Faintly Artistic

Hi everyone, fairly new to the board, hopefully this isn't a repeat question. I have run into several Necchi machines lately at thrift stores. They look sturdy and interesting...How do y'all feel about these machines? I'm not a vintage machine collector and have only owned/sewed on 2 machines (Husqvarna Daisy from Sweden and older Pfaff 1473)...so I'm not looking for a herd , they just keep catching my attention. What should I look for if I decide to purchase? Are they easy to fix up/find parts for? Are they worth anything when working properly?
Thanks!

QuiltMom2

My friend has a vintage Necchi and it's a workhorse! Pieces beautifully and friend gives it a lot of work. The machine belonged to her Mom and she/Mom/sister all took lessons on it when it was purchased new late 50's to early 60's.

Mickey2

The Necchi BU, Nova and Supernova models have a very good reputation. These are all metal geared and will last you a life time. As to how easy they are to fixup yourself is debateable, but they should in general be up and running after a lot of oiling and cleaning (or less if the machine is rather clean). I always expect these old machines to come straight out of long term storage, very dirty and in need of care, but it's not always the case. It has been the case with mine though.

Read the manual, you will get very far with the basic maintanance routine, but as mentioned you might have to go about it very thoroughly. If you like DIY projects, there are help to be found on the web, and you can sort out the more advanced adjustment usually dealt with when it's handed in for a service. I think there's a yahoo group who has the service manual and lots of knowlegeable people there. These are models well worth investing time and money in, including handing it in to a repair shop for a full service.

For the worth, they don't sell for large amounts of money. If it's in a cabinet, in used but good condition, complete with accessories they fetch a bit more. From a different perspecitive, these were once top of the range models; a lot of time and effort were invested to make them work and last a lifetime. You would have to pay much more than the price of a good vintage machine pluss a service to get anything close to the quality of these. They don't even make this quality anymore, the exception are some industrial models. Some where on the web there is a copy of a comprehensive British consumertest made in the very early 60s. I remember two models could not be faulted after all kinds of stitch and stress tests, and it was a Necchi Supernova and a Singer 201.

Prices on used machines vary a lot, it's hard to estimate. You will be lucky to find a complete machine in nice condition and with newly made stitch samples for less than $100, but bargains turn up. I payed around $80 for a Singer 201 in a small table, and it's a straight stitch model. It needed a bit of care to run again. The last two years I have seen these Necchi models go for $70 to $180, and they were sold within a week or two. A very nice one in a cabinet caught my interest but I decided it was too far from me.

leonf

One interesting thing about the Supernova is that there are plugs in the base for a treadle belt. I've thought it would be fun to treadle a machine that has so many capabilities.

Cari-in-Oly

The vintage Necchis are very good machines and here in the states tend to command higher prices than other machines. Mostly, they're worth it. They are built to tight tolerances and most attic fresh machines(or just any that haven't been used for years) tend to be real stiff or frozen up. They're worth the time to unfreeze them. The Yahoo group has a great cleaning/unfreezing tutorial. Some of the later Supernovas have a nylon worm gear in the top that's a bummer because if it breaks there aren't replacements. Some members of the Yahoo group have talked about having it 3D printed but it hasn't been done yet that I know of.They also have a fragile needle clamp assembly that if it's broken, there's no fix for it. The only other model to watch out for is the Lydia. It's famous for having a cracked cam stack. The other models, the BU, BF, BC, Mira, Nora, Nova, Lelia, are great machines. The Supernovas are too if you get one with the metal worm gear.

Cari

Mickey2

So, a job for the vintage marked is to make a good gear replacement available for the later Supernovas. Some machines have replacement gears in both metal and plastic available. Brand new gears need a bit of mileage before they are optimal, espeically if some like to experiment with steel.

OurWorkbench

I have a Supernova that does NOT have the plugs for a treadle Probably just as well as it takes up less room

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

leonf

Thanks Janey, Some, supernovas have that option.

I haven't played with this machine yet.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/members...53-556168.html

Irishrose2

I have a BU from the late 40s that is an excellent machine. When the 301 was in for repairs, it was the only other one in the herd that FMQed easily. It has a knee controller which I rather like. I paid $27 for it in a nice, though simple, cabinet.