The Necchi 535 (& related SS/ZZ 533) is one of the last versions of the classic Supernovas before Necchi moved production to Japan(?) & later Taiwan. In other words one of the last Italian made models. The main difference with the 535 is the forward facing rotary hook, previous Supernovas had an oscillating hook facing left.
Photo taken during a service so the rotating needle plate is not fitted here. It is in close to immaculate condition overall & came complete with all its original cams/accessories, manual, base & case. It was bought new around 1965 (Manual is dated 12/63) by a good lady in Nairobi, Kenya, who shortly after moved to UK when she married & brought her pride & joy with her. I’m the recent second owner.
I had no idea about its relative rarity when I saw it on Ebay, but it looked good to me & my instinct said ‘Yes’! Plain grey paint (Necchi describes it as Olive) with cream highlights. Many period Necchis have more brighter colour combinations, from pink to green, etc. but this one appealed to me because it is understated & the paint quality is superb, virtually unmarked. After a quick check & oil in the appropriate places it stitched beautifully! Cams & all.
Two layers of denim are not the ideal test material, but it never missed a stitch, just needed minor adjustments to top tension.
Below you see the forward facing rotary hook drive system. The actual gears are hidden under covers here, but note the angled drive shaft. (More on that below: )
The previous Supernova oscillating hook drive is much more complicated & the hook/bobbin entry faces left not front.
Gears uncovered: Note the belt drive on the RH side. Right next to the greased gears!
Details of the hook drive end show the single plastic gear. (see below for update on the single plastic gear: ( Plus its cracks. It needs replacing soon. Before it shatters & renders the whole machine useless, unless it can be replaced.
I’m currently trying to remove it. Not as simple as it may appear! But it is a Necchi & I’m a novice: ) The problem is moving the lower part of the cover so that the plastic gear will clear it removing the shaft. This is where I’m at currently. The plastic gear has to come out along with the shaft it is fixed to.
Literally in the last minute I realise that the hook drive system has 2 plastic gears! Grrr.
The big one on the left is black plastic!! I did not realise previously, (I should have) but it doesn’t require grease & I have just regreased it! The belt alongside I assumed was a design fault!! It is not, it has been serviced by an unknowing/ignorant Necchi Tech previously during its whole life incorrectly! No wonder the belt is developing cracks along the greasy side!
So the Necchi 535 has two plastic gears in its hook drive system… It takes an amateur like me to realise this?! But I got there in the end. What I can do about it is another matter. I take a rest here!
Later. November 5th 2024.
I finally, reluctantly, decided to call it a day with this machine & made a start on dismantling it yesterday: ( Might well be an interesting process in itself I’m thinking. Many parts are common to other Necchis & I may be able to recover some of my money (£175) in the process. Also help keep some other 60+yo Necchis in working order: ) The Automatic Unit is good & working. The case & base are close to immaculate. All the dials & knobs, cables & plugs are good. Not checked the plastic stitch length spiral yet though: ) I’m looking at this as a voyage of discovery. The rotary hook may well be a hard to find item.
The motor looks as though it will fit my Lycia, which came badly oiled up & is still slower than it should be after a careful clean.
The motor out of this 535 is sat next to the spare bought from Ebay, for my Lycia, which needs a full rewire.
The one on the left is from an unknown model (actually a Lycia I know now) & has a different bracket. As here below: Mounting holes/slots are slightly lower, which is food for thought. The motor which was originally mounted on the left bracket will be fine slightly higher on the RH bracket, but not vice versa?
The 535 motor looks good inside. Just as seen here, not cleaned. Pretty good I think.
Brushes are close to full length & it just needs a little clean. Those lines which appear to be ridges are just lines of carbon dust. Compare the above with my Lycia motor below, which had oil dripping over it for a good while. Oil on the commutator arm keeps it shiny, but not good for conducting electricity: )
Excess oil in all my 3 Necchis, from the overfilled reservoir under the top cover, is not good. The 535 transformer/junction box/switch unit had oil pooled over the mains junction box, under the cover just removed for access here!
The now broken/separated cog, which renders the whole machine spares, is here:
Multiple cracks. I’m still amazed that I used it briefly thus at full speed & it didn’t come apart/shatter! Unfortunately it broke/fell apart when I went to remove it in order to measure it. To see if it could possibly be 3D printed. When you see that it has a channel where it fits onto the shaft I’m at a loss to see how the plastic gear can be fitted, even if it can be printed!?
You can see below that the gear was already cracked all the way through on the LH side here.
On the RH side the small, clean, white portion is all that was keeping it together. Old grease had seeped into the cracks over time & it was clearly on the verge of separating for a good while.
Trying to find another machine with a good plastic gear on its shaft is clearly futile. The machine itself is one of the scarcer Necchi models for starters, & the only solution I see is to have the shaft & gear reproduced? Not an economic solution for me. So this one small part renders the whole machine doorstop/showpiece/spares material… Disappointing to put it mildly, but the previous, single, lady owner had close to 60 years use of it: ) She sold it at just the right time & was so pleased that it was going to a good, appreciative owner. I haven’t had the heart to inform her of its current state yet, & possibly I won’t!?
Update on 4th January 2025!!
After some help/advice from the great, most highly recommended NecchiSewingMachineClub IO group I have found out that replacements for the broken plastic gear were available recently. Particular thanks to Simon Smith for his advice & help: )
How interesting & encouraging is that? It comes as a unit with the shaft, as expected, & probably is a far eastern made modern replacement. I don’t care where it’s made if it keeps my lovely 535 working! I contacted the Cambria company but they tell me that it is unlikely to be restocked, disappointingly. Esaurito means out of stock I now know. But I do also know now that they were available recently & I just need to keep looking. Starting in Italy. I can’t speak Italian but I’ve found an excellent online translator: ) (Called DeepL if you want to look & see. It’s user friendly for me & I do recommend trying out their free version. It works very well for me: )
The main thing here is that my 535 is NOT a lost cause, as I assumed previously, in my ignorance! Serendipity?
Searching in Italy I found 3 535s, two in a cabinets for 30/50Euros! So although it’s not practical for me in UK I’m hopeful I can find the elusive plastic hook drive gear/shaft eventually.
It is quite likely to have a cracked plastic gear also, but since it has been treadled (No high speed, stressed use: ) it may well be good? For 30Euros I’d take the chance… Most of the period Necchis I see advertised there are in cabinets, some treadled some electric, but some of the cabinets are real works of art to my eye!
Book-matched Walnut? Hiding inside is a lovely Nova.
This machine has been a bit of an ‘up & down’ experience for me. First I thought the hook gear was a big problem. Then I discovered that the parts were available recently in Italy. I spent a good amount of time trying to locate one. Then 2 weeks ago I thought to check the stitch length levers internal spiral/screw, which is plastic & a frequent problem on Supernovas.
Not good to put it mildly & looks like it could go at anytime: ( So that has finally sealed the fate of this machine. Spares only now. Even if I find the hook drive gear replacement there is this other plastic part on the verge of doing the same thing. I do know it also has a plastic gear in the Automatic Unit drive & I have not even looked at it. Supernova owners should be aware of all these plastic parts & take a good look before you buy, if you can!
You can buy a brass replacement spiral gear for these machines, but they cost around £70 on Ebay USA & shipping to UK means a total of around £100.
It’s a real shame that this is a spares machine now, but what else can you do? Face reality & warn others perhaps?