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07-05-2015, 06:19 PM

#1

Sunflowerzz

Super Member

Join Date: Sep 2013

Location: Far Northern California

Posts: 1,020

Time For An Experiment

I was browsing a local thrift on Friday and found a nice little Elna. I made an offer on it and the clerk said she was worried I would bring it back, which I thought was odd but when I told her not to worry because I definitely wouldn't be bringing it back, that I would fix it if it didn't run she offered it to me for less than I originally offered her for it, I think she thought it was completely broken so I got this like new Elna Plana Automatic in a nice nice case for only $20.00.

Of course I had my suspicions and after taking it apart today I was right. Flat spot on pulley which made this girl sound like she was going to fall apart when she was turned on and the foot control pressed. LOL

I will order a new friction pulley, but as I cleaning the machine I had an idea, I know I know.

Sceers hubby too when I say that!

I know nothing about the rubber or material the pulley is made of but what if I heated the flat spot with my heat gun being careful of fumes of course? Would the flat spot heat up and raise back to it's original height? Would I cause the rubber to get too hard and brittle by doing that?

Just wondering if some other mad laboratory scientist wannabe has already tried this, And what were the results? or if anyone knows what kind of memory retention or stress retention of this kind of material is? Sorry I am not sure of the proper terminology. If no one responds I will give it a go and report back in case anyone else is tired of flat spots!!!

We will disengage the new friction pulley by pulling the clutch wheel out about an 8th of an inch since she will be in long rotations of use with the others in the collection and that should keep the flat spots from happening, we hope.

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