NECCHI – my experience – Mark Shelly, 23 July 2015
Significant changes between early ZZ machines Common problems And a few modifications
Machines compared: Flat bed machines: o BDU o MOD BU o late model BU Nova (green with Wonder Wheel holes on control levers) o Mira x2 o Nora o Lelia 514 (also 512) o SuperNova Ultra Mark II Free arm machines: o SuperNova Ultra Automatica Cilindrica o Lycia Machines not compared: Straight stitch machines (such as BCJ, BF and Lelia 510) BU Nova made between the MOD BU and late BU Nova (don’t have one at present) Miranda (none in New Zealand that I know of although they look to be a late model Mira) SuperNova (don’t have one at present) Julia (don’t have one at present) Mirella (never seen one unfortunately) Lelia 513, 515, 523 (too much plastic in these machines for my liking) COMPARISONS: From BDU to MOD BU:
Standardised hinge pin spacing Integrated thread guide into face plate Hole in base for power cable Solid balance wheel VN Decal Screw on chrome strip behind thread take up lever Larger tension unit Sprung ball bearing oiling holes Longer base legs (if machine is out of case on a table the hook drive fork comes into contact with the table surface) Motor mount screws oriented horizontally (as opposed vertically) Easy tire replacement bobbin winder (as used on Nova, Mira, Nora, Lelia) Unfortunately the paint finish is not as good in the long term and prone to cracking
From MOD BU to late BU Nova:
High quality green paint finish Chrome strip behind take up lever riveted on Chrome base surround 2x sprung ball bearing oiling points on underside “No lose” ZZ limiter thumb screw Needle position lever riveted on to mechanism rather than screwed in Holes in levers to take wonder wheel attachment New “stitched N” decal Feed dog drop lever changed from metal to plastic Enlarged back side access panel held on with 2 screws Face plate attached by screw rather than thumbscrew Introduction of tube presser foot craddle 20603 (used right through to Lycia) Underside of base plate has casting ”spittle “
From Late BU Nova to BU Mira:
Internal festoon light Painted wrap over face plate (to accommodate light) No thread guide incorporated into face plate Light switch on motor 2 speed motor (speed switch on motor) Later Mira machines replaced the button thread guide above the tension mech. with a 3 hole thread guide
Miranda Notes (from web search):
From images on the web the Miranda looks to be a later Mira but without the 2x sprung ball bearing oiling points on the underside
From BU Mira to BU Nora:
Removable top No back access panel No chrome base surround No sprung bb oil holes in underside Less sprung bb oil holes in top side Nylon spool pins Takes single layer cams No longer has holes in levers for wonder wheel Plastic clutch knob Matt finish on needle plate and bobbin slide cover (rather than chrome) Plastic SuperNova style tension knob Thread guide beside tension assembly riveted to machine head inside thread take up lever slot rather than screw fixed to presser foot pressure spring stop
Presser foot pressure spring stop still has 2 threaded holes to take thread guide even though one is not fitted Extra thread guides on either side of lid
From BU Nora to Lelia 514:
Single speed motor Light switch at back of face plate Redesigned face plate Standard sewing machine lamp Redesigned needle position and stitch length levers and plate with matt aluminium finish Presser foot pressure spring stop still has 2 threaded holes to take thread guide even though one is not fitted Full length removable lid No chrome plate behind take up lever
From BU Nora to SNU AC (SuperNova Ultra Automatica Cilindrica) ‐ free arm:
Plastic cups under some oil holes which direct oil to oiling points 3 layer cams and button hole cam Hinged face plate Internal motor Redesigned needle position and stitch length levers and plate with matt aluminium finish Twist knob stitch length control and push in reverse button External feed dog drop control knob (at base of pillar) Motor speed and light switches an deck to right of pillar No chrome plate behind take up lever Automatic needle threader and magnifying glass Hide away bobbin winder with proprietary Necchi tire
From SNU AC to SNU2:
Spool pins mounted on back of machine Micro adjustment Lift and rotate needle plate and wide bobbin cover slide plate Thread guides on each side of lid Presser foot pressure spring stop does not have screw holes for thread guide attachment
From SNU AC to Lycia:
Spool pins mounted on back of machine Micro adjustment Thread guides on each side of lid Presser foot pressure spring stop does not have screw holes for thread guide attachment Shortened back end of base plate Pop out needle plate
Squarer face plate White paint finish
From SNU2 to Julia (from memory):
Change to new style of cams. Still 3 stack but thinner Electronic buttonhole cam Automatic buttonhole foot
Problems that I have encountered with early Necchi machines:
