After looking up the problem on various antique-sewing-machine web sites, I knew that the clutch know might have lint behind it, and that there is a special washer that has to be placed correctly for the mechanism to work.
I undid the little screw on the knob and removed the knob for cleaning. (There was a lot of old oil on the metal.) This is the special washer as I found it:
The washer looked like it had oil--it did--so I took it off to clean. The "reverse" had even more...and a brand label.
Almost impossible to see.
Still hard to see in this photo after cleaning, but it is stamped "SIMANCO USA" and I think the part number is there also.After consulting with DH I decided that the stamped label is supposed to be the front, and when I returned it to its place I set it with the stamped letters showing. And had to turn it around because the first time I apparently set it on upside-down.
Now, when I turn the clutch knob, it allows the needle to drop down to where gravity pulls it, but then the needle stays there while the wheel turns for bobbin loading.
Another interesting thing about Elena is that, while she appears to also be a 66-1 machine, her presser foot bar is aligned with the foot attachment screw on the side, like more modern machines. (Apparently someone went through the involved process of changing out to the newer type of presser foot bar?) Isabel has her presser foot screw at the *rear* of the bar. I will not be able to interchange feet between them.
I am anticipating using either Isabel or Elena when a bag project in process now gets thick. The electric motors just aren't up to the level of toughness that the old flywheels are.
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