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Manual: Crochet and Crochet Shell
Crochet
and Crochet Shell Machines Troubleshooting
BREAKING
LATCH HOOKS
Check the setting of the Hook versus
the Needle. The Hook should pass the NNeedle on its
outward and inward strokes through the Scarf Area of
the Needle. Make sure the Needle Guard is set flush
to the back edge of the Needle. It helps to align the
Needle or Needle Bar and Needle so that the Scarf of
the Needle when viewed from above would run from 8:00
to 2:00 as opposed to dead flat (9:00 to 3:00). The
Latch hook itself can be set with a slight downward
tilt from rear to front; this gains room between the
Latch and the Needle and aids in the Latch Hook’s
shedding process. The Hook Carrier Guide can be so tight
that it is forcing the Hook into the Needle. Loosen
the Hook Carrier Guide Screw and tap the Hook Carrier
Guide towards the rear of the machine. Warning:
too loose and the Hook will not engage the Needle.
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LOOSE STITCHES
The stitch is loose on the fabric.
Adjust Edge Guide to allow more material to get into
the stitch. Tighten Thread Tension(s). You may have
the wrong Crochet Machine for your particular application.
The main Cams fix the width of the stitch in these machines.
You can’t make an 18-E (1/2") produce a _"
stitch by tightening the Thread Tension, or changing
a Finger Plate.
SKIPPED
STITCHES
As a general rule, try replacing the
Latch Hook and/or the Needle when a skipping problem
is present. Some times the Latch Hook or the Needle
has become bent or damaged slightly, and therefore not
sewing correctly. If you still have a skip, determine
the nature and location of the stitch, and it will help
you correct the problem. Does the skip always occur
at or near a specific location, if so it probably has
to do with handling or thickness of the material. Handling
cause a skip when the operator pulls the goods off the
Finger as the stitch is being formed. Thickness or a
tight corner can cause a skip as the stitch can only
be formed at speed in a consistent smooth manner. A
single skip that is consistently a set distance apart
on the goods shows a disturbance in the flow of the
thread to the machine. Check for proper threading, check
the Thread Guides for burrs, check the Thread Stand,
and check the spool of yarn itself. The thread can wrap
around the Thread Stand and cause extra drag. The Spool
itself can have a consistent bad spot every so many
inches that are due to damage or tension during its
winding process. A skip on the top of the goods versus
the bottom points you to the relationship between the
Needle and the Latch Hook. A skip on top of the goods
means the Latch is not picking off the Needle above
the work, or the Latch is not shedding the loop properly.
A skip on the bottom of the goods means that the Hook
is not catching the thread off the Needle below the
Needle Plate. Adjustment of Hook Setting, (length and
tilt) and adjustment of the Needle Timing in relation
to the Latch Hook should correct this problem. Skipping
can also occur if the Feed Dogs are dull or improperly
set. Poor feeding doesn’t allow the natural chaining
of the stitch to occur, thus changing the timing of
the interaction of the loops. Note that fabric and Stitch
Guards can also cause this poor chaining. On some of
the Crochet Machines the Presser Foot must be in place
in order for the machine to stitch. This again is because
the foot holds the thread in time and location to allow
the interaction of the Hook and Needle. The Supplemental
Thread Carrier on some models also plays a key role,
whether it is carrying a thread or not. The Supplemental
Thread Carrier actually pushes the thread from the Needle
above the Plate back into the Latch Hook; similar to
the way the Presser Foot on some models holds the same
thread to be caught by the Latch Hook. The Moving Cast
Off Horn and the Fixed Cast Off Horn also can cause
a skip if improperly set, they must force the shedding
of the loop down the Latch Hook past the Latch. This
allows the Latch to close around the next loop and interlock
the two loops thus forming a stitch.
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BREAKING
NEEDLES
Check that Needle is set properly.
Check the setting of Needle Guard. Make sure you are
using a suitable size Needle for the style of machine,
and the material you are sewing.
NEEDLE HOLES
Check the size of the Needle. Make
sure you are using the smallest possible for your application.
Use Ball Points if available.
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• West Wareham, MA, USA 02576
Tel: 800.431.6677 • Fax: 508.295.8897
info@merrow.com
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