Elna Supermatic Sewing Machine

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  • Опубліковано 14 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 73

  • @Damian-qd1cq
    @Damian-qd1cq Рік тому +5

    I took my normal evening walk some days ago and someone in the neighborhood had this sewing machine with the trash at the curb. It's in great working condition.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +1

      Score!
      Yeah..."average" people usually don't recognize what they have. I'm a thrift store junkie and my best bargains come from people who don't realize what they are donating and pricers who also don't realize what they are seeing :).

    • @Damian-qd1cq
      @Damian-qd1cq Рік тому +1

      @@DexRobinson I would like to replace the power and foot pedal cords, recommend any website for replacement parts?

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +1

      @@Damian-qd1cq How is this controlled? Standard method would be the knee bar (in my video) though some were converted to pedal use.

    • @Damian-qd1cq
      @Damian-qd1cq Рік тому +1

      @@DexRobinson foot pedal and knee bar. I don't have the knee bar though. Thanks

  • @barbolson8768
    @barbolson8768 2 роки тому +13

    I learned to sew as a child on my mother's Elna Supermatic and now that I sew myself (many years later), it was interesting to see the machine up close once again. My mom is 88 years old and still has her Elna even though she hasn't sewn for many years now. One of these days when I'm visiting her, I'll have to sit down and try out her machine again. Her machine is exactly the same one that you are showing on her video.

  • @AprilAiteen
    @AprilAiteen Рік тому +4

    I just brought home one of these models. The cord will need to be replaced immediately, but aside from that, it looks to be in good shape. Even has the cams! When she’s all tuned up I’ll watch this video again to help me learn more about her. Thanks for posting it!

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +3

      Cams are a BIG score! Singer cams are a dime a dozen . Elna cams are hard to come by. I haven't had much luck finding them (for a reasonable price).

  • @GlennsSpeedShop
    @GlennsSpeedShop 10 місяців тому +1

    I don't know jack about sewing machines but a few years ago I saw a Supermatic at a yard sale and I told my wife, that's the nicest looking sewing machine I have ever seen and for some reason I bought it. A month ago I bought a new drive wheel and got it running again, went on Marketplace looking for different stitch discs and ended up buying another machine that had the book ,all the accessories and around 20 discs. I compared the serial numbers, one was made in 1956, the other in 1957, and were 44,414 units apart, so they made more than I thought. Have a new wheel ordered for the new one and will have it going this week too

  • @darwinortiz6394
    @darwinortiz6394 2 роки тому +5

    I own one and love it. It was gifted to me in not working order. I got it repaired. It’s a piece of history.

  • @dalesuhre6522
    @dalesuhre6522 2 місяці тому

    I just saw one of these in a local online auction. I put a bid on it without even looking to see any information about the sewing machines. I'm glad I saw this video.

  • @susiecampbell412
    @susiecampbell412 2 роки тому +6

    Wow! So glad to find your video! My Mom must of been super lucky to have this while I was growing up in the 60’s.
    She did do a lot of sewing from making my clothes to mending to making our Halloween costumes. I truly didn’t appreciate the gift at the time when she gave me this machine. Every time I use it now, I think of her ❤️

  • @moniquegroom2353
    @moniquegroom2353 9 місяців тому +3

    OMG I love it!!! I learned to sew on a newer version to this in the early 70's. It had cams too. Would love a video of it sewing. Are these easy to fix and maintain?

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  9 місяців тому +3

      Like most things, these require very little maintenance...as long as everything is working fine :). The only regular maintenance that they normally need is a few drops of oil. They don't have belts to replace. So the routine is pretty much the same as it is for a simple machine.
      The biggest issue is with the rubber wheel at the end of the motor shaft which provides the friction connecting the motor to the drive system that makes the machine operate. These can last a VERY long time...decades. The problem arises when the machine is not used for a long time. When a machine isn't used, this rubber drive wheel can develop a flat spot which makes the machine noisy. Replacement wheels are available and there are videos showing how to replace it...but it is a very involved process.
      I have several Elnas which use this system. I make it a habit to turn the handwheel about half a turn every month so that the rubber drive wheel doesn't flat spot from sitting in the same spot.

    • @moniquegroom2353
      @moniquegroom2353 9 місяців тому +1

      @@DexRobinson Or as you showed in the video, take off the fly wheel when storing it. I'd probably use it when I go to Quilt Guild. I have several antique machines. My plan now is to clean them all up and get them into working order. And then I will make sure to make something with them on a regular basis. My 2 vintage and my Featherweight come regularly to Guild.

  • @Sewnsen.T
    @Sewnsen.T 5 місяців тому +2

    Hi Dex, thank you for telling about the history of the machine and how different it is from other machines. I also found mine in a thriftstore for €29,50 and i love it!

