Elma Supermatic
 

My niece, whom I am visiting, has an Elna Supermatic, made in Switzerland. She says it broke and the SM repairman told her he couldn't fix it. I have three or four machines right now that don't work, and haven't really tried to get them working yet (hoped my DH would be interested in helping, but he isn't). Is this particular kind of machine one I should try to rescue? I don't actually know that she'll give it to me, but she has another machine and told me she really just wants the cabinet. Is it worth my offering to pay her $25 or $50?

Thanks for for your guidance!

Margaret Ford

They are very good machines. You might want to take Ray White's repair class.

Thanks, Miriam! I would like to take Ray's class, although I don't know when he'll be in the NW again. It would be nice to have a marketable skill! I don't think I'll ever be able to quilt well enough to do it for money! Even just being able to keep my machines running would be great. Will have to discuss the cost with DH!

It seems strange that a repairman would say that he could't repair a basic mechanical machine. Parts are still available. I have two supermatics and haven't had a problem getting them repaired. You might take a look at the prices that these machines are selling for on E-bay before you make up your mind.

Typically when a repair person says they can't repair it it means one of a few things. #1)They lack the skill and know-how to diagnose the repair #2) They know what the repair entails and simply can't do it for the general service fee and make it worth their time #3)They assume the general public won't pay for the amount of $ the repair and or parts cost(which in most cases is very true) #4) Certain repairs are just a pain and they don't want to do them.

There are fewer and fewer repair people who will take on vintage machines with a smile. Most are trained to deal with plastic wonders and computerized bits and unless they've been around a while many don't feel comfortable working on old machines. It's much easier to sell you a new one that they can repair and dismiss the old.

Look for a different repair PERSON.

I have an Elna Supermatic and it's nice machine. Elna's have a good stitch quality IMO. The Supermatic ca take cams too and Elna has lots of them! The most common problem is a flat spot on the pulley which makes the machine sound very loud. You can buy new pulleys from White's sewing. That's where i bought mine from and replaced it myself using the tool he rents for the job.

Funny, I would have figured there would more trouble fixing the newer ones what with all the computer parts needed. But I guess maybe as Candace noted, it's a time issue, particularly with Christy's mention of cams. I have seen some repair shops that work ONLY with older models and won't do computerized stuff so see if you can find someone else. I've seen someone advertising on my local Craigslist so that may be one area to check. In my opinion, Supermatics seem to have more collect-ability that many other machines (particularly if its grasshopper green) in addition to being a generally good machine.

I decided to pass on the Elna as my brother's fiancée is giving me a "broken" Bernina 830 Record, which will keep me happily engaged for a while! I have a working 830 at home so this is a great situation. If this one really doesn't work, I have one for parts! But I'll bet it works, with a little TLC.