After three - four years of production and millions (our estimate) of yards of yarn wound into balls, we have learned that yarn fibers will tend to go into places that no one originally imagined. Because of this fact, plus other normal wear factors, we have developed a maintenance procedure for users of our ball winders that should be performed on a periodic basis as follows:

Maintenance Schedule

Yarns Shops and other Heavy Duty users*

Every 2 years

 

Medium Duty Users (which fall in between Heavy and Light Duty users)

Every 3 - 4 years

 

Knitters at home and other Light Duty users

Every 5 years 

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*Heavy Duty users wind 10 or more balls per day every day, 50 weeks per year (2,500+ per year)

Medium duty users wind 25+ balls per week

Light Duty users wind 10 - 15 balls per week (500 or

less balls per year)

Spindle O-ring - The rubber O-ring that surrounds the Spindle Flange should be replaced every few years. If a  visual inspection of the o-ring shows that it is cracked, then it should be replaced. Cracking mean that it has become less complaint and it will not flex as much as it should as the conical shaped shaft presses against it. So, we recommend that every 3 years, the user should replace the o-ring. Users in drier environments such as the Southwestern USA may want to change it more often.

Maintenance Areas:

Clean fiber from gears

Lubricate metal and plastic surfaces***

Replace Oring around spindle flange

Adjustment Areas:

Oring Adjustment

Collar adjustment

*** Update 2010 - we have noticed that different lubricants that we have applied (and that others have applied during maintenance) have actually caused some issues. Specifically, some of the lubricants have become STICKY and GUMMY and have caused the unit to slow down.

Therefore, we NOW recommend that the unit be thoroughly cleaned of any lubricant (the gear teeth and all metal shafts that gears and other assemblies rotate around such as the torque tube shaft). We recommend cleaning these areas with RUBBING ALCOHOL as a mild solvent. In the process you will also be cleaning the built up fiber debris from the crevices of the gears. 

The one exception to lubricating surfaces applies to the Torque shaft (this is the rigid shaft that points straight up from the inside of the unit - the conical shaped shaft that the o-ring sits against). The torque tube can squeak when turning around this shaft sometimes, so a light lubricant applied to the metal shaft can prevent that. Use a std lightweight machine oil (3 in 1 type) for this purpose only.

No other areas should be lubricated.

We no longer apply lubricant to the inner surfaces of the unit during assembly. Although initially we believed that the unit ran faster and more easily with lubricants applied (which it did), the long term effects of gummy surfaces outweighed these short term benefits so we now believe that no lubricants on the gears or the shafts that they rotate around should be applied.

General maintenance - In addition to fiber accumulating inside the unit, dryness of the air will, over time, wear any lubricant away that coated metal parts and plastic gear surfaces. So performing periodic maintenance will make the unit run smoother and longer without any issues.

Lubrication - only the metal torque tube and shaft  a can be sparingly lubricated with a standard machine oil. Do not put lubricant anywhere else.

Over time, the plastic gears will wear in slightly. They are made from a nylon compound and are every tough. They will never wear out nor should any wear affect their performance. As they wear in, they should actually run smoother.

The bearings that the shafts ride within are plastic and are made by a leading European bearing manufacturer. They actually ooze dry lubricant out onto the shafts as they wear. This is why they do not need additional lubricant.

Adjustment Areas

The o-ring position and tightness against the conical shaped shaft can change because the constant pulling of yarn off of the shaft can eventually cause the o-ring to change its position. Normally, however, the reason that it changes its position is because it may not have been installed correctly by the user in the first place. No big deal, though, it takes less than a minute to adjust it. Refer to this procedure to adjust the o-ring or watch the video.

This adjustment procedure and video also cover the collar adjustment.

Maintenance Details

What exactly needs to be done?

Although our ball winder is an enclosed mechanism, there are some openings that allow yarn fiber to penetrate. These fibers get inside the unit and find their way between the heavy duty gear teeth. Part of this is due to the static electricity that the fast spinning plastic gear creates combined with the grease that coats the gears. The gears themselves also force these fibers into the gear teeth crevices.

Over time, these fibers build up and start to fill in the gear teeth crevices until such time that there is no more room for the gear teeth to fit into. The result? A tightening of the gear assembly.

What needs to be done?

The user must take the Ball Winder apart and clean these gear teeth out.