  • @Monkey_ninja777
    @Monkey_ninja777 7 місяців тому +1

    I just picked up one from goodwill and I cleaned and oiled. I was frustrated I couldn’t get it to sew forward. After watching your video, it helps me to understand better. I got it to sew forward. Thanks to your video. ❤ I paid $35 for mines.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  7 місяців тому

      Great deal! Glad you found something useful in the video.

  • @AuronFFX
    @AuronFFX 2 роки тому +3

    This machine also has a model without the cams called the transforma. I have a transforma that has been in my family for 4 generations. My mother could never get it to work so I took it in and restored it, The wheel had a flat making the whole machine vibrate loudly so I sanded it down with 1000 grit sandpaper and now she purrs like a kitten again. The tension knobs on these can also get clogged with furries from the thread so i cleaned that all out too.
    You really can tell these machines are swiss made, there's a reason there's the expresion "running like a swiss timepeice".

    • @lindamorgan2678
      @lindamorgan2678 Рік тому +1

      I have sanded down the pulley also worked well ..BUT you never see anyone advising to do that ..just replace it. Will see how many miles we get on the machine before we have to replace it

  • @elizabethwilson5349
    @elizabethwilson5349 2 роки тому +5

    I have one of these machines, and I can tell you that it is a joy to sew with! Love my Supermatic! Thanks for sharing.

  • @carolinelittlefield9459
    @carolinelittlefield9459 Рік тому +3

    Great looking machine! Just got one :) without the cams and the accessory box but with the manual. Time to service it and put it to use! Great video! I want to add that the Husqvarna Viking machine from the same time was pretty advanced and good looking as well and green ;)

  • @hereandnow_2024_
    @hereandnow_2024_ 3 роки тому +7

    I have the same one! It belonged to my late Mother. Fortunately she saved the instruction manual with it, as well lol Thank you for the history of it!

  • @everyday997
    @everyday997 2 роки тому +3

    Thanks for this video. It tells me exactly what I wanted to know, which was a basic overview justifying some of what I’d heard about it. More importantly, I find that it’s incredibly genius efficiency is a truly beautiful thing and it makes me happy that it exists at all.

  • @cheri7271
    @cheri7271 2 роки тому +2

    I went to a Thrift store today and seen one took a picture of it and looked it up. Your video was the 1st I looked at and I'm glad, you explained everything anyone would want to know about it. Thank you. I really was hoping you were gonna start it and show us how it worked :-) I one I seen today was selling for $49.99 US money. It was a little Rusty didn't really look at it hardly at all but took a picture to be able to find out about it. Now after watching your video I'll probably go check it out, and now I'll know what I have to look for when looking at it. Thank you

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  2 роки тому +3

      Let me know if you buy it. There are vintage sewing machine groups and a vintage Elna group on Facebook. It's not a complicated machine to use. The upper threading is simple (you can find the info easily online. Once it's threaded, it works pretty much like any other machine. Remember, this was made for the average housewife to use in the 1950s. See if the thrift store machine has any "cams". I didn't get any extras with mine...just what was in the machine. Elna cams are worth money so any extra cams would almost cover the fifty bucks :) .

  • @monkeybeak2056
    @monkeybeak2056 Рік тому +3

    Thank you. This was really informative. I inherited one and would love to start using it. I wanted to learn a bit about it first.

  • @ChryslerPTCruiser
    @ChryslerPTCruiser Рік тому +6

    trying to figure out how my grandma convinced my grandpa to buy the bugatti of sewing machines in 1957 lol

  • @sandraroemer6585
    @sandraroemer6585 Рік тому +1

    My Elna Supermatic does not move the m9terial sewn back as each stitch is made. Is there a control to raise the feeder bar?
    Sandra

  • @deyanirarodriguez8413
    @deyanirarodriguez8413 8 місяців тому +1

    Excelente..... Como podría cambiar los carbones del motor motor, esta muy cerrado!... Gracias!

  • @4486xxdawson
    @4486xxdawson 11 місяців тому +1

    The pfaff 332 was one to compete with back then dont forget ....

  • @novampires223
    @novampires223 2 роки тому +2

    I now have two, just bought one for $10.00! Love these machines.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  2 роки тому +1

      Killer deal. I see them online once in awhile but I only found ONE in a thrift store. There is one for sale locally in the original cardboard shipping box...but they want $300 for it!

    • @novampires223
      @novampires223 2 роки тому +1

      Hi, I am hoping you can explain something about this Elna I bought today. The hand wheel is frozen and when I removed the outer knob, behind it is the two washer type things and then another spoked notched part, looks to be held on with a pin. I don’t have that in either of the other machines I have owned. Are you familiar with this piece? Thank you.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  2 роки тому +1

      @@novampires223 Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner but I'm not really familiar with this area so I'm kinda' stumped. There is a vintage Elna group on Facebook (I'm a member) and there are people there who are much more familiar with this than i am.

