Dubied Knitting Machine

8/4/2012

Here are some photos of my 8 Gauge Dubied model MM from the 1930's. The pictures don't really do it justice. Somehow they impart a worn quality, whereas in person it has a charming patina and character to it. Notice the wooden handles. I picked up this machine through a newspaper ad a little over 2 years ago hardly knowing what it was. I brought it home and appealed to my father to help me bath it in gasoline, eliminate rust and oil it back to a happy serviced state.
Once we had it serviced, I began to muddle through the disintegrating Italian manual. Its home knitting machine cousin might be the Passap Duomatic or perhaps the Superba. Both share the V-bed and dual carriage. This machine however knits a very fine gauge and because of the high grade tooling of all the parts it sort of glides back and forth in a very satisfying way. You can use quite a wide range of yarns from a sport weight all the way down to a very fine lace weight. You can make tubes, you can make socks, patterns and just...all sorts of wonderful, fantastic knitting.

I am using my machine to develop knit yardage for winter in bold stripes. The fineness of the stitch imparts a retro 40/50's feel to the knitted goods. Soon another machine in a finer gauge called a "Santagostino" will be coming from England so I can continue my explorations. For now I will work on my Dubied.

Here is a great resource for understanding the history of semi-industrial hand flat and industrial knitting machines:
http://www.german-hosiery-museum.de/technik/technik.htm
It really helps you understand just how varied and complex knitting machines are and how long they have been around for. Whole economies and industries have been built around the drive to develop something as simple as a woolen sock. Enjoy.

19 Comments

Amy Lawrence Knitted Designs

8/14/2012 04:08:19 am

Hey, thanks for helping me with the yarn hunt! Really enjoyed reading this post, love finding people who have a machine like mine! This one is beautiful. I have a 10 gauge Santagostino, will be interested to see what you think of it. I love it! x

anna

8/14/2012 06:00:02 am

Thanks.
I'm excited about the little things...like the 4 thread colour changing capability and a longer bed. My Dubied has a 2 thread changer and a few other limitations that made a more modern machine, errr, necessary....

Gianni

5/23/2014 11:00:36 pm

Thanks a lot Anna for your posts. They are very interesting and usefull. Do you know the right model reference of the knitting machine on the pictures? I'm have been gifted with the same knitting machine some weeks ago and I need to understand the right machine model reference in ordr to try to find the knitting manual that is missing. On the right side of the gauge there is an inscription: MR 80cm J 32.
What do you think?
Thanks in advance

5/23/2014 11:46:15 pm

Hi Gianni,
I am glad these posts are useful to you:)
My model is the MM. I bought the manual here:
http://sewingonline.co.uk/knitting-machine-manuals.html
My manual is not especially helpful. I think the MM manual mentions the MR model as a new variation of the MM.

The inscription reads as follows: model #, needle bed length and gauge. In your case that would mean model # MR, an 80cm long bed and metric gauge 32.

These days the standard gauge measure is "english gauge" which indicates the number of needles to the inch. Depending on the age of machine the inscribed gauge is either english or metric. I interpret yours as metric. So metric gauge 32 converts to gauge 8 or 8 needles to the inch. This is a nice gauge to work with.

The yarn count according to my fancy little yarn and gauge chart says yarns 2/16, 3/25. 2/20, and 2/25nm are ideal for gauge 8.

To work on a machine like this you need a cast on comb, weights, and tension masts at the very least. I hope you have some of these.

7/22/2014 08:52:56 am

Dear Anna,
thanks for your message and sorry just now saying something.
I've been researching a lot about my Dubied MR and seems to be equal to the MM but with eccentric aids that help in performing Pearl knit and rib 1/1. I have some material for knitting since the machine was used several years before being offered to me. I'm trying to understand if it is possible to acquire the "super 8" (Autocam) and also would like to understand better what is a Dubied MUT type and CUF type.
I've been searching to understand if there is any publication or website that describes the evolution of this type of machines but found nothing, which seems strange considering the importance of these machines over time.
If interested, I can send you a 94-page manual. The manual is in Portuguese language.
From your perspective, what are the differences between Dibied, Coppo and Santagostino machines?

Thanks for your posts that are really interesting.

Best regards,
Gianni

7/23/2014 12:05:14 am

Hi Gianni,
In answer to your questions:
I do have the MM manual but would welcome any additional info.
My email: zygowski.pirate@gmail.com

The super 8 is specifically for MM or MR model machines. The autocam is specifically for later models like the N series Dubied machines. There is an evolution in technology and models that occured requiring different aids and accessories. The MM can also do rib and pearl. The Super 8 automates some patterning.
As far as I know the super 8 is not available. The autocam is hard to source but I have one for my N series Dubied. Installation is very tricky and requires a talented mechanic.

MUT and CUF and JET, etc. are more advanced machines which can do jacquard patterns with the aid of pattern wheels, cardboard punch cards and rotating drums. These are more factory models than cottage industry models.Information I have on these are in magazines from the period which were published by Dubied, Santagostino, or other companies connected to the knitwear industry.

I dont think a lack of information on the internet is strange. The myth of the internet is that the ideal of democratic knowledge access is a reality. It is not. Much of the 'real' knowledge storage still occurs in important museums and research facilities all over the world.

