The odd Necchi

The last machine of the summer was the most recent, and I don’t know why I saved it for last. Perhaps it was it the combination of age or the complicated looking cam set? I’m not sure, but it was another Craigslist purchase and a short detour out of my way as I drove to Mom’s for Thanksgiving.

I met the seller in the parking lot of a grocery store in Cumberland Maryland. Again, there was just the machine head and a shoe box full of stuff. I was taking a chance, and I knew it because the ad hadn’t been 'exactly' clear. Sure, there was the picture of the machine and the bits… but the seller never really said what model.  I tried to search for one identical… but my best guess said it was either a Necchi SuperNova, or perhaps a Lelia… and both were wrong. 

The fact that it was a model 525 became a bit of an issue. You can’t find many of them online unless you add the letters FA afterwards, and it wasn’t one of those. This 525 was made between 1963 and ’71. So there wasn’t an oiling or threading diagram to be found and I’m still in need of a manual. To clean and lube this machine would come down to previous experience, visual inspection, luck, and some unusual email encouragement.

A Necchi had always been on Sis’s list, but I couldn’t find one. The closest I got was an online ad 3 hours away. It was an interesting ad, somewhat unusual in the way it had been worded. This seller knew their machines, and it showed. I read it several times over before finally responding. That response must have been just as curious, because we began a correspondence.  This unknown person at the other end had taken classes in maintenance and repairs, and specialized in Necchi machines. In the back of my mind I so wanted to revive this 525 without an issue, and yet, if I failed, I knew exactly who to ask for help – and of course, it gave me trouble.

Issues began with finding a cord and pedal and the 525 wouldn’t fit in the case for the Morse. It was too long. The hand wheel had a stiff spot and had to be oiled and worked clear - after I figured out where to put the oil.  Then, when everything felt like it should work… the motor spun, but the needle bar didn’t move. I checked and the mechs did move when I turned the hand wheel… so it was time to find the motor.

The rear access panel is tricky in that you have to wriggle it into just the right spot, but once removed it gives access to the belt and motor. I thought the problem may have been a belt issue and reached over, plugged the machine back in and gave the pedal pressure. The motor spun and I could watch the axle turn… but not the belt, and the belt felt fine, not worn, not too loose or tight. I tried the pedal again and saw it; the gear/pulley on the end of the motor shaft wasn’t turning.   

It was one of those moments when I wondered what I had got myself into… but I loosened the mount and as I removed the belt, the pulley gear fell off and began to roll across the table. I caught it, looked at it in my hand, looked back at the axle and thought – this needs to go back on!

 

Once the gear was in place, and two tiny set-screws were tight, it sprang to life, only to test me again when I missed locating the last thread guide… and then it sewed. At least the straight stitch and zig zag worked. I still haven’t gathered the nerve to try a cam, and at the time, I didn’t have a place to put the machine.  (There was a table on its way, I just didn’t know it yet.) I couldn't help thinking that much like that first Kenmore, a simple little thing had reduced the value of good machine. If it had been working and sewing like it is now, I think I might ask more than forty.

At this point, Sis was delighted. She had the Singer 500A, and was using it. The Pfaff 30 sat nearby and a newer Brother were both ready for little fixes. The Morse and Kenmore waited in the wings. So this unusual model Necchi spent a lot of time on the side of my workbench. 

I found myself cleaning it, making sure it was well fed, and that it would sew when I asked it to. There was something different about that machine that I really enjoyed. For one, it was quiet, really quiet, and once the little rough spot disappeared it could go ever-so-slow and then gangbusters without any vibrations.  I was beginning to think that maybe I should learn how to sew, that, and I needed something to do. I was out of machines…