1952 Elna Supermatic Green Machine

This sweet 1952 green Elna Supermatic was nearly lost to a house demolition! The house in question is on our block and was one of the earliest houses in the neighborhood, built by the family who lived in the home for generations. The home fell into serious disrepair over the last 10 years (the original owner moved to assisted living - I think she always thought she'd be coming back home). I asked the new owner if he could keep an eye out for any sewing machines in the home during inspection. And lucky for me, he certainly did.

The Supermatic belonged to the homeowner's mother, Grace, who sewed for her family and friends in the neighborhood. So, I think it's fitting to call the machine "Grace" to honor the Supermatic's history.

The new owner left the machine on the back stairs for me, and Tom came with me to pick it up. The split second I saw this pretty green case, I KNEW what this was - and I was EXCITED [audible GASP]! Tom had to tell me to calm-the-fork-down until we got it home to see what was inside, but you know, I had a good feeling. We took "Grace" straight to the garage for an initial inspection.

And yes, when opening up the case I saw what I expected - a green ELNA Supermatic model 722010.

I noted a broken knee control lever, some weirdish brownish gunk around the free arm, and missing accessories/box/manual.

The light worked when plugged in, but the machine ran extremely rough and made a loud machine-gun-like sound. Turns out this is a very common Supermatic issue caused by the rubber drive wheel flattening out after long periods of inactivity.

Plenty of good folks on the internet have posted all about how to fix this common issue, and I sourced a new drive wheel from whitesewingcenter.com. I also found a replacement vintage knee control, a set of new low-shank feet to fit the Supermatic, and a dozen new bobbins.

I did not find a replacement accessory box, cams, or the missing cam nut that weren't outrageously expensive. Let me know if you ever see any of these parts floating around at an extremely good price!

She cleaned up really nicely, and the new drive wheel fit perfectly. The only thing we couldn't fix 100% is a bit of a sticky spot somewhere in the system that causes the machine to feel a bit stiff - maybe at one spot on the belt. So when she's running every so often, you can hear the motor straining a bit when hitting the sticky spot. If you think you know what may be causing this, PLEASE drop a comment ⬇ below!

The transforming case is definitely my favorite part of the machine. It's made out of sturdy enough metal to keep the machine safe, folds open all the way with the big front closing tab secured up and out of the way, and slides right over the free arm to create a large sewing bed. Well engineered, and no surprise that the vintage ELNA machines were manufactured by the company in Switzerland.

I'm very happy to welcome "Grace" to my vintage sewing machine family, especially with her special neighborhood history. I'm hearing some wonderful Supermatic stories from folks who have owned or do own one - let me know if you've ever had one!