Thanks, Barb. I've seen some machines that rolled through smoothly, but this, turning it through feels like pulling my hand through softened butter. I looked through some images of BF and BU Nova machines, and although this clearly isn't either of those, it does bear complelling resemblance to parts of them both. I really am anxious to see my daughter put thread and cloth to it.

The closest I came were an Alternburg and a Köhler model. The stitch length lever on yours is very close to German machines from 30s to 50s. It needs more research.

https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/ima...3480/image.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwM...b67sf/$_72.JPG

That is a nice-looking machine! It’s not a Necchi, but I won’t discount it may be Italian. Viscontea used that green a lot. The plain chrome faceplate and the flywheel/bobbin winder are spot on some models of their Visnova. Vigorelli is another Italian mfg that loved the vivid green machine. The Vigorelli zz has a chrome plate with two Bakelite teardrop knobs. They both have very squared models that are similar, but none of their machines I’ve seen are an exact match, though. I can’t find anything with a plate on the arm that looks like yours, either.


Is there anything on the underside of the machine? Also check the foot controller.

Sorry, don’t know why the font got so big. Tried to shrink it but it won’t.

And so the plot thickens. The one tiny shred of reference I found was what looks like an ad. There was no image, but the seller described their "total mystery" as a Semper Designer, speculating it may have been a Viscontea rebadged for a department store in Belgium or Holland. Intriguing ...

Treadle&gears, I saw something about Viscontea shutting down around 1952. If this thing is rebadged for a retailer, is it possible Necchi took up a production contract? Certain bits look to resemble the Necchi than the Visnova. Please don't take me as argumentative. I've come here to seek those who know more than me. The only marking on it is the number 2529 (I think) stamped on a boss under the operator's side of the plate. I don't know if it's any clue, but I did find interesting the drive from the upper shaft to the hook shaft below. It is two textile strips linked by wire links forming a toothed belt. Then the hook shaft terminates in an enclosed 90 degree gear below the bobbin housing. Looks very nicely built.

For $20, I'd be tempted on that one!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]606732[/ATTACH] My Vigorelli is green, too

This is getting interesting. There is so much resemblance to the Visnova, but in the few "underhood" photos I've seen, the hook/shaft/drive configuration looks so different from what I have in front of me. And then there is the nagging part about the Sewing Circle motor. I suppose the importer could have also imported rebadged Visnovas perhaps. I'd say its been worth the twenty dollars just for the mystery of it!

This is definitely a fine mystery! It's not arguing, it's lively, welcome discussion. I often learn new things or find better rabbit holes from it.

First, do you have a picture of the mechanisms you described in the post ahead of leonf's?

If Necchi took over a mfg contract, they would have had to build in the Viscontea factory as well, I think. Otherwise they would have to move the tooling, and have the physical space and production capacity to do that. The machines would look like Necchis and be engineered like them if they switched to their own facilities.

Sewing Circle had a chain of stores similar to Singer's. They originally imported Necchis and added the US current-correct motors to them. Later, Swiss-made Elna machines (also often green!) were made available their network of shops. Part of what sunk them was an over- ambitious plan to sell their own private label, Japanese-made budget Nelco machines. The other suppliers took umbrage and sued over design and trade name issues, and it kind of fell apart from there. I read once that the motors were available from the stores, and could be fitted to other machines by their service department. Also, Sewing Circle was the US distributor. It was less expensive to fit the US motors here than there.

There are some similar plain-faced, squarish Necchis (BF & BU). My recollection, though, is that the pillars are narrower and the guage slider is more centered.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]606746[/ATTACH]
And now for a bit of underhood photography..