Elna Supermatic

This machine is not mine. It is my friend Judy’s. Her mother gave her this machine, and she asked me to check it over for her, and clean and oil it. She’s pretty, isn’t she?

She was a bit ‘fluffy’ inside, but not horrible.

I was surprised to see a nylon gear inside, being that this machine was made in the mid 50’s in Geneva, Switzerland. It is in good shape though!

I had it all apart!

After all that, I tried to sew with it, and was surprised again when the hand wheel would not turn, as I had been turning it by hand the whole time I had been cleaning it. It was GROWLING at me! I called Louie in to help me find the problem and he did.  See the round rubber friction wheel on the motor? See the FLAT spot?

That friction wheel runs along the back side of the hand wheel, and that is what makes everything move, and the needle go up and down. It wasn’t going anywhere with the flat spot. The flat spot got there from sitting for many years. The motor is on a kind of spring thing. It pushes against the back side of the hand wheel. Because it hadn’t moved for years, it formed a permanent flat spot, probably from sitting somewhere that was very warm at times. (My friend Elizabeth came to the rescue, without even realizing it!) See this post.

Thanks to the internet, we were able to purchase a new friction wheel, and this morning, Louie put it on.

I did my test sewing, and now Elna is ready to go back to Judy! She (Judy) is excited! (Elna might be too, to be able to come out of retirement!)