# Altering p carriage to use on brother machine



## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

I can't find the information one of our knitters shared awhile ago about altering a p-carriage for use on the brother machines. Does anyone know what alterations were made to the p-carriage?


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## sweetpeamo (May 11, 2012)

What is a P-Carriage?


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

KateWood said:


> I can't find the information one of our knitters shared awhile ago about altering a p-carriage for use on the brother machines. Does anyone know what alterations were made to the p-carriage?


Kate, I have found a way to make the P carriage work on my Brother machine but no way will it work on the ribber. In my opinion it's a no no. I think that the best way to achieve pile knitting on a Brother is to use a ruler to do the same job as the P carriage.


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

Its a small basic plastic pile carriage used with the studio/singer knitting machines & ribbers that enable pile knitting (aka volume knitting by brother) with stitch patterns also it's used to knit drive lace or full needle rib lace patterns. 
Basically the p carriage moves a patterns selected Ns to upper working position placing the stitches behind the needles latch with one carriage pass or dropping the sts with 2 passes. Its used on both the ribber and the knitting beds simultaenously. 
These carriages can be altered easily for use on the Brother machines. Here's a pdf with pile and drive lace patterns, enjoy


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## sweetpeamo (May 11, 2012)

Thank you I have been used to Brother machines and have never heard of this carriage I shall download the file and have a look.


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## euvid (Apr 2, 2011)

Kate why not bring that question to Stitches Midwest next week. There will be some very experienced KM teachers and store owners there.


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

Thank-you Sue for checking))
I will ask at stitches Euvid, if I'm not able to make it will you? 
Someone sent me an email with the altered carriages picture last fall and wrote someone in Australia was altering the carriages to work on the brothers. I think the photo showed a real rail had been added to it. I know it was filed down in a couple of places to ride over the Ns right. 
Sue, do you think adding a rear rail would make it work on the ribber? 
Working on one bed is half the challenge, those FNR lace patterns are pretty and the metal piece that is added on the carriage for the pile knitting is needed on the main bed so that's a plus. It might still be worth it.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

It will work on the 970 other than in the center where there is a flat piece of metal which it will not ride over. The center section you could do by hand. I haven't looked at my other Brother machines [they are packed away] but I don't think that they have the center piece. The ribber is another matter, I cant see it working on that. 
All it does on the Knitmaster/Silver Reed/Singer ribbers is that it puts the needles into the position where the stitch is out of the needle hook, behind the latch. I think that it does this to make the stitches knit easier because they have a lot of yarn on them. These needles could be pushed into that position with a ruler quite easily, although you would need to do this on every row. When I have the time I will have a play and see what I can come up with.


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## janda (Mar 16, 2011)

I have both and did send the information - can send a picture of the alaterations if you like!


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

janda said:


> I have both and did send the information - can send a picture of the alaterations if you like!


If you could put the picture and information on here I would be very grateful.


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

janda said:


> I have both and did send the information - can send a picture of the alaterations if you like!


Hi Janda, thank-you so much for your quick reply. I don't know what happened to the email you sent. I really appreciate your sending it again also,

Kate


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## janda (Mar 16, 2011)

Photos of Brother carriage - bar added to the top and side view showing what was cut out


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## KateWood (Apr 30, 2011)

Thank-you very much Janda, I remembered the rear rail right


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

Thanks Janda, just need a spare P carriage now.


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## Janewd (Feb 4, 2013)

Been searching for something like this for ages! What did you use for the additional rear rail please???


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## aussieHC (Oct 21, 2013)

susieknitter said:


> Thanks Janda, just need a spare P carriage now.


You could search google for someone who offers a 3D printing service if you can't pick up a P carriage for sale on any of the on-line sites. I don't know what they would charge to make one, but 3D printers are not all that expensive, so I wouldn't think the service would be that expensive. In fact, they may be able to make it to the correct specifications for your Brother machine.

I have always loved the pile knitting and drive lace features on my Silver Reed machines. Thanks for this info - I'll file it incase I ever want to use one of my Brothers to do these stitches instead of my Silver Reed. :thumbup:


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## Janewd (Feb 4, 2013)

Have managed to modify my P carriage so it is still useable on both my Brother and Knitmaster machines. I shaved down the back rail outside edge so it slides between the screws and rail on the Brother machine, and then rounded the corners so it rode up and over that metal plate in the middle. If you hold the P carriage forwards towards you and carefully go over, it works well enough, but as I have a spare P carriage I modified it further when I realised that the front edge of it is in line with the front edge of the needlebed. A small piece of cut off credit card superglued to the centre front just keeps it from sliding back. I can snip this off when I want to use it on the Knitmaster, and the back rail modification makes no difference to its operation on the Knitmaster.


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## susieknitter (Jul 14, 2011)

Perhaps this will be of interest. Disregard it being done on a Brother KH970........


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## Janewd (Feb 4, 2013)

Interesting, thanks for that! Solves all the problems.


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