Elna Lotus SP

[SingingSinger]

I happened to spot a dinky Elna Lotus SP for sale locally  over the weekend and, oops, I appear to have bought another vintage machine! It came with all the original accessories and loads of bobbins (with a bewildering number of short lengths of coloured thread. I understand it belonged to a quilter). It had a good deal of fluff around the bobbin race but with a good clean and a new needle, it sews lovely. I am so pleased with it. Any tips from fellow Elna Lotus owners?

[Lilian]

No tips, but lucky you, it would have leapt into the boot of my car if I had seen it 

[SingingSinger]

No tips, but lucky you, it would have leapt into the boot of my car if I had seen it 

Thanks. I'm not normally that lucky so I am really pleased to find it. Only £40 too which seems a fair price. 

[Flobear]

My first machine was an Elna Lotus. I loved it 

[So Chic]

I found one at a farm sale auction last year but sadly my bid wasn't successful.

[Sewot]

Hang on to it.
They are good little machines.
You now have a cute little featherweight with zig zag and at a fraction of the price.
Give it a good clean and oiling.
Only one drop of oil on any thing that moves mechanically.

[SingingSinger]

Hang on to it.
They are good little machines.
You now have a cute little featherweight with zig zag and at a fraction of the price.
Give it a good clean and oiling.
Only one drop of oil on any thing that moves mechanically.

I've been sparing with the oil so far, just a drop on the 2 bobbin points mentioned in the manual. But I did think the other mechanical points may need a little. Strange that the manual doesn't suggest that.

[Happymrsg]

I have an Elna Stella TSP Air Electronic, bought new in 1986.
I love it  :thumbsup:

[Sewot]

Ha ha.
They don't tell you to oil the whole machine as you could do something silly like flood the thing with oil which gets on to the wires and then BANG.
Then you blame Elna and they get a bad name.
If you can use a screw driver you can oil it all.
A well oiled machine is not one that is over oiled.
It is one that has just enough to lubricate it.
Like One drop only on the moving parts.
Use Q tips for cleaning and mopping excess oil.
You can al so use a cheap 12mm paint brush to de fluff it.
It is a pleasurable task if not rushed.

[Addiscomber]

I have a Lotus TSP (well 2 actually, as I like the one I acquired with only 2 of the acrylic cover panels so much that I bought a slightly older one with the metal covers when I got the chance, intended for my granddaughter when she is older if she shows any interest in sewing). I sewed 8 sets of scrubs on the younger one during April and May. £40 was a very good price as they are sought after by quilters to take to classes and clubs etc.

Vintage Elnas are very pernickity about any little bits of thread caught in the bobbin area. My first TSP sewed much more smoothly once I had cleaned thoroughly, removing an inch of thread that I had no idea was there, and applied a couple of drops of oil to the oiling points. Apart from keeping them scrupulously thread free, it is recommended to hold onto both threads as you start a seam to avoid nesting underneath. I now do this for every machine that I use.

[SingingSinger]

Thank you all for the tips. I'm going to get a screwdriver, brush, sewing machine oil, cotton buds, etc and give her a bit of TLC.

I'm going to call her Esme as she is small but pretty feisty 

[Roger]

I have an all metal Elna Lotus too... It was my grandmothers she was very particular about it and it still has all the original parts, I've cleaned it and got it ready but I still cant quite use it. but she used it for everything, clothes, repairs, fabric art and upholstery. When i cleaned it it had the fluff of ages in it...

But its more widely travelled than me, in the 1960s she lived in Hong Kong and it travelled back and forth with her by ferry because passenger planes weren't a thing.

Enjoy yours!

[Manuela]

I have a well travelled Featherweight. Bought her from a charity in Bristol (Tools for Self Reliance), took her with me to Hong Kong and she also went to a holiday in New Zealand with me. Her name is Trixie.

[Esme866]

@SingingSinger  At her age, and not having an Elna myself, is there any possibility she may also need grease on any gears?

I only mention as my 30 year old girl, just rightfully pitched a hissy fit one day and refused to do anything other than straight stitch. I had to open the end they don't tell you about in the user manual. Kinda felt like I was doing surgery without a medical license, but we both happily survived.

Just thought I'd mention this in case anyone with Elna expertise happens to know.

BTW - I like the name choice.

[Morgan]

Love both my Elna Lotus SP and my Singer 221 Featherweight.
 I love using the Featherweight for shirtmaking - the dinky little foot is perfect for run and fell seams.  (despite having a buttonhole  attachment that makes nice buttonholes on the 221, I prefer to use use my swanky, whizzy everything compututerised machine that sews amazing buttonholes).

The Lotus is used as a portable for taking to workshops . . .  wistful sigh.
It's amazing what a tough little machine it is - a lot of torque and metal gears for needle punching power relative to its size.  All sorts have been made with the Lotus, dog beds, quilted door mats, garden seat covers, and a fun spell of wrapped cord technique for some bags and baskets. 

It's so easy to give a Lotus the full spa treatment.  Just unscrew all the different sections of the case to get access to the relevant bits to clean and apply lube grease to anywhere that metal moves against something else metal - remember to take the time to admire the unusual belt.  If you can, remove and clean away old oil and lube, then use lube on the gears and other internal moving parts and minimal amount of sewing machine oil on the more accessible parts.  It helps to avoid over oiling which just splatters it everywhere inside and that just makes lint traps and cleaning harder work down the line,

This is a useful video for a slightly different machine, but similar enough.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqrbimZyP1U&list=PLF6BC84FD21075FD3&index=2&t=0s
If you need some replacement parts - see if they have that you need here