An after-shot of the rubber tire after a two-bit shave and haircut...
Now the sewing machine runs sooooo much smoother.
This is a lowly straight stitch machine but is still a high quality Swiss made wonder. Bronze bushings in many of the pivot points, built-in motor control, portable case that folds out into a work surface. I'm sure most folks would rather have a Supermatic that does zig zag but this one is also fun to fiddle with.
Now what are these little nerdies doing inside the Elna?
Found in the pan under the right side of the machine.
And finally, for your viewing pleasure, a feature film presentation of the ever-popular Transforma... and for a limited time, free admission. How much better does it get? Ok, so it could be a lot better. But at least it's free.
8 comments:
I just brought one of these machines home and I LOVE it!!! It's my new favorite old machine. I appreciate your video of the machine. I can't seem to get the hand wheel disengaged (as in bobbin-winding), any hints?
Not sure how much you know, but the handwheel has a knob in the center of it. This is the clutch (or coupling) knob, and it needs to be loosened (CCW). Once loose, the handwheel should be free to rotate from the shaft. If the clutch knob is stuck or tight, you'll need to get that freed up.
Could you please explain how to free up a stuck clutch knob in order to run the bobbin winder? I seem to be having the same issue as Cathy where the handwheel turns fine, but I can't free up the the wheel in order to wind bobbins. Do I have to unscrew the entire handwheel or would WD40 be a fix? The machine runs beautifully otherwise.
Thank you.
If the knob is really stuck tight, you may have to go to extreme means to get it unstuck. My first thought would be to wrap the clutch knob with some thin leather and use a pair of slip-joint pliers on the knob (while holding the handwheel stationary) to see if you can get it free. I don't have a lot of experience with a clutch knob being stuck. I don't think I've had to resort to pliers. Best of luck to you.
Pictures are broken.
Yeah, I know. Should be fixed now for this page. A lot of my photos got lost when Blogger.com did some update. It's a fairly involved process to re-locate the old photos and get them re-uploaded to Blogger.com but I'm slowly slogging through the mess to clean up the broken links. Thanks.
Seem fixed now. I inherited one of these machines and it still works like new. Didn't have the flat spot either. It has a precision not seen on anything made today.
I took it apart and oiled it and cleaned the fuzzies and spiders out and it runs better than any other machine I've ever seen.
I know this is old but maybe this will help future transforma/supermatic owners. I got my flywheel off by removing the needle and putting a flat bit driver (the kind you would put in a drill) into the grove of the feed dog cover where the needle goes. This imobilizes the crankshaft, take a plumbers wrench and very carefully (don't let it slip or it may chew the knob up) turn the green knob to the left. Once it is loose unscrew by hand.
Never use WD40 or engine oil on a sewing machine as it will wreck it or at the very least gum it up. WD40 is actually a solvent not a lubricant and can eat away at rubber including the friction drive.
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