Just purchased Nicchi Machine...Help!
 

It looks old. Says BF and has two numbers. The motor says 30697 and under the machine itself it says 677839. It was ten dollars. The lady said it worked, but, it only works sporadically. There is no instruction booklet. It only sews straight stitch. Would love to know how old it is and it's value, if any. Thanks so much!
It's very heavy and in a carrying case. [ATTACH=CONFIG]409710[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]409711[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]409712[/ATTACH]

Buttonwilloe,

Welcome to the Quilting Board forum.

Those are very good machines. 1950s I believe. If it only runs sporadically then you've got a wiring or motor problem.
Check all connections on the cord block ( the block with the outlets in the case pocket ), the foot controller internally as well as wiring.
Check the motor wires, and the brushes. If the brushes are dirty or gummed up with oil it will give an intermittant problem.

All those little round fittings with the tiny ball in the center are oil spots. I use a long needle to depress the balls ( they are spring loaded ) and then oil them with Tri-Flow through the tube. Don't forget the underside, if it moves against another piece oil it.
And the motor might have oil ports on each end too. ( I use regular sewing machine oil for the motors, not Tri-Flow. )

There are several members here that have those machines and I'm sure they'll join the thread directly. I have an Aldens Magic ZZ that's almost a Xerox copy of that Necchi.

Joe

It appears to be very similar to my Necchi BU. I will guess the BF is an earlier, straight stitch only. My Necchi BU is zig-zag with a more modern looking tension adjuster. I like my BU, it is a tank and a wonderful sewer - not fun to lug around. However, I've recently fallen in love with the 66 and 15 series Singers and my wife says some have to go. The Necchi will be on the chopping block eventually. Best of luck. You got a good price. If unable to refurbish yourself, it's worth having someone CLA it for you. But, like Joe says, try the wires if it runs intermittently, but if it tries to run and won't, then it needs major cleaning. I would do both.

Ron

Well, I have a BC (the only model imported earlier than your BF) and it is an amazing machine. I picked it up from a member here because one of my projects is sewing leather gloves and finding a machine that is "tough enough" for leather while sewing a fine and accurate enough stitch is not easy. The Necchi does it beautifully.

Value wise, you will be disappointed, I have never seen one listed for MORE than $50 that sold.

I was told that these machines were made using fine enough tolerances that when they "freeze up" it us usually not as bad as others because there is less room between the parts for crud to build up. Of course they are also more sensitive to lint and crud accordingly.

When you say it runs does the machine motor stop as if it isn't getting electricity or does the machine bind up and get stuck and stop? It makes a difference on where we go by way of getting it running.

Necchi's are sweet, sweet, sweet machines! I have had 3 of them that I have fixed and re-homed.

I have a twin to yours. It's pre 1949-50. At that time the V was dropped in the logo, so any machine with the VN is older than that. There doesn't seem to be any exact dating technique because Necchi didn't keep the detailed records that Singer did. My Necchi sews perfectly. When my 301 was down, it was the only other machine in the house that would FMQ nicely. Miss Sophia is in a cabinet with a knee control.

It doesn't look like your plugs are original to the machine. I'd take them apart and make sure all the wires have good contact with the terminals. It sounds like you have a loose connection - no, not you, your machine. Whoops!

I have three necchi's...sounds like a wiring issue. I second irishrose's diagnostics.

I just bought a Necchi and it is pretty but can't find any information on it. Does anyone know where to find information or manuals for it. I also just purchased a green Singer EV72733 and it is pretty but can't find where to look up and date Singers either. There was a post on here and I wrote it down but can't seem to find it now. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

You will find a wealth of information on all made in Italy Necchi's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/necchisewingmachineclub/. This is a wonderful group. You will also find information on how to clean and bring your machine up-to-speed. Love the Necchi's and the group.
Nancy

Necchi - Pictures are the investigators best friend....
Singer - Singer Serial Number Database