This procedure will illustrate how this should be done.

What tools do you need?

• #2 Philips head screwdriver
• 1/8" Allen wrench
• A straight #2 (flat blade) screwdriver
• Optional: 5/16" nut driver and 1/4" nut driver
• Paper towels
• Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol from drug store.
• Small pointed (sharp) tool like an awl or a small screwdriver

How much time will it take?

• Experienced, unafraid person - 30 minutes
• Inexperienced or cautious person - 40-60 minutes

Much of the time depends on the level of debris that must be removed from the gears

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Procedure to disassemble/maintenance the ball winder
Remove the handle with the Allen wrench and flip the unit over (on motorized units, remove the pulley).
Use 1/4" nut driver or straight screwdriver to remove the 4 hex head screws holding the base on.
Gently pull the base away from the main body and place to the side. Wiggle base to free it from main body.
Remove the Yarn Guide Post Arm by turning it back and forth as you pull it off of the shaft. It is a tight fit but it will come off (notice which side is which for later re-assembly).
Free the arm from the shaft and place to the side.
Look at the inside of the main body. Multiple gears and shafts are visible. You will return here shortly.
Use your 5/16" nut driver or straight screwdriver to loosen the 2 s hex head screws holding the clamp ring under the spindle arm.
Lift the spindle arm and spindle off of the unit.
Loosen the set screw in the shaft collar and remove the collar from the shaft. Note: do not lose the white washer, this must be re-installed with collar later.
Pull the torque tube up and off of the torque tube shaft. There is a small spur gear on the bottom. This may be greasy, place it on a paper towel.
Examine the gear teeth. Clean them with rubbing alcohol. Use your sharp tool to clear any debris including old grease from the gear teeth grooves. When re-assembling this, apply a light coat of oil to the shaft UNDERNEATH the torque tube but not yet.
Look in the hole where the torque tube came out of. This is where the fiber gets into the unit. You will clean this later.
Flip unit over and remove the 3 Philips head screws.
The main body will start to separate. You need to gently pull it apart. Keep in mind that gear teeth are meshed inside so do not turn the halves and force them apart. PULL them straight apart instead.
Once apart, you can see the inside guts of the ball winder.
The main spur gear (2-1/2" diameter) is normally the gear that has the fiber and grease trapped in its grooves. This cluster gear can be pulled off of its shaft. Be careful not to lose any white washers that are underneath this gear. These washers MUST go back where they were when re-assembling the unit.
Examine the grooves of the gears and clean them out by poking your sharp tool in the grooves.
You will have to pick out the gunk and fiber with the tool. No need to lube these surfaces. Use rubbing alcohol to clean all gear surfaces during cleaning phase.
Remove any excess grease from wood surfaces. This should not be on newer units made from Qtr 2010 onward.
In the bottom half of the main body, there is a small bevel gear on the main crankshaft. Check this for debris and clean it as best that you can (it cannot be removed).
Turn the shaft with your fingers while the 2 halves are apart. Make sure it turns freely. The crankshaft rides on 2 special bearings inside  the wood. Notice their position. They should not be coming out of the wood. If they are, press them back inside and test the shaft again. If the shaft does not turn freely at this point, contact us.
Reassemble the unit (refer to earlier photos) Put the large gear back on the short shaft in the upper half of the main body (make sure the washers are underneath the large gear). Push the 2 halves of the main  body back together. Insert the 3 Philips head screws and tighten them. The hales of the main body should fit together tightly with no gap between them. Re-attach the Yarn Guide Post arm. Be sure that the large hole/slot in the end is facing up toward the main body (this is where the 8" tall post goes into). Push the arm all the way onto this shaft. Attach the base (position the shaft into the hole in the top of the base while observing the position of the 4 mounting holes). Be sure these are lined up and then insert the 4 hex head screws. Tighten screws. Torque tube - Apply a light coat of oil to the shaft UNDERNEATH the torque tube. Insert the torque tube assembly. There probably was a washer underneath it as well on top of the tube. Make sure these are in position. When mounting the collar on the torque tube shaft, leave a small (1/32") gap between the collar and the tube assembly. The tube must be able to rotate freely. Check the crankshaft for ease and smoothness of turning. If it does not turn easily, you may have to go back inside the unit  to investigate the cause. Otherwise, you are finished. If you still have difficulty turning the crankshaft please contact us.