Tufting Machine Maintenance Checklist

A few minutes of care after you tuft will do more for your machine than any major repair later. Use this checklist for the AK-V, AK-1N Duo and AK-1H.

For which oil to use, how much, and how often, follow how to oil your tufting machine. This page does not repeat that recipe.

Always unplug the machine before you clean, oil or inspect it.

After every session

Unplug the gun and let it come to rest.
Brush off yarn and dust. Pay attention to the needle, the scissors, the white sliders and, on the AK-1N Duo and AK-1H, the area around the sensor. A small paintbrush, a vacuum or a gentle puff of compressed air will reach the tight spots. Do not blow debris towards the motor or the electrics.
Check the metal rods. If they look or feel dry, oil them now, following the oiling guide. A few drops on the rods and in the holes of the white sliders is enough. Do not flood the machine, and do not oil the motor, gears or electronics.
Look for loose screws, bent scissors, or yarn packed into the scissor channel. Tighten or clean what you can; stop if something looks damaged.
Coil the cable loosely when you put the machine away.

During longer sessions

Oil the rods every two hours of use, following the oiling guide.
If the machine starts beeping, stop and work through that article rather than pushing through.

When something is worn

What you notice	What to do
Yarn is not cutting cleanly, or the scissors look dull	Diagnose first: why your tufting machine is not cutting yarn. Replace the scissors on the AK-V, or on the AK-1N Duo or AK-1H, if they are worn.
Yarn falls out of the needle, or will not feed	Adjust the needle hole.
The machine feels rough, hot or unusually loud	Unplug, clean, and oil as above. If it continues, contact us.

A well-kept machine should feel smooth and sound even. If it does not, and this checklist has not helped, send us a short video rather than taking the motor or gears apart.

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