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[abrogard]

We lent our old Elna 3003 out and didn't use it or think to look at it when it came back. Months and months ago now. So I go to use it the other day and find the feed dogs are stuck in the down position.

It takes me a long time to finally figure out what's wrong. The pin through the feed dog shaft was not in correctly and the feed dog cam could not pass over it is all it was.

Hard to find out. Elna would not help.
Anyway I just solved that tonight.

But now I find when I run it the feed dogs are working in the reverse to how they should.

'Normal' operation now reverses the cloth. When I use the 'reverse' lever it puts it through the normal way.
I am hoping someone maybe has some experience with these machines or similar and can advise me on this?

[Adam12]

Sounds like it's 180 degrees out. Try removing the pin and giving the hand wheel a half turn before re installing. Not familiar with that machine but seems logical if that's all that was wrong with it.

[abrogard]

Hello and thank you for your interest and input. I had the same thought myself last night while worrying about it just before sleeping. Perhaps I simply put the pin back the wrong way.

I did not spell it out what was wrong and perhaps I will fix that now just in case any future hapless elna owner with the same problem finds this thread. The problem was that the cam would not pass over the pin and the reason for that is that the pinhead (which it must pass over and which protrudes from the shaft) is not circular. But it takes a close look to see that. It has two flatted sides. So it has to be inserted so's those sides will go into the recess in the cam. The original problem was that somehow it got twisted a little so's those flattened sides no long lined up with the tunnel so it was able to be jammed in at the entrance, which it was, but it could not allow the cam to pass over it. So the thing would not come out of 'dogs down'.

Once in 'the tunnel' it always stays there. Even on 'dogs down' it is halfway in there. On 'dogs up' it is completely in it, hidden from view entirely.

Nothing holds it in place except being within the tunnel.

And it is possible to install it from this side of the shaft or from that side of the shaft. And it looks like, hopefully, all that is wrong now is that I have installed from the wrong side of the shaft.

watch this space. some time today hopefully I'll be able to get at it and reinsert it and then we'll see.

edit: update: Yes ! No problem. I put the pin in the other way and did a short test run and it stitched well and did a reverse too.
You were dead right, John. Thanks. :)