The differences between Coppo, Santagostino and Dubied are too many to list here. Because there are so many models and variations, etc. Dubied is a very good make and parts are always available. Santagostino is very user friendly and great for maintanance because of the way the bed and carriage was designed.

I hope that helps.

7/23/2014 09:04:38 am

Thanks Anna

ian link

1/24/2015 07:30:51 pm

Dear Anna,

Very interesting to read your blog !

here is a strange situation I find myself in - and maybe you can help . .

For maybe 15 years we have produced a small kind of high profile collection, called ROHKA, and years ago one of the products we developed was seamless knits which were done on 1950s dubbed hand machines in the Shetland Isles - off the North Coast of Scotland. ( I am Scottish, but live in Italy ) The Island where the knit producer is based is small, and like all the Islands, barely populated. We have produced over the years around 150 pieces a season of knitwear, made even more appealing by the fact that the water is so pure there, the touch of the final pieces is unbelievable. About a year ago the French Oil company Total arrived - and now there are something like 2000 men housed in barges in the harbour, and due to the lack of people, everyone has left knitting to go much easier and much better paid jobs, cleaning, catering etc.. as a result the part of the company done by out workers has totally disappeared - and in fact the owner has been flying people in from the mainland and paying them ridiculously high wages just to maintain his in house production.

As a result our source has dried up totally, but our clients are begging for us to continue !

So... about a month ago I discovered someone selling a DUBIED machine of the same gauge and from the same period near Milan. It was a lady that had done made to measure garments all her life, but wanted to retire - so I got a perfect machine for something like $200 !

Now .. I want to learn how to use this machine, and be in the position to teach someone how to produce here in Italy ... but how can I learn ?

Do you know of any sort of tutorials / instructions on line ??

Thanks so much !!!!

IAN

1/24/2015 10:24:18 pm

hi ian,
there is not alot online.
but here are a few resources for you:)

http://knitdesigncourses.com/downloads/teach-yourself-industrial-v-bed/

http://imp.uwe.ac.uk/imp_public/downloadFile.asp?URN=4306&furn=6831&io=True&entryPID=10.

on my page "knitting wiki" there is a download
it had all sorts of textures and basic patterns in it as well as how to set them up

in my shop is the basic pdf manual for a dubied NHF4 it has sections on how to calculate the dimensions and technical information on casting on, swatching and creating patterns on the machine

hope that helps!

Werner Schaub

7/5/2016 01:48:33 pm

Can give you information of the DUBIED M FAMILY early 1890 - 1958

Gerrie Currie link

9/27/2021 07:25:24 pm

I have a 12 gage dubbed dl2
Suddenly it stopped knitting on the front bed the back bed is okay the cards are fine I don’t understand what could be wrong it’s been running fine for 28 years I am confused

anna zygowski

2/9/2023 06:29:55 am

Sorry but I do not offer technical problem solving.

POLLET-VILLARD ANDRE link

12/27/2016 04:46:44 am

bonjour,
je ne suis pas sûr de m'adresser à la bonne adresse?
Cela dit ,pouvez-vous m'aider à trouver un document technique concernant la machine à tricoter PHILDAR réf: D120.
En effet des pièces son tombées et je ne suis pas sûr de pouvoir les remettre à la bonne place...
D'avance merci pour votre réponse.
Meilleures salutations,
André POLLET-VILLARD

Ekaterina

11/22/2017 11:18:49 am

Hello. I have a very similar knitting machine, which I am trying to recover. Could you please tell, which needles you use for your Dubied?
Thank you

ron tilson link

8/3/2020 01:56:13 am

hello.
your blog reminds me of my 58 years working on flat knitting machines (dubied & stoll) here in nottingham.
i once worked for a knitwear firm in nottingham's lace
market area and remember storing in a basement room
about 40 dubied hand flat knitting machines types;
NHF4,NHF2 in gauges 5n,21/2n,3n and 10n.they where
all in excellent working order.
i was recently in the lace market and the factory i once
worked in was in the process of demolition and there thrown
in three skips were said knitting machines.they had been in
storage for about 25 years.
sad really but happy days.
regards, ron tilson.3/8/20

Orchidea

8/24/2020 06:21:38 am

Hello there. My mom lives in Ottawa, Canada and would like to sell her manual Dubied knitting machine. It was purchased in Italy and brought to Canada in the 50s. Can you advise how to sell it? Thank you in advance.

Bruna Curtosi

1/13/2021 02:51:47 am

Hello, to the person in Ottawa
Does your mom still have her Dubied knitting Machine?
I live in Toronto, ON Canada and I have been looking for one
Let me know if it's still available

Barbara

2/8/2023 10:39:56 pm

Hi, so happy to have found your blog! I would like to buy a dubied 8. Here in Northern Italy I have found several but none have a user manual and this scares me because they are old machines and I think they have everything in a different way than my passap...But I see that on the internet you can find some manuals in English for Dubied, while you can't find anything for Coppo and Sant'Agostino... Which model do you think is best for an 8 gauge? Thank you!

2/9/2023 06:28:42 am

I have sold my machines and just keep this blog up for educational purposes. I have transitioned to shoemaking. As you can see this particular post is 13 years old. Thanks.

Dubied Knitting Machine

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