The metal Godzilla case is hard to miss and seeing the price ($8.99), I grabbed it and proceeded to the cashier. I didn't bother to check whether it included the knee bar (it didn't) and so I got home and had a machine that works but only if I borrow another Elna's knee bar.
Logging onto Facebook last week, the moderator of an Elna group to which I belong advertised a few spare parts including the missing knee bar I needed and now I have a machine that is complete except for the various presser feet, cams, etc. Thank you, Randy!
This Elna 3 is actually fairly smooth for a vintage friction drive machine and so I'm guessing the pulley was replaced at some point or the machine was used often enough that a flat tire wasn't an issue. It stitches beautifully and once completely oiled, it quieted down and is remarkably stable -- very little vibration from these Elnas.
This model requires the zig-zag cam in order to produce zig-zag stitches. Surprisingly, this machine included its own cam.
The Elna 3 is neither as attractive as the Supermatic nor as modern as the Elna Star series (and it doesn't have the nylon gears found in the Elna Star machines) and so the 3 series machines tend to get overlooked. They can be found for terrific bargains and if you're looking for a good free arm machine, this is a very good place to begin looking; you won't find many better.
Hmmm, I don't think I have ever seen one of those in the wild. Look like it might be a nice portable machine.
ReplyDeleteIt's lighter than the Supermatic but probably heavier than a Hello Kitty. Tough as nails, this thing is. And the stitches are amazing. This machine offers a lot of control over width and length and the 5(!) feed dog segments ensure even feeding. I especially like the large upper thread tension discs (lots of surface area means lots of control).
DeleteI have two so if you ever think you'd like to step into the wonderful world of Elna, let me know. :)