    • @irmar
      @irmar Рік тому +1

      @@DexRobinson Is that a lot in your opinion, for such a machine? If it's only for 300 dollars I sure am not selling mine!

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +1

      @@irmar No, it's not a lot...but it is more than I am willing to pay because the fun, for me, is finding things in thrift stores. $300 for a classic machine in it's original box is pretty good...
      HOWEVER, the problem with an old Supermatic is the rubber drive wheel. If that wheel has not moved in years, it will likely be flat-spotted and will be noisy and shakey. Supermatics need to run. So, while a boxed machine may appear new, it can have problems if it has just been sitting.

  • @berniepokorski6608
    @berniepokorski6608 2 роки тому +3

    Great Video! I acquired one of these at a Church sale of leftover estate sale items back in March of 2003. I paid $40.00 for it and "never looked back" I have replaced the motor pulley on mine due to flat spots on the original. and also added a foot control, while keeping the knee control operational as an option... ( I myself prefer to use a foot control instead of a knee control). I am really surprised that no one has put up a video of one of these machines actually sewing, giving instructions on the use of its various capabilities. I suspect that most people are afraid to even try to use one of these machines because of its "radical" appearance, and very different features.

  • @judyburke2932
    @judyburke2932 Рік тому +1

    My mother had this machine. She gifted it to my daughter. Unfortunately the manual got lost. Do you know where we could get a copy? I tried but it was tiny and horrible to try to copy. Hard to read and dark.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +2

      Are you on Facebook? They have a Vintage Elna Sewing Machines group with an incredibly extensive file section. They have a couple of good looking Supermatic manuals on pdf.

  • @billiecorbett5824
    @billiecorbett5824 Рік тому +1

    I am having trouble finding the reverse on this machine.
    I can’t find it in the manual either.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +3

      It's a bit unconventional but quite easy, once you realize how it works.
      The machine doesn't have a dedicated reverse button like most machines. The reverse function is accessed through the stitch length lever. The graduations on the stitch length control have "0" in the middle then 1,2,3,4 going UP and 1,2,3,4 going DOWN.
      The upper half of the scale (which Elna describes as "4-0") sews in the FORWARD direction. The lower half of the scale ("0-4") sews in REVERSE.
      So it you want to do a quick back stitch, just temporarily move the stitch length control into the lower 0-4 scale...then move it back up for forward sewing.

    • @billiecorbett5824
      @billiecorbett5824 Рік тому +1

      Thank you. That is very helpful.

  • @jenniferoatey8593
    @jenniferoatey8593 4 роки тому +4

    Found mine for $10 @ Pike Place Public Market 2016. My son Garrett carried it around for 2 hours. Also bought a Snowcap Beer 80s demo snowboard still in wrapper for $85. It was also green.

  • @Valhorde
    @Valhorde 4 роки тому +4

    Thanks for the tour, my mother recently found and bought one for around the same price, unfortunately the small thread bobbin isn't an Elna original, I can't seem to thread it correctly

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  4 роки тому +2

      Elna Bobbins aren't too hard to find. I ordered a pack of 5 from amazon. They are made in Germany for an American company. You shouldn't have a problem getting good bobbins.

  • @patjoye3704
    @patjoye3704 Рік тому +2

    I found one today at thrift store with case and pristine . No electrical cord. My machine has the plug in port . Not hot direct wired like yours! Or didn’t come with the cord ! Any help on that? I paid a whopping $20! I’m searching for the plug in cord!

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +2

      Great deal.
      So, does yours have a socket with two prongs extending out?
      First, be aware that a proper replacement can be found on ebay and likely amazon among other online retailers.
      Let me give you an "unofficial" hint. And if you electrocute yourself, I'm not responsible :).
      Those prongs are close in size to the prongs on most standard electrical appliances. If you find an old extension cord, it is possible to modify it to fit. It's not ideal and not recommended...but it will allow you to run the machine.
      You may have to use a hacksaw to slightly open up the spacing of the two "slots" on the extension cord. And you may have to use a saw to open up the slots themselves because they are a bit smaller than the prongs coming from the machine. Again, not ideal...but it can be done.
      I had to do that for my Elna Grasshopper which, likewise, came with no cord

  • @capedoryus
    @capedoryus Рік тому +1

    Thanks for your video. I'm expecting one to be delivered via goodwill auctions. Fingers crossed. It's not a super but a transforma. The Supers are just a bit dear on open markets like eBay and GWA. Appreciate your background info. Thanks again.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому +1

      The overwhelming number of my machines came from thrift stores. Fact is, you need LUCK. Prices can be all over the place. I bought a Featherweight from a thrift store for $350.00CDN (about $265.00USD). That's high for a thrift store but still a good price. A few months later, I went to the SAME thrift store and found an IDENTICAL Featherweight for $90.00CDN ($68.00USD). You can't predict these things. Sometimes, you just need to catch a break.

