Tech Support

It looks like your machine is cutting the cloth, or tufting little bits of it into your rug. You can always pull these strands out before you glue, but that doesn’t solve the underlying issue! 

There are two main reasons this might be happening:

• This could be a pressure issue. If the machine is not pressed firmly enough against the cloth, the scissors will catch the cloth as they come out and cut it. Same goes for the yarn bulging out on the back - if you aren’t pressing hard enough, the yarn will build up on the back . Read our quick start guide for tips on tufting

• If pressure is not your issue, then it’s probably this common minor foot adjustment! The foot and the needle work together and need to be lined up correctly. This article on pile height adjustment includes a video on how to adjust the needle to achieve this correct alignment

To set the foot/needle relationship: 

•  Rotate the needle to the front most position. The hole of the needle should not be in front of the foot.
• Raise the foot slightly so the hole is even with or behind the foot. Make a small adjustment, and then do a test. Continue to make small adjustments until it looks right.
  
  *Better quality cloth will help to a point, but if this relationship is off it will shred the cloth

   

  

If your yarn won’t “stick” in the tufting cloth, try following these tips: 

• Push your machine harder and hold it in position more consistently against the tufting cloth. The foot of the machine should stay in direct contact with the cloth at all times while tufting.
• Make sure you’re tufting with enough yarn; if not, your piles won’t be adequately dense, and yarn might slip out of the tufting cloth (or machine). As a general rule, we recommend threading your machine with two strands of either Reflect Wool or Eco-cotton simultaneously. If you’re tufting with a thinner yarn, like Reflect Recycled Wool or Banana Silk, you’ll need to bulk up these yarns or combine them with more substantial fibers. Learn more about yarn quantities and combinations here. 
• Make sure you’re tufting in the right direction. The important thing to remember is that the machine can only move in the direction the curve of the foot is facing. 
  • For example: if the tufted line starts on the left side of the frame, the machine will need to be rotated horizontally with the curve of the foot heading to the right of the frame. If you want to continue the line heading towards the left, you will need to stop the machine, rotate it so the curve of the foot faces left, and start the machine again heading in that direction. Check out this video for a basic tufting demonstration.
• Check that the cloth you’re using is appropriate for tufting. The specific size and sharpness of a tufting machine needle requires tufting into specifically designed fabrics, like the Primary Tufting Cloth we sell. Lower-quality tufting cloth, like monk’s cloth, does not have enough stretch or a high enough weft count to accommodate the tufting machine needle. This causes the machine to poke holes that are too large, causing the yarn to fall out, or the fabric will just tear. Until you’ve established a good tufting technique, it is worth it to use a durable fabric made to be tufted on.  
• Confirm that your tufting cloth is stretched tightly enough across the tufting frame. The cloth should be very taut (think: the way you’d stretch a canvas) to accommodate the pressure of the tufting machine. It is normal for the edges of your tufting cloth to separate a little bit. Remember, you can adjust the cloth throughout the tufting process, just make sure to keep a two inch border from the frames edge. Learn more about how to attach cloth to your tufting frame here. 

In order to tuft properly, all parts of your machine must be synchronized so that the needle and nozzle push the cloth open to create a tuft. Even a few millimeters of maladjustment can cause the machine to fall out of sync, creating problems. 

If your machine is out of sync, it’s probably because a pile-height adjustment was made incorrectly. Luckily tufting machines are durable, and can often be fixed simply by reestablishing the factory settings of the upper and lower machine bars. 

Factory settings for Duo machine: 

• Upper-machine bar between the two nuts: 52mm
• Lower-machine bar between the two nuts: 43mm

The factory setting should not be moved on the Duo. For step-by-step guidance on how to adjust the pile height on your Duo, check out the video collection that came with your machine. 

Factory settings for AK-I Cut-pile Machine: 

• Upper-machine bar between the two nuts: 55mm
• Lower-machine bar between the two nuts: 45mm

The factory setting is also the tallest pile height on the AK-I. For step-by-step guidance on how to adjust the pile height on your AK-I, check out this article and video. 

Factory settings for AK-II Loop-pile Machine: 

• Upper-machine bar between the two nuts: 54mm
• Lower-machine bar between the two nuts: 53mm

The factory setting is also the shortest pile height on the AK-II. For step-by-step guidance on how to adjust the pile height on your AK-II, check out this article and video. 

