Tension Mast Modifications

A tension mast is a crucial accessory for domestic and industrial knitting machines that controls the delivery of yarn to the carriage. By providing consistent resistance, it ensures uniform stitch sizes, prevents loops at the edge of the fabric, and prevents the carriage from dropping stitches.

Modifying or upgrading a tension mast allows machine knitters to handle challenging yarns (such as highly elastic, heavy, conductive, or wire yarns) and improve overall fabric consistency.

Functions of the Tension Mast

The standard tension mast performs three critical actions:

• Yarn Guide Eyelets: Direct the yarn from the cone up through the mast.
• Tension Discs: Apply adjustable pressure on the yarn via a spring-loaded dial to control drag.
• Take-up Springs (Antennae): Flexible wire arms that flex to pull up slack yarn when the carriage reverses direction at the end of a row.

Common Modifications & Upgrades

1. Low-Friction Eyelet Replacements

• Ceramic or Glass Guides: Standard plastic or metal guides can develop grooves over time, causing yarn snagging. Replacing them with ceramic guides reduces friction and prevents static build-up, which is particularly useful when knitting conductive thread or synthetics.

2. Multi-Yarn Masts

• Adding secondary tension discs or extra guide loops to allow three or more yarns to feed simultaneously. This is essential for multicolor fair-isle, jacquard, or complex plating techniques where multiple feeds are required.

3. Custom Take-Up Springs

• Heavy-Duty Springs: Useful for thick or heavy yarns that do not bend standard springs easily.
• Super-Fine Springs: Delicate wire springs that flex under minimal pressure, preventing fine, fragile yarns (such as single-ply lace weight or silk) from snapping.

4. Waxing attachments

• Adding a dedicated paraffin wax ring holder onto the yarn guide path. Waxing dry or stiff yarns reduces friction as they pass through the tension discs and the carriage sinker plate.