troubleshooting
Punch needle troubleshooting
When loops fall out, first check free yarn flow, full insertion depth and firm fabric tension. Use the symptom below to find the next adjustment.
Loops fall out
- Pull a loose length from the yarn ball. Remove knots and check that the strand is not trapped under your arm or frame.
- Insert the tool to its working stop. Lift only until the point skims the cloth; lifting high draws the previous loop out.
- Retighten the foundation. If loops still fail to hold, compare fibre, needle bore and cloth openings.
Uneven loop heights
- Keep the same insertion depth on every punch.
- Check the loop setting and any adjustable locking screw.
- Tighten the cloth and remove drag from the yarn feed. Inspect the front after a short line rather than filling a whole area first.
Fabric holes or tearing
- Stop punching over the damaged section. Check for a bent or rough point.
- Check that the tool and cloth are intended for each other. A wide yarn tool can damage a close embroidery weave.
- Move to spare foundation and try the corrected pairing before repairing the design.
Cloth shows through
- Check the front after several rows. Move the next row closer if the colour field has bare gaps.
- Keep the tool opening facing your travel direction and work along the shape boundary.
- Separate displaced loops with a blunt tool before adding more stitches into an already crowded area.
Edges curl or pucker
- Look for overpacked loops and foundation that was stretched unevenly.
- Keep warp and weft square when remounting; do not pull just one edge to flatten the design.
- On a spare patch, try wider row spacing. Finish the unpunched edge without pulling its gathering thread too tightly.
Letters look backward
- Identify whether the flat working side or looped side is the finished front.
- Use a mirrored transfer when punching from the back for a looped front.
- Keep a front-view paper copy beside the frame and check the name before filling its background.