To change the pile height on your KRD-I, you’ll need to either extend or shorten the machine’s upper machine bar. Find step-by-step instructions here. 

Your machine might squeal for one of the following reasons: 

Needs Oil: Tufting machines require regular oiling to function properly. We recommend using sewing machine oil (best option), 3-in-1 multipurpose oil, or another lubricating oil at least monthly. Learn more on how and where to oil your machine here. 

Yarn Jam: If there's yarn stuck in the gear of your machine, or if the square bearings that control the tufting action are stuck, contact support@tufttheworld.com for troubleshooting assistance, or to send your machine in for repair. 

Electrical Issue: If yarn isn’t visibly stuck in the white (AK-I and II) or pink (DUO) gear or square bearings of your machine, the issue is most likely electrical. Email us support@tufttheworld.com for troubleshooting assistance, or to send your machine in for repair. 

The scissors on your AK-I, or DUO machine might not be adequately cutting for one of the following reasons: 

1. The yarn you're using is too soft, so the fibers are bending against the scissor blade instead of severing. Tufting machines work best with coarser yarns, especially wool. Read more about ideal tufting yarns here. 

2. Fibers might’ve built up in the scissor channel of your machine. Be sure to brush our shed fibers from all parts of your machine as part of regular maintenance. 

3. The machine has been adjusted incorrectly or over-extended during a pile-height change, causing the scissors to malfunction.

• To test this, make sure the machine is turned off, then rotate the white gear by hand until it completes a 360 degree rotation. You should see the scissors come out of the needle end, create a scissor action, then retreat back into the machine. 
• You’ll also want to check the location of the bolt that’s attached to the white gear, which might have fallen out of adjustment (especially if the pile height is set to be too tall). The bolt should be securely fashioned at the center-most point of the gear (see image below). 
• If you're not sure how to correctly adjust the pile-height on your machine, or want to return your machine to its factory settings, check out our tutorials here by machine type: AK-I Cut-Pile, AK-II Loop-Pile, and KRD-I Cut-and-Loop-Pile. 

4. The scissor action is a mechanical process, meaning when the open scissors are moving back and forth, they hit a metal piece at the front of the machine, the scissor-closer, which causes them to close (see video below). If the scissors appear stuck or jammed, it means that the scissor-closer might need a micro-adjustment to push the scissor blades together. 

• AK-I users, refer to step 4 in the pile-height adjustment article to change the position of your scissor-closer. 
• KRD-I users, refer to step 6 in the pile-height adjustment article to change the position of your scissor-closer. 

5. Your scissors are dull and need to be replaced; this happens over time, especially if you tuft often and with fibers other than wool. Contact support@tufttheworld.com to request a replacement scissor piece, and we will e-mail you an invoice to set up your order.

6. The foot of your machine was not micro-adjusted correctly, thus preventing the scissors from performing the cut-action at the right point of contact while tufting. Revisit step 3 of the AK-I pile-height adjustment article for more information. 

If these changes still don’t solve the issue, contact us at support@tufttheworld.com. 

The most basic element of machine maintenance is regularly oiling your tufting machine, regardless of the model. You should oil your machine each time you use it. We recommend using sewing machine oil (best option), 3-in-1 multipurpose oil, or another lubricating oil. 

To oil your low-pile machine (AK-I, AK-II, all DUOs, KRD): 

As a general rule, apply oil to every part of your low-pile machine that moves. On the AK-I, AK-II, all DUO machines and KRD-I machines, apply a few drops of oil to the metal bars in front of and behind the white square bearings, and to the rotating bearings at the ends of the upper and lower machine bars. Turn the machine on to evenly distribute the oil, adding additional drops as needed until the machine runs smoothly. You can’t over-oil, so don’t be shy. 

To oil your high-pile machine (AK-III): 

High-pile machines need to be oiled more frequently than low-pile machines because they run at higher speeds. We recommend oiling your high-pile machine every few weeks. 

As a general rule, apply oil to every part of the AK-III that moves. Focus on the metal bars in front of and behind the white square bearings, and the blade near the needle. Turn the machine on to evenly distribute the oil, adding additional drops as needed until the machine runs smoothly. You can’t over-oil, so don’t be shy.