Hi Marsha, this is pretty straight forward on these beaut Swiss made machines.

Have you managed to wind a bobbin firstly? You need to disenage the clutch by holding the outside of the flywheel and turning the inner coupling knob towards you. Bring up the bobbin winder spindle into a vertical position. Place spool of thread onto one of the spool pins at the rear of the machine, then take the thread from your spool across to the thread guide on the left of the head of the machine, to the inside of the bobbin pull the tail from inside the bobbin up through a hole on top. Place the bobbin on the spindle and TURN IT SLIGHLY UNTIL IT CAN BE PRESSED ALL THE WAY DOWN. While holding the protuding end of the thread wind a few turns of thread on the bobbin by pressing the knee control lever until the core of the bobbin is covered securing your starting point. Stop and trim the loose end of thread up against the bobbin, then restart winding until it stops automatically when full, while keeping light tension onto your thread spool at the back (use the curved handle of your scissors into the top of the spoool) so it maintains even tension on the thread as it comes off. Watch the bobbin and give the thread a nudge with your finger if it starts to fill too much in the middle, you want a nice even wind top middle and bottom. When bobbin is fully wound, remove it and swing the bobbin winder spindle to the side. Then tighten up clutch again by holding flywheