wendi3107

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping that those of you with Elna #1 (Grasshopper) knowledge can help me out. Having just acquired one, type 500890 ("48" is stamped on the back under the round cover, built in 1948 perhaps?), but with only vintage Singers (221, 201, 301, 15-91) and Pfaffs (130, 230, 362) by which to compare, I have some questions.

Tension -
No matter how I adjust the tension (top or bottom) the bottom thread more or less lies along the bottom of the material. The tension on the bobbin thread feels tight (compared to my other machines) and is unchanged regardless of how much the bobbin tension adjustment screw is loosened.

I've dialed the top tension (which has been disassembled and cleaned) up to 3, which makes a slight improvement, but does not correct the problem.

Stitch length -
This seems tiny, even when set on 4, but the feed dogs seems to be working properly. Is this normal?

Speed -
The machine didn't come with the reducer accessory, but based on the speed that the machine runs without it, I cannot imagine why I'd want it to go any slower - which made me wonder, is there is something wrong with the motor? It runs quietly, and does not seem to run hot and hasn't produced any smoke - which seem to bode well. :-)

Any assistance and advice would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you!
Wendi & the Grasshopper

Mickey2

It should be up to par with the 201 when it comes to speed, at least with the belt motor setup. It's not particularly fast, but not unreasonably slow. How is the tension dial numbered? When test sewing and working with settings, it's the general routine; two layers of light to medium weight cotton (quilt/shirt weight), sew-it-all type thread weight (don't go for top stitch or very fine right away). Set top tension dial about half way between its' extreemes; then ajust bobbin tension.

Make sure top tension works by threading the machine; when pulling the top thread tension should gradually increase as you turn the dial up. Make sure the machine rease tension when presser bar lever is up, and grips thread when down. This video will give you and idea about speed and stitch length.

Generally regarding stitch length issues; problems is usually connected to oiling and cleaning. If any part involved from stitch length adjuster to feed dogs is slow or frozen it will interfere with feed, speed an stitch length. It can be a case of tentative oiling for a while and moving whatever knows and levers this machine have. Whipe off motor belt and pulleys to remove any oil. Oil all pooints and wham it at full speed for a bit and see what happens.

miriam

Has it been recently serviced? The bottom tension should not be terribly tight but should have some tension. I can adjust that but I can't tell you how to take that all apart and get it back together in working order. It likely could use a good cleaning. This is not an easy project for some one inexperienced. I would recommend taking it for service to someone who has worked on Elna machines. Before you haul it home sew with it long enough to be sure it is working the way you want it to work. Some times my Elna gets full of lint and nothing works right. That usually means the bobbin race has to come out to be thoroughly cleaned, oiled and tested/adjusted. I got my Elna back in 1975 to sew baby clothes. They are good machines if you keep them cleaned, oiled and adjusted and used regularly.

Motor. A lady brought over an Elna because she thought the foot control was bad. I tested it on another machine and it was fine. Looking inside at the motor, what I saw was blue flame shooting out of the motor. Cost wise it was cheaper for her to buy a different machine.

wendi3107

Thank you for the replies :-)

After more testing.... mine runs as fast as the one in the video when nothing is being sewn - when stitching fabric, it won't go any faster than about half speed. The stitch length in the video looks rather short also, but I'm going to do more research to see if I can find how many stitches per inch it should be (at the longest setting, mine does 18 per inch).

The top tension works well - that's the one thing I can say for sure.

The machine hasn't been serviced professionally, but I've cleaned and oiled (w/ Tri-Flow) everything I could get to by removing a few screws. This was just recently, though - it might need more time to loosen up.

I thought about taking the bobbin assembly apart to clean it. There is a good tutorial here - http://www.mckennalinn.com/sewing-ma...er-bobbin.html - but that's a lot of steps, pieces and parts. I've dis- and re-assembled the bobbin assembly on a Singer, but this might not make me qualified for the Elna... I'll give the Tri-Flow a couple more weeks and if no improvement, decide whether I'm going to take it in for service or give it a go myself.

Thanks again - I appreciate all of the advice I can get!

Mickey2

I think the Elna motor can be accessed by removing a cover in the back. The motor axle is, as I'm sure you know, the part sticking out with the pulley where the motor belt is fitted. If you can access greasing points and perhaps do some cleaning of the copper part (the thing that spins around generated by the electricity) it likely will run better. There is a Vintage Elna Yahoo Group with a few very helpful experts. If I found a good service guy willing to take on the job, I would not hesitate.

miriam

I pulled the motor on my Elna. It was the last straw for it. I do have lots of Elna parts...