Flywheel is jammed. How can I get it going again?

Sounds as htough there may be thread jammed around the bobbin often caused when the flywheel is turned backwards casuing the thread to reel back intothe bobbin case.

Yes, likely you have the thread jammed up in the bobbine area. If that is clean, tehn it could be that the grease is old and gelled making it very hard to move. Perhaps a few drops of alchohol on teh main bearings will help, then once it is moving freely add lots of drops of oil.

However first make sure it is not jammed up by thread somewhere.

Moses

either a jam up in the bobbin which is preventing the needle bar from coming up, internally siezed up, or the friction belt internally to the flywheel has broken/worn out.

There are a couple of different SU models, the Star Series and the Air Electronics both had an SU (supermatic) model so I'll be general in my description. Firstly remove the needle cover plate and check around the bobbin race for jam ups. Or if the machine has been packed away for a long time unused, then we could assume this is a sieze up. FIRST REMOVE THE POWER PLUG FROM THE MACHINE FOR SAFETY. You'll need to remove the top machine cover and delve into the insides with a bit of patience, good quality sewing machine oil (tri-flow is perfect if you can obtain some, bike shops have it or I got mine from Ebay) and Qtips or something similar.

There should be a couple of screws holding the top cover onto the machine so remove these and then lift and tilt the cover to the back around the lifting handle and making sure you clear the bobbin winder mechanism on the right. Really good idea to take photos with your mobile as you go so you can remember where things went. Now apply triflow to the metal moving parts you can access, in particular the top of the Elnagraph shaft which should have a red mark for oiling point, and the needle bar swing bearing. Keep oil away from the belt/s on the right side of the machine where the flywheel is driven by the motor.

You'll need to carefully clean, oil and gently move the flywheel back and forwards until things free up.

sounds like the machine is jammed somewhere...not sure of this solution, probably thread in the hook though

Try unscrewing the needle, and then pull up the plate, and sort outthe threads very carefully with a quikunpick. When starting to sew, have slightly longer threads, make sure they are behind the needle, and hold them in your left hand. Especially when sewing very fine fabric, start slowly until you are sure the threads are forming properly, then it's OK to speed up. Use your ears, if it doesn't sound right, stop immediately. If you are going to use fine slippery fabric, be sure to do a trial piece first, rather than muck up your project. Elna machines are lovely to use, I've had one for over 40 years, still in daily use. Oiled with one spot of oil each time I use it, fluff regularly cleaned from underneath with the little brush supplied.

I can't find anything online for this brand. It is always best to refer to a manual if you can get one as there is a lot of variation in machines but cleaning is important so I'll make general suggestions. However, if your machine is jamming up it sounds like it would benefit from a full service from a local sewing machine mechanic to sort any major issues - there may be points inside that need grease or gears failing/gummed up. The mechanic could also could give you a quick rundown on the ongoing mainenance you should give it.

You could refer to http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/a/machinemaintain.htm, Debbie gives good machine tips and maintenance guidelines.

Also, only turn the flywheel towards you.

As a general guide here are some suggestions.

Firstly remove the pressure foot and needle. If your machine has a top loading bobbin, then remove the bobbin and look at the bobbin holder. Brush out this area and remove any visible lint or dust with a small brush or a clean piece of waste cloth. Is there a centre depression/hole? Add a drop of oil here.

If your machine is a front loading design with a removable bobbin case, then you can remove the bobbin and bobbin case, and clean the rotary hook (take photos with your digital camera as you go if you have never done this before so you can put it back together again correctly). If you go to Youtube and search for cleaning a sewing machine there are quite a few videos of different machines and how to maintain them.

Manually rotate the flywheel towards you a couple of times and look at the rotary hook movement, can you see pieces of metal moving over each other? add a drop of oil to any of these points that you can access and manually move the flywheel again to move the oil through the works.

Lower the needle and wipe the needle bar with your cloth to remove dust/lint. Now give it a smear of oil with a clean piece of cloth and rub this down the needle bar a bit.

Are there any holes on the sewing case top or free arm area marked red? These would be oiling points too. Give them a drop.

Turn the tension dial to zero and clean between the tension discs with the selvage edge of a clean piece of cotton fabric, saw back and forwards to clean. Thread will shed fibres and dye particles, plus dust from the environment will all build up in the discs if not cleaned out regularly. (don't forget to put the dial back to the original setting when you are done).

I would add that some people suggest using canned air to clean - I would not suggest this, as you can blow the lint further inside the machine. Best thing is a small brush as supplied with your machine, just buy another in a year or two when the bristles go all bent from use.

And use good quality clear sewing machine oil, not some 3in1 or general purpose household oil.

Wipe the outside case over with a microfibre cloth to remove any dust or debris, clean around the thread spool holders too, dust/fibres will settle here as well.

Always cover your machine when not in use, sew it a slip cover if you don't have anything with it for this purpose. And if you store it away for a period, then you want it to be kept dry so don't store in a damp spot.

Clean regularly as the lint build up will absorb any oil present out of the moving parts making things even worse.

Lovely machine, don't dispair. You need to turn the rotary hook with your flywheel so that the open side of the hook is facing you. Now move the black inner piece around inside so that the cutout side is facing you too and just a bit to the left. Now lower the bobbin holder in with the metal arms facing towards you , they should slip in between the outer parts. You want the two bobbin case screws to line up with the holes underneath, just give it a bit of a wiggle until you feel it drop into place. Now screw in the two screws on the bobbin holder with your mini screwdriver from your kit to secure.

Now rotate the flywheel towards you, the bobbin holder should stay still while the rotary hook goes around.

If you have any issues feel free to email me on [email protected] and I'll try to elaborate or take a pic of the process tonight.

And remember to hold the two threads when you start a seam at the back for a few stitches to avoid the thread jams, just a quirk on these machines but I love them so much.

Hope this helps you.





If you email me

You must have a small piece of thread stuck in the raceway that is probably why you can turn the balance wheel backwards but when you turn it forwards it jams again.

Open the throat plate and bobbin area and check for a thread jam.

One or more of the bushings is seized, the machine needs to disassembled, the bushings removed, cleaned, re-lubricated. Not something you can do yourself.