Please LOGIN or Join PatternReview

Go to Page: 1 of 22 of 2

Elna Supermatic flywheel only moves manually Don't know why...please help.
Aprilrose76 Member since 7/31/12 Posts: 6	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/20/12 1:58 PM Hi All, this is my first post here. I've got a beige Elna Supermatic that I'm ready to throw on the ground. When I first got it, I knew the friction pulley needed to be replaced. So I've done that and the machine has been cleaned and oiled and made all pretty again. My problem now is that the flywheel will not engage with the pulley. I think. The flywheel moves the needle just fine manually, but when I plug it in and press the knee bar, nothing is happening. When I take the flywheel off and press the knee bar, the shaft where the flywheel goes doesn't move. Any ideas? It's driving me nuts, and this is my backup machine. I'm waiting on a new to me Bernina 530 and it can't get here soon enough! Thanks in advance for whatever advice you can give me! April in TX
DreinPA   Intermediate PA USA Member since 4/5/06 Posts: 250	Login to reply to this post In reply to Aprilrose76 << Like this post Date: 8/20/12 5:31 PM I know nothing of Elnas but it hints at an electrical problem. Check all plugs and wiggle connections to see if something is crimped. ------ Don't confuse accessibility with ease; just because anybody can pick up a needle and thread doesn't mean sewing quality garments is easy.
RipStitcher Intermediate Member since 5/28/12 Posts: 1401	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/20/12 5:35 PM So stupid question, here.... I remember (circa 1970) that my mom's machine's knee mechanism would be used to start/control speed/stop the needle. When, in time, did the use of the knee gizmo evolve into being used to lift the presser foot? (40 year gap there in my head! lol) ------ nightowlsally.com On my radar someday: Babylock Serger, and some machine for travel. My dearest wish is to have Bernina come out with a machine that doesn't give me a reason to *not* buy it. 2012: New Elna Lotus (mostly for granddaughter), Red Elna Press, Horizon 7700, Gidget 2 Table, Babylock Ellisimo Gold 1970's: Elna SU62 & ElnaPress
Aprilrose76 Member since 7/31/12 Posts: 6	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/20/12 6:01 PM I'll check the connections. I know I cleaned some residue out of the plug well but the actual cord looks good. I'll go look over it again. After my children go to bed I'll try easing the motor out of the machine and see if there is anything on it at all.
dscheidt Member since 6/8/09 Posts: 250	Login to reply to this post In reply to RipStitcher << Like this post Date: 8/20/12 7:06 PM Quote: RipStitcher So stupid question, here.... I remember (circa 1970) that my mom's machine's knee mechanism would be used to start/control speed/stop the needle. When, in time, did the use of the knee gizmo evolve into being used to lift the presser foot? (40 year gap there in my head! lol) there were treadle powered machines with a knee lift, which predate the use of power to run the machine. So it's the knee lift that, for a brief period, was misappropriated for running the machine.
dscheidt Member since 6/8/09 Posts: 250	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/20/12 7:09 PM I'm confused by your post. By flywheel, you mean the wheel that's directly connected to the shafts that move the needle? Or do you mean some thing attached to the motor? How is the motor connected to the machine? A belt? A little rubber wheel? direct drive? Does the machine make the right whiring noise when you press the not-pedal? Or is it dead silent? Make some strange noise?
Aprilrose76 Member since 7/31/12 Posts: 6	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/20/12 7:37 PM Yes, by flywheel, I mean the wheel that drives the needlebar mechanism. There is a friction pulley that is connected to the motor that rests against the flywheel and turns it which in turn, moves the needlebar. I had to replace the friction pulley, so that part is brand new. But this was happening before I replaced that part. The motor sounds great, better since I replaced the rubber pulley part. There is a belt in there also, but it's in really great shape also.
Vireya Intermediate AUSTRALIA Member since 12/10/05 Posts: 782	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/21/12 10:48 PM There's a Yahoo Elna group that has some very knowledgeable people on it - people who pull the machines apart and fix the innards regularly. The group is called "Elna Heirloom Sewing Machines". You might want to join that to get some in-depth help. Just reading the archives of the group you may find the answer to your problem.
Jennifer Hill Advanced AB CANADA Member since 4/11/02 Posts: 1478	Login to reply to this post In reply to RipStitcher << Like this post Date: 8/22/12 0:18 AM Quote: RipStitcher ...I remember (circa 1970) that my mom's machine's knee mechanism would be used to start/control speed/stop the needle....When, in time, did the use of the knee gizmo evolve into being used to lift the presser foot? Two totally different mechanisms here. Knee operated controllers on portable machines were one way to prevent a foot controller from getting lost, or from skidding across the floor when one was trying to sew. In cabinet mounted machines, often a foot control was inserted into a bracket in the cabinetry, and a knee operated lever acted on the controller buttons or pedal. With the controller part of the cabinet, it was one less thing on the floor to worry about when moving the cabinet, or cleaning underneath it. I think all makers have been using foot controllers for at least the past 40 yrs. Knee operated presser foot lifters have been common on most industrial machines since the late 19th century. In industrial sewing, speed=money, and time/money can be saved by having a hands-free method to raise the foot and reposition the work. It was a concept slow to be adapted to home sewing, where speed is seldom a concern. Lots of features were common in industrial sewing decades before they appeared on home machines - reverse, zig-zag, buttonholes, serging....I think Bernina was the first to introduce knee lifts, maybe in the 1960s or 1970s on their TOL models. Other makers were very slow to embrace the idea, and some still might not offer it. Jennifer in Calgary
NhiHuynh   Advanced CA USA Member since 1/4/11 Posts: 593	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/22/12 2:37 AM I second Vireya's suggestion of the Elna Heirloom Yahoo group. I have 3 old Elnas and they've been able to help with several problems.

Go to Page: 1 of 22 of 2

Please LOGIN or Join PatternReview

Printable Version

* Advertising and soliciting is strictly prohibited on PatternReview.com. If you find a post which is not in agreement with our Terms and Conditions, please click on the Report Post button to report it.