Operation: Elna Supermatic – pattern scissors cloth Instagram Facebook Pinterest Primary Menu Home Tricks of the Trade Patterns Wardrobe About Contact Operation: Elna Supermatic SheryllUncategorizedsewing machines32 Comments I’ve had my Mum’s 1955 Elna Supermatic for a long time now, and I know I’ll always keep it. Mum bought it when she was at teachers college, and it was the machine my sister and I learnt to sew on. It hasn’t worked for several years. The first problem was that the coupling knob on the flywheel was stuck and would not disengage to wind the bobbin. You could still wind a bobbin – but only in sewing mode with the needle still going up and down! Then the flywheel became ‘sticky’ and needed a little push to get moving – annoying, but I got used to it and the machine would still sew with this little bit of encouragement. And then it got more and more unresponsive and finally stopped altogether. I really missed my Supermatic. My main sewing machine is an industrial straight stitch. Yes you read right, it only sews straight stitch! This means no zig-zag. No buttonholes. No three step zig-zag. No twin needle. Nothing ‘fun’. My utilitarian no-frills Yakumo Although I’ve been lucky enough to have access to a buttonholer at work but there is nothing like the convenience of being able to do this at home. And I’d really like to start making my own lingerie, for which zig-zag is pretty much necessary. I decided to make the effort to get Miss Supermatic 1955 fixed. There is a group called Elna Heirloom Sewing Machines, where I discovered the secret to loosening the bobbin clutch. I bought myself a new pair of multi-grips, and with Jim’s advice to insert an allen key in the hole behind the needle bar to immobilise the flywheel, and a bit of brute strength, it soon loosened. I should have used a cloth though because I scratched it slightly – oops! My next step was to sort out problem two, the unresponsive flywheel. During my research I read that this was a common problem with this model. The motor turns the flywheel by means of a friction pulley that rests against it, which when left for extended periods of time, can form a flat spot. This means when you try to sew, the motor goes, but the flywheel does not turn and drive the needle mechanism. The solution is to replace the friction pulley. Inside the flywheel (note my parts carefully positioned in order of removal, and some sixty year old dust!) I found a YouTube video of a guy replacing the part which was very helpful. There is another one here. This gave me the confidence to take my machine apart and have a look. Yes, there is a definite flat spot there! The next step was to find a replacement part. I wondered if this was even possible for a 60 year old machine! A search online revealed one for US$25 plus exorbitant shipping halfway around the world, and while I was thinking about that, I found one for sale on TradeMe with a $1 reserve. I lost that auction, but won the next one and $6 later had a Very Important Part on it’s way to me. Elna spare part #722077 It took me a couple of weeks to get around to replacing the part, and boy was it fun! I did it outside in the sun with the cat’s help. Here’s what happened. First I removed the flywheel again to reveal the pulley. The next step is to remove the pin holding the pulley in place. The pin is 2mm wide, so I had to rummage around in the garden shed for a while to find something suitable that was 2mm wide, and finally settled on a small nail. With a hammer I blunted the point so that it matched the pin. Before I could try to remove the pin I had to secure the motor unit from wobbling every time I tapped it, so I jammed the handle of my multigrips in there somehow and it worked. I tapped away at the pin and nothing budged. Back to the garden shed to look for some CRC and surprise, I actually found what I wanted. A quick spray and tap, tap tap… still nothing budged. I was worried about damaging the end of the pin. Goodness knows where I would find a replacement one of those! Good view of the flat spot here! Next step was to blast the heck out of it with CRC. As I wasn’t sure about the safety of this stuff on the rest of the machine, I positioned a cleaning cloth underneath. Finally the CRC loosened the 60 year old bond, and the next few taps started to move the pin. I kept the cleaning cloth in place just in case the pin dropped down into the machine never to be seen again. Can I say