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Mystery Machine - Anyone recognise this Elna?
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It's a really weird machine
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It looks like it just does straight stitch. I think I have a green one that just does straight stitch - they called it a transforma or something like that. I've always wondered about it. I wondered if you could buy a cam stack and put it in - not happening...
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Sorry I don't know anything about the Elna! I just wanted to say that I'm constantly surprised by the machines people locate and I like the machine. Original "no frills" model?
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Wish I knew anything about Elnas. I like the looks of it. Odd isn't it that it looks like a zigzag but is only a straight stitch?
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That would have to have a disk to do zig zag. They probably used the same body style but left parts off. It takes a knee lever to make it go. It isn't the Elnita stripped down - body looks wrong. Maybe a Plana? See ISMACS.
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Neat. I think that's the first straight stitch Elna that I've seen unless the Grasshopper is straight stitch too. At first glance I thought it was a Supermatic but I do see some differences on a closer look.
Come to think of it I haven't seen any truly old Elnas. Did they only start in the 1950s? I love the variety the sewing machine world offers. So many different designs and ways to do the same thing. It's what keeps me interested. Rodney |
I believe it's an Elna Plana Automatic.
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Miriam - It does only do a straight stitch ;) Even though it has the swing needle mechanism at the needlebar.
The transforma looks like it was a Supermatic, or could be converted into it. By the looks of the photos, it had a door for the cams and more than likely more mechanism at the top than this machine. I don't even know what a cam stack would attach to in this machine, it's as simple as a 301 inside! Maybe simpler. There's not even a gear for a cam stack to drive from on the main shaft. It just seems like it would be so expensive to incorporate the swing mechanism in there without making use of it. I guess it's possible that it would be more expensive to retool the factory... The elnitas I've seen are all newer 1970s ish, so I couldn't say. Plana just means flatbed. There were several Plana's over the years - I had an SU Plana, there is a Plana in this user manual, but it's this machine as a flatbed. QuiltMom2 - This machine was given to me by a friend and it's definitely a mystery. I've had it for months, but just now have had a chance to service it and find its mysteries. It could have been a no frills model, but it seems strange that by the 1960ish - that's where the brown machines date to typically - that they would still be trying to sell a straight stitch only machine that didn't even have a stationary needlebar that makes the straight stitch machines so great! It's an interesting machine for sure. :) Cogito - very odd. I've never seen a machine with a swing needle (zig zag mechanism) that wasn't built to zig zag. Maybe the dealer could change that main shaft to one with a gear on it, or add a gear and add a cam stack, change the top plate, etc.... ? I just wish I could find some information about it. Rodney - the Grasshopper is indeed straight stitch only. They introduced Zig Zag in 1952ish? At first I thought it was a supermatic too. The lack of a cam door was the first thing that threw me. As best I can tell, the Grasshopper dates from the mid30s. They're a relatively "new" sewing machine company, when compared to some of the ones we're used to talking about anyway. I agree. The variety is really cool. I like that I'll never know about all models that were out there. There's always more to learn. :) Good guess Candace, but all of the Automatics I've seen have cam doors. Otherwise they look similar. I've only ever seen "Plana" beside the flatbed models, so I don't think it's a plana |
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*** Plain but Pretty *** |
How much does it weigh?
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