1954 Elna SuperMatic
09-16-2015, 06:48 PM
#11
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Washington
Posts: 4,001
Originally Posted by Lew Schiller
Thanks Donna!
I ordered one today from sewingpartsonline. I looked at Sew-Classic yesterday but didn't see the proper tapered pulley. Meanwhile I used a file to turn down the existing pulley per the excellent post from 2012 by Candace. Now I can at least run it. That worked well but I'm not sure it will provide the "grab" that a new one will and hence the ability to work with thicker material.
Following the video Miriam steered me to I was able to take out the bobbin carrier so that's now clean. When I hit it with the air can it was like standing in a field of Dandelions that have gone to seed.
Oiled her up in all the right places...she now runs nice and as quiet as she ever did. Tomorrow I take the time to learn the bobbin wind and both thread paths.
This has been fun....I should get out that 31-15 I have in the garage from a while back and finish it....... Oh Oh....it's happening isn't it?
I ordered one today from sewingpartsonline. I looked at Sew-Classic yesterday but didn't see the proper tapered pulley. Meanwhile I used a file to turn down the existing pulley per the excellent post from 2012 by Candace. Now I can at least run it. That worked well but I'm not sure it will provide the "grab" that a new one will and hence the ability to work with thicker material.
Following the video Miriam steered me to I was able to take out the bobbin carrier so that's now clean. When I hit it with the air can it was like standing in a field of Dandelions that have gone to seed.
Oiled her up in all the right places...she now runs nice and as quiet as she ever did. Tomorrow I take the time to learn the bobbin wind and both thread paths.
This has been fun....I should get out that 31-15 I have in the garage from a while back and finish it....... Oh Oh....it's happening isn't it?
09-21-2015, 07:06 AM
#12
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,963
Less than a week ago I bought a Supermatic too. Mine is beige, a few years later than yours. It's probably identical to yours in everyway, except mine has a press-on and release type of button in the cam slot. Yours likely have a wrench type lifter tool. You need the cam to zigzag and any other stitch than straight.
So far I'm working on the tension. It threads intuitively, but it's always good idea to look at the thread guide. One thing to remember with the bobbins is you have to use Elna bobbins, with seven holes on top. They have slightly curved sides. They have to go in the correct way, with the thread winding sort of anti-clock wise. Thread has to unwind the opposite way it goes in the tensioner. Some blogs on the web tell you class 15 bobbin will work, but it doesn't in mine.
The zigzag is not perfect on mine, at least with thinner fabrics. How is yours stitching?
So far I'm working on the tension. It threads intuitively, but it's always good idea to look at the thread guide. One thing to remember with the bobbins is you have to use Elna bobbins, with seven holes on top. They have slightly curved sides. They have to go in the correct way, with the thread winding sort of anti-clock wise. Thread has to unwind the opposite way it goes in the tensioner. Some blogs on the web tell you class 15 bobbin will work, but it doesn't in mine.
The zigzag is not perfect on mine, at least with thinner fabrics. How is yours stitching?
Last edited by Mickey2; 09-21-2015 at 07:08 AM.
09-21-2015, 07:32 AM
#13
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Denver Colorado
Posts: 232
The "Elna" ("-" because the bobbins I have aftermarket but sold as Elna) bobbins are 7 hole but too tight on the winder spindle. That wouldn't effect sewing but I need to find proper bobbins going forward.
I had to set that aside for the weekend - hope to get back to it in a day or two.
The new motor pulley came in so there's that...but I think I'm just not threading the bobbin / case properly.
I had to set that aside for the weekend - hope to get back to it in a day or two.
The new motor pulley came in so there's that...but I think I'm just not threading the bobbin / case properly.
09-21-2015, 08:31 AM
#14
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,963
Originally Posted by Lew Schiller
The new motor pulley came in so there's that...
The bobbin threading is very much like the old Singer drop in bobbin types (like 99, 66, 201), they have to go in the correct from which way they are wound or the thread will jump out of it's route. I have found I have to make a point of pulling the thread down behind the bobbin case (in the tension part) for it to be stable when I sew.
I am working on the zigzag tension, it pulls the fabric together between the stitches?
09-21-2015, 04:41 PM
#15
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Victorian Sweatshop Forum
Posts: 4,096
Originally Posted by Mickey2
I am working on the zigzag tension, it pulls the fabric together between the stitches?
The thinner the fabric, the more starch or stabilization it needs. The wider the zigzag, ditto. The stiffer the fabric the better. Even a piece of tissue paper under the fabric may help.
Also, loosen your top tension a bit. A bit of top thread showing on the back of a zigzag stitch is normal.
Cari
09-22-2015, 03:28 AM
#16
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,963
Thanks Cari-in-Oly. I need often the basic advice too. I have a Bernina 730 Record, or rather used to. It went back to my mother when she needed it for some curtains this summer, and it looks like she might keep it for a while. It is finely tuned and serviced, and it's easy to make it behave. That's the reason why I got this old Elna, it looked so nice and I hoped it was similar to the old Bernina. Come to think of it, when using the extra stitches on the Bernina, it was recommended to use parchment or special tissue paper underneath light fabrics.
09-23-2015, 05:57 PM
#18
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,963
I've had my Supermatic for about a week now. I have been using it a bit, doing my best to tune it up. I had a second round of serious cleaning and oiling today and found a worm gear behind the cam slot in the Elnagraph. I have been oiling all the points in the manual, but I didn't notice this one. It's a bit hidden behind there, but with good light it's visible. Cleaned it the best I could and gave it two drops of oil. It looked a bit grimy. The machine runs noticeably smoother after. Is this a greased point? It looked a bit like it might have been from all the grime I wiped off using several cotton swaps. There are a few hinges and two red oil points under the Elnagraph lid. The oil had not seeped out to the worm gear during this weeks repeated oiling and cleaning though.
10-12-2015, 07:13 PM
#20
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Denver Colorado
Posts: 232
Update:
I received the pulley from Sewingpartsonline and finally got around to installing it tonight.
What a piece of cr*p! it's plastic - the rubber on the drive surface is more like slippery plastic than grippy rubber.
I had to open up the hole in the collar to accommodate the roll pin - which I did with a pin vise.
The act of inserting the roll pin caused the collar to crack.
Tomorrow I'll be having a chat with them. I don't know if Sew-Classic's pulley is better but I will try to find out.
I received the pulley from Sewingpartsonline and finally got around to installing it tonight.
What a piece of cr*p! it's plastic - the rubber on the drive surface is more like slippery plastic than grippy rubber.
I had to open up the hole in the collar to accommodate the roll pin - which I did with a pin vise.
The act of inserting the roll pin caused the collar to crack.
Tomorrow I'll be having a chat with them. I don't know if Sew-Classic's pulley is better but I will try to find out.
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