that finally getting the pin out was very exciting?! (If you think I need a manicure, then check out the first video!) The pin is like a hollow tube with a slit down it’s length. At this stage it started to rain and I had to move everything quickly indoors, paranoid about losing the tiny pin…! Once the pin is removed the pulley slides off the metal post, and the new one is soon in place. I used a baby allen key to line up the holes in the post and the new pulley: And then the pin can be re-positioned. I started it off with a couple of light taps: then simply squeezed it back into place with the multigrips. Job done! The real test was to come – did this process actually fix the problem? I replaced all the flywheel parts, plugged in the power, found a test scrap, – and she sews! I’m so excited! I now have zig-zag! And three-step zig-zag! Now I can sew bras and undies! And have fun with all those Elna cams and their fancy stitches! So pleased with my success, I’ve already ordered another part for this machine which has the same problem. It will be good to get that one going again to keep the Greist buttonholer attached to. Have you ever explored the inside of your machine, or done any sewing machine repairs yourself? I haven’t in the past, but I am tempted to learn more about how it works now! Share: Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Related Posted by Sheryll Designer, Patternmaker, Blogger Of All Things Sewing. Follow as I share projects, patterns, and my favourite tricks of the trade. Post navigation 5 Sewing Tips for November 5 Sewing Tips for December 32 thoughts on “Operation: Elna Supermatic” Natasha Estrada says: December 15, 2016 at 7:00 PM Wonderful! Can’t wait to see the lingerie that you will make with that 3 step zig LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 7:34 AM I’m excited to start making lingerie too Natasha! I’m very inspired by all the bloggers versions, including yours. Plus I think lingerie is having a bit of a moment with some interesting styles around, so I’m on a materials acquisition spree at the moment! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Natasha Estrada says: December 22, 2016 at 12:30 PM Yes there are 10x as many patterns out now than there were a few years ago. It’s all so exciting. At least for me. 😀 LikeLike Charles Hanks says: June 1, 2021 at 1:39 AM I repair machines and usually use a 2mm punch on the pin works like a charm also a small clamp works well to hold the motor securely when working on it…usw one with rubber grip…I have 4 supermatics of my own and they are great machines…I place a small block inside to keep the rubber drive wheel from flattening out over time if not used regularly. LikeLike Reply silvermine5 says: December 15, 2016 at 9:06 PM Well done you. I congratulate you on your resourcefulness and hope you enjoy many more years on your lovingly renovated sewing machine. LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 7:41 AM I hope it keeps sewing for a long time too! When you look inside you can see they really were built to last. LikeLike Reply Kat says: December 15, 2016 at 10:11 PM This is amazing! I’ve got almost exactly this same machine (the two tone version, a year or two newer, although mine is an heirloom of someone else’s family, adopted through Trade Me about a year ago).. she still sews beautifully but makes that ‘helicopter sound’ they’re known to make as the friction wheel goes flat, so this replacement is definitely on my to do list! Also, if yours is anything like mine you’ll love it for lingerie! For such workhorse machines I find the supermatics have an incredibly delicate touch. LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 7:48 AM Replacing the part is quite straightforward, and the YouTube tutorial was very helpful, it’s worth giving it a go. Last time I looked there was still a part available on TradeMe, so snap it up! LikeLike Reply Lyndle says: December 15, 2016 at 10:14 PM Well done! I’ve only investigated mine briefly, when I used a hair dryer to loosen a sticking part. (Advice from Theunis Kok, who was a sewing machine technician in wellington, now in Hawkes Bay I think). I must get my 1950 Singer going again as it does buttonholes and all sorts of fancy things. You are inspiring me to be brave. LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 7:51 AM Yes I really missed those fancy things! There is sure to be a YouTube video or two out there