Gummed or sticky movement – hair drier, methylated spirits, good quality oil, patience Faulty stitch length slide control – dismantle and rebuild or find a donor Rusty chrome parts – such as needle plate and bobbin cover slide plate – donor parts req’d Crackled paint (I think this problem is isolated to early BU Nova machines) ‐ repaint External motor requires replacement or motor mount broken – see modification below Broken needle position knob – find a donor part Broken or damaged cases or bases – repair or find a donor – may need to drill out hinge pin holes in Necchi to fit to other bases hinge pins Failed Necchi bobbin winder tire (SN and later machines with hide‐away bobbin winders) – I have been unable to source replacement winder tires. The ones that I bought off the net as supposed replacements are rubbish! Broken catch in thread guide beside tension assembly (Nora and later) – see modification below Loose spindle in tension assembly (Nora and later) – don’t know? Info any one? Blown festoon lamp – these are a standard auto bulb easily sourced off the net
Broken or damaged foot controls, cables, sockets or plugs – Necchi’s are notorious for their poor quality electrical cable which often disintegrates over time. Fooit control and power cables are easily replaced but damage to wiring in or emerging from the motor generally means motor replacement – see modifications below and attached bracket design. Possible Modifications: Flat Bed Treadle: o Any vintage Necchi flatbed machine can be treadled from a BDU to a Lelia or Julia Free Arm Treadle SNU AC o I am yet to find another quality all metal free arm vintage free arm sewing machine that can be so easily converted to a treadle o To convert: Remove base plate and motor belt )may also need to remove motor and switch block to allow path for belt) Cut out belt slot in bobbin winder flap Bolt to ply deck from underside of ply up into base plate bolt holes in pillar Fit deck to treadle table and cut slot in deck for treadle belt
Fit a standard Japanese or Singer external motor to MOD BU, Nova, Mira, Nora or Lelia o I have found that many of my vintage Necchi’s motors are missing operate on the wrong voltage or are beyond repair. The motor mounting system used by Necchi is unique to Necchi machines. The most plentiful externally mounted sewing machine motor mounting system by far is that used by older Singers and most vintage Japanese made machines. To allow these motors to be mounted to Necchi machines I have designed a motor mounting boss adapter to bolt onto the Necchi . Please see attached drawings. Change out SN type tension and thread guide on a Nora or later machine for a Mira or late Nova, tension and thread guide: o Necchi introduced a new plastic tension knob assembly in the Nora machines and continued to use this system on the SuperNova and Lelia series machines. I have found that the spindles come loose in these machines and have not been able to repair them. o These newer tension knobs are of slightly greater external diameter than their predecessor although the barrel diameter remained unchanged so these tension assemblies can be swapped out for a tension assembly from a BU Nova or Mira machine. o With the introduction of the new plastic tension assembly in the Nora came a new thread guide riveted to the head of the machine beneath the thread take up lever. This thread guide replaced the guide that was previously attached with 2 machine screws to the presser foot pressure spring stop on the presser foot bar. I have found that the small hook inside this new thread guide has snapped off in my Lycia (my favourite Necchi machine). These can be easily removed by filing off the heads of the rivets that attach it to the machine head (be careful not to get filings into the workings of the machine!). A spare guide can be thus recovered from a donor machine. However installation of the replacement part is nigh impossible as not easy – may require drilling out of the old rivets in the machine head and re‐riveting or tapping and screwing. Easier perhaps is replacing the updated thread guide with a donor older style thread guide from another machine. This is a straight forward process if you have a machine that you can get such a thread guide and its attachment screws from AND the machine that you are working on has a presser foot pressure spring stop with the 2 screw holes to attach the thread guide to. From the machines I have it appears that Necchi continued to use the presser foot pressure spring stop with the 2 screw holes in Nora, SuperNova, Supernova Ultra and Lelia 512 and 514 machines despite these having the new plastic tension assembly fitted. o It should also be noted that if you do replace the thread guide as described above you will need to replace the plastic tension assembly for one from a BU Nova or Mira machine as the greater diameter of the plastic tension assembly will inhibit the travel of the earlier model presser foot bar mounted thread guide.
Comparison photos of Mira and Nora tension assemblies and thread guides:
MIRA – showing tension assembly and thread guide attached to presser foot pressure spring stop.
NORA – plastic tension knob, riveted thread guide, unused holes in presser foot pressure spring stop to attach MIRA thread guide.