put several pushers in the center of the pusher rail to keep it open.
Put the screw driver carefully under the loosened guide rail, just beside the defective needle channel, and bend the rail slightly upwards.
If you cannot get the screwdriver under the rail, you might have to turn the machine over and loosen the nuts a little more or take one more nut out.
Shift the blocking rail sideways to open the needle channel
by putting a pusher or two half way up in the rail to keep it open. Lift the defective needle channel out of needle bed by using the pick end of the orange tool and picking at the end of the channel, lifting it up and then pulling downwards.
Insert a new needle channel in reverse order. Remove the screwdriver from under the guide rail and turn the machine over (upside down) and tighten nuts.
Replace the screws in the rail and tighten the nuts being careful not to cinch the nuts down because the screws will break or
strip. Put the needle retaining rail back in the machine.
HERE ARE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE E-6000 FRONT
BED
The repair for the E-6000 front bed is the same, except that you must take the end rail off the machine.
This is located at the bottom of the front bed. Prop the front bed up on a box about 5" high and put a long piece of Scotch Tape across the pushers.
The box under the machine allows the four screws to be removed and keeps the pushers from falling out.
These are located on the left of the machine, and just under the guide rail.
Once all these parts have been removed you can proceed as above.
SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR DEEP CLEANING YOUR MACHINE
• Bellador oil
• Denatured Alcohol
• Large bowl or jar
• Lint free rags
• Newspaper and a Sheet of Plastic, or both
• Plastic Spray bottle
YOU WILL NEED TO DEAL WITH THIS JOB OUTSIDE!!
(This is Very Important, as the fumes are very
strong.) Take all your needles and pushers out of the machine and place them in a large bowl or jar.
You can leave the machine on the stand or remove it, but do take it outside.
How to mix the denatured alcohol and Bellador oil:
Passap proscribes that you add 1 oz. (2 Tablespoons) of Bellador oil to 1 pint of denatured alcohol.
This mixture prevents the machine parts from drying out.
Never use the denatured alcohol alone,
as its drying effect might cause rust. You might hear of other mixtures but
use them your own risk,
as they might cause damage to your machine!
Spray the needle channels with alcohol/oil mixture and let it drain onto the paper or plastic.
Avoid spraying the mixture above the top rail, as this could leave an oily residue on the next item you knit!
You can spray again depending on how dirty your machine is. After you have sprayed the machine, take a clean, lint-free rag and wipe the beds and end panels.
Pour the rest of the alcohol/oil mixture into the bowl or jar holding the needles. Then let needles and pushers soak
at least five minutes.
NOTE: You might want to wear rubber gloves so the alcohol
does not dry your skin.
After soaking your needles and pushers, remove a handful at a time
and place them onto a dry cloth. As you dry them, check again for bent needles, latches and pushers.
Re-insert them into the needle bed. Oil your machine following the directions below.
Needle Bed:
Put needles and pushers into working position.
With a brush or an oiled cloth, rub all the needle and pusher feet.
If you have a U-100E, you can do this by oiling the black channels that the needle and presser feet run in. Then pass the U100E on both beds several times and your oiling job is complete for the bed as well as your U-100E.
Guide Rails:
Put 2 to 3 drops of Bellador oil on each guide rail.
Lock:
Spread 3 to 4 drops of Bellador oil on and around each of the guiding rails.
Oil lock parts along which the needles slide, with a brush or an oily cloth.
Keep the oil away from the E-6000 electronic eye located on the underside of the front lock.
You are now ready to Knit!