Replacing the Sponge on the 350, 390, and LK 150
Shared by Doris at Dorisnit@aol.com

Last week I asked for advice on replacing the sponge in a hobby machine. Thanks to Laura Riley (Laura32702@aol.com), a Brother dealer in Florida I was able to put a new sponge in the machine with no problems. She also advised me on how to clean the machine.

 First I removed the needles and put them in cleaner, then I turned the machine over and removed the metal plates one at a time, marking them with a fine permanent marker with numbers. You will need a Phillips screwdriver for this process. As I removed each piece I also marked the needle bed with the same number so I would be sure to replace it correctly. I then pulled out the old sponge and took each piece to the laundry tub where I washed them with a brush and detergent. Yep, you read that right! I rinsed them and carefully shook them to remove the excess water and stood them on end to drip. A hair dryer would speed up the process
but I let Mother Nature do the job for me. After making sure they were absolutely dry I laid them face down on the table in the order they belonged. I then started putting the sponge through the plastic pieces. I had no
problem feeding it through although I was prepared with a tweezers if necessary. I had previously attached a tab to the end of the sponge using a narrow piece of making tape. This helped to pull it through the guides.
After putting the sponge in place I replaced the metal pieces, turned the machine over and replaced the needles after wiping them off with an oily cloth. The machine looks like new again. It will need some silicone
lubrication when I am ready to use it again but that is a normal process for knitting on a plastic bed.

I will be doing the same thing to a Brother 390 machine that I have just sold. Bet that gal will never get another used machine as clean as this one! I also looked at the LK150 and that sponge could be replaced the same way. In fact these 3 machines are almost identical when placed side by side.

Some more advice! Order the sponge for the 390 no matter which machine you have. The sponge is about 5-6 inches longer, does not cost more and you will be sure not to have any problems installing it.

Thank you Laura from the bottom of my knitting heart!

Doris in southeastern PA