When knitting hand knitting yarns on my SR 860 I have found that using wax makes all the difference in how well they knit up. Years ago I bought wax holders for my machines. I still have them, but wax for knitting machines is no longer produced, so I decided to make my own.
I bought a mold from a Candle supply store. It is the size to make tea candles. It worked out to be a perfect fit for my wax holders. Then, I bought some canning wax at the grocery store. I used a screwdriver & small hammer to break off pieces of wax & melted it in the microwave using a small Pyrex container. (be careful, wax does have a flash point) When it was completely melted I poured it into the mold & put in a small metal rod for the hole. Then I let it sit over night. The hole wasn't quite big enough for the wax holder so I used a Phillips screwdriver to enlarge it. It has worked out perfectly.
Wax Holder for knitting machine.
I knitted up this scrappie yesterday while the repairman was here. He was fascinated by my knitting machines. & He only charged me $50 to repair the dryer. LOL