  • @MarleneVazquez-hp9oh
    @MarleneVazquez-hp9oh Рік тому +1

    Quiero que me lo traduzcan en español

  • @JavDSilva
    @JavDSilva 2 роки тому +4

    Just found jne but the case is in very bad shape so no longer fully functional but the machine could probably still be put back to work with some elbow grease since nothing seems damaged.
    Thank you for the explanatory video!

  • @حسامرمزى-ص7ي
    @حسامرمزى-ص7ي Місяць тому

    ارجو ارسال فيديو لى لتجميع عيار هذه المكنة بالطريقة الصحيحة ..حيث احضرها صديق لى من سويسرا .

  • @lindamorgan2678
    @lindamorgan2678 Рік тому +1

    16 big ones ! Wow that is the deal of deals. They are lovely machines I researched and researched and decided this was going to be my machine. Like you finally found one but not for 16.00 that is for sure. Congratulations you just never know eh ?

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  Рік тому

      That's the fun of thrift stores. Sometimes you get lucky.

  • @surferboy8
    @surferboy8 3 роки тому +2

    Very informative. Thank you

  • @darwinortiz6394
    @darwinortiz6394 4 роки тому +6

    I own one. It’s a keeper.

  • @pennymorris1844
    @pennymorris1844 3 роки тому +5

    I got one at thrift store for ten dollars awesome deal

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  3 роки тому +1

      Yes, I got mine cheap but now that same thrift store is pricing every old machine like a gold plated antique. Get 'em when you can.

  • @hafidaoubidar5797
    @hafidaoubidar5797 2 роки тому +2

    مرحبا لدي واحد لا أعرف كيف أشغلها

  • @familiasamos6217
    @familiasamos6217 2 роки тому +1

    seria possivel encontrar as peças internas que sofrem mais desgastes???? onde sa consigo??? grato.

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  2 роки тому +1

      Ebay is a good source. The part that is most subject to wear is the drive wheel (sometimes called the drive pulley or friction wheel) which attaches to the motor shaft and makes the machine turn. You can also google the piece and find a seller who will ship to your location.

  • @zacharyemilioscherbatskoy919
    @zacharyemilioscherbatskoy919 2 роки тому +2

    Hi Dex, thank you for video. I've come across one of these machines and wondering if I should buy it (friend selling it). I would like a machine that does well with lightweight and sheer fabrics and I have had good experience with a later Elna (1970s) for this purpose. I have the Supermatic at my house now to test it and so far it is not performing well on lightweight fabrics (does fine on medium weight). It is tending toward puckering and bunching with lightweight - I have been playing with both tensions, needle and thread size, presser foot pressure and more. My question is: Do you think this issue would be resolved with servicing, or is this not the machine for me? Would love input from anyone. Thanks!

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  2 роки тому +4

      Hmmm...that is certainly unfortunate. It sounds to me that you have tried all of the things that I would have tried. I was just checking the manual to see if there was any special instructions for sewing of lightweight materials but I couldn't find anything.
      The only further suggestion I can think of is use a straight stitch foot if you haven't tried it because it will have a smaller hole and will help keep the material flat. And keep the stitch length relatively short.
      I would HATE to recommend against buying a Supermatic because I really like them but this doesn't sound like something that servicing will fix :(.
      Maybe this just isn't the machine for that job. But I would still buy it and use it for other jobs because Supermatics are cool :).

  • @ntintimohlokonya2358
    @ntintimohlokonya2358 2 місяці тому

    I have the same machine but I'm struggling to find foot paddle in JHB South Africa

    • @DexRobinson
      @DexRobinson  2 місяці тому

      Unless the machine has been modified, it doesn't use a foot pedal. The speed control is done with the knee bar which is that shiny, metal bar assembly coming out of the front of the machine. There's a vintage Elna group on Face Book that can give you more detailed advice.

  • @Standownevil
    @Standownevil 3 роки тому +2

    Thank you so very much for this information:)~
    Now it’s time to make curtains:)~💙

  • @Daisy14
    @Daisy14 Місяць тому

    Hi do you have a user manual for green elna supermatic sewing machine. The back foot lever on my machine will not drop the foot. I would like to repair it. The motor still works.thx

    • @Daisy14
      @Daisy14 Місяць тому

      I have the exact model that you are demonstrating

  • @munkhan3785
    @munkhan3785 3 роки тому +1

    Thanks

  • @nmjerry
    @nmjerry 3 місяці тому

    They were expensive

  • @vaccavo
    @vaccavo 2 роки тому +1

    12 Bucks!

  • @MatthewMiller-b5e
    @MatthewMiller-b5e 3 місяці тому

    Moore Anna Rodriguez Anthony Moore Deborah