to help you with your Singer. LikeLike Reply Becky Thompson says: December 16, 2016 at 12:16 AM Congratulations on your fix! Isn’t that the most satisfying thing? Good for you on your innovation and success. I hope you enjoy many years of sewing on her. LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 7:57 AM Thank you Becky – I was so happy with myself I wrote a blog post haha! The videos really gave me the confidence to go ahead and do it, and it was totally worth it to hear her humming away again! LikeLike Reply LinB says: December 16, 2016 at 2:46 AM I am so proud of you! This should give all of us with mechanical brains the confidence to tackle machine repairs on our own. To those of us who do NOT have mechanical brains: there is no shame in paying a trained technician to do machine repairs. LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 8:13 AM Exactly – I’d get a professional the instant I didn’t know what I was doing! (Or ‘thought I knew what I was doing’ – sometimes we can be blissfully unaware of what we don’t know!) LikeLike Reply PsychicKathleen says: December 16, 2016 at 3:58 AM Congratulations! That was such a satisfying story to read and see 🙂 I LOVE these sorts of stories – of course I am a huge Elna fan and have been since I was 18 (1973) when my mom bought the first sewing machine “for the household” although I was the only sewer in the household! It was a Lotus which my father broke the following year and refused to have fixed (I know another story that is far too long to elaborate here). I own an Elna today but it’s much newer and I admit rather fancy and is “really” a Janome but what can I say? Every time I sit at I’m thrilled with how wonderful it sews and all the truly fancy things it does for me 🙂 LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 8:17 AM That’s great you love your “new” Elna! What model do you have? I love the look of the new (well, 2012) Lotus – so cute! LikeLike Reply Debbie Cook says: December 16, 2016 at 7:35 AM Great job! I’ve done some clean-ups and repairs on my Singer treadle and vintage Vikings. It is very satisfying, especially since it means they don’t have to leave me to get worked on. 🙂 LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 8:35 AM It is satisfying! I’ve found out how little I know about how sewing machines actually work, so that is my new quest. Next I want to clean under the bobbin case because it is a bit rattly and apparently that is fibre buildup! LikeLike Reply Colesworth says: December 16, 2016 at 12:08 PM Oh yeah, I have a supermatic like this waiting at my sister’s house (her boyfriend found it at a garage sale for me) and I’ve read those same maintenance posts in anticipation, don’t know if it comes with any cams yet – fun! ;o) LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 8:43 AM Ooh exciting! Most Supermatics I’ve seen have the cams (I think that was a major selling point at the time) but there are a few around without, and I think there is a zig-zag only model too! LikeLiked by 1 person Reply Sharon says: December 16, 2016 at 12:27 PM Well done, this must have felt so satisfying. I haven’t played with my Elna Lotus, the power cord was the problem so I had the professional look at that one. LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 8:51 AM Excellent advice Sharon – I wouldn’t touch anything to do with electricity either! How do you like the Lotus – is it your main machine? LikeLike Reply Ista says: December 16, 2016 at 12:57 PM I grew up sewing on my mum’s supamatic too … the same model. I’m wondering if my Bernina 125 has the same flat spot. LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 8:54 AM I detect a lot of fondness for the machine we learnt to sew on! For some reason I think this is just an Elna problem, but I could be wrong! LikeLike Reply Irene says: December 17, 2016 at 3:33 AM You are brave! But what satisfaction at having fixed the problem. Congratulations! LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 8:55 AM I am very happy, but could not have done a thing without YouTube! LikeLike Reply Fabric Tragic says: December 18, 2016 at 1:20 AM How clever you are! Nice work! I’d be too scared to dissect the guts of my husky…. LikeLike Reply Sheryll says: December 21, 2016 at 9:00 AM If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! (But I’m sure there are instructions online somewhere showing you how to do it anyway!) My main worry was replacing everything correctly, so I was hyper-diligent about the order I removed each part! LikeLike Reply Karen says: December 24, 2016 at 9:16 PM I learnt to sew on an Elna too, slightly newer model probably that yours, but I don’t have it any more sad to say. and I also have nearly the same industrial you have, DSN-165 but looks the same! I worked in a garment factory when I first came to live in the Philippines 30 years ago and they gave it to me. i don’t use it as much as I should, but it’s great at sewing any difficult fabrics which my home sewing machines hate and all skip stitches on. wAs just wondering if an upgrade would be worth it, or maybe just a new coat of pint? LikeLike Reply Pingback: New Year, New Inspiration – pattern scissors cloth Pingback: My First Bra (!) – pattern scissors cloth Pingback: Goodbye Miss Supermatic – pattern scissors cloth Leave a Reply to Sheryll Cancel reply Enter your comment here... Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Email (required) (Address never made public) Name (required) Website You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change ) You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change ) Cancel Connecting to %s Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Sheryll : Designer, Patternmaker, Blogger of all things Sewing. Follow as I share projects, patterns, and my favourite tricks of the trade! Instagram ▪️ CLOSE UP ▪️ Look at that shirring and gathers 💗 They took so much time but it was totally worth it!⁠ ▪️ HORTENCE DRESS ▪️ Here it is in action! I made this a couple of weeks ago to wear to a wedding, managed to get no decent snaps of it, so took one today in my work mirror instead! Love it but somehow expected it to be a midi dress - not a mini! It's a super cute pattern from @fibremoodpatterns and I recommend it.⁠ ▪️JUST IN TIME▪️ My new #fibremoodhortence is ready just in time for the wedding, one hour to go 😉 Last minute sewing for a wedding tomorrow! I found shirring to be way more successful on my industrial machine, where I have more control of the bobbin tension. Looking good so far! It was 62 years ago today that this beautiful gown was worn by my wonderful Mum as she married my fabulous Dad. Happy wedding anniversary to you both! 😘🥂 It was sports bra week in my sewing room! I've just cut out the pieces for my next project - they're so swoon worthy I thought I'd show you. If course it has to be a video, because, you know ... silk satin! 😍 Cutting all the lovely things this afternoon...😍 ◾ FRANCES' LINEAR LEGGINGS ◾ @pinsonthefloor sewed her #linearleggings in olive and used camo for the waistband lining and inner pocket - it looks awesome! Check out her grid for extra pics!⁠ LINEAR LEGGINGS PATTERN ISOSCELES T-SHIRT PATTERN Galaxy Tee Pattern very important stuff: How to Sew: Tailored Jacket Collar and Lapel The Ruby Slip #5 - Sewing the Bias Skirt The Ruby Slip - Free Pattern and Sewalong! sway back alterations - my analysis The Miranda Skirt Pattern How To sew: Tailored jacket sleeve vents Galaxy T-Shirt Sewing Pattern The Ruby Slip #7 - Lace Bodice Variations Add Side Seam Splits To Your Trousers Too! Tricks of the Trade: Continuous Bound Sleeve Placket Search Search SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER Instagram ▪️ CLOSE UP ▪️ Look at that shirring and gathers 💗 They took so much time but it was totally worth it!⁠ ▪️ HORTENCE DRESS ▪️ Here it is in action! I made this a couple of weeks ago to wear to a wedding, managed to get no decent snaps of it, so took one today in my work mirror instead! Love it but somehow expected it to be a midi dress - not a mini! It's a super cute pattern from @fibremoodpatterns and I recommend it.⁠ ▪️JUST IN TIME▪️ My new #fibremoodhortence is ready just in time for the wedding, one hour to go 😉 Last minute sewing for a wedding tomorrow! I found shirring to be way more successful on my industrial machine, where I have more control of the bobbin tension. Looking good so far! It was 62 years ago today that this beautiful gown was worn by my wonderful Mum as she married my fabulous Dad. Happy wedding anniversary to you both! 😘🥂 It was sports bra week in my sewing room! Copyright 2009-2022 ALL Rights Reserved Everything I have written and photographed is for personal use only, so I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t republish or redistribute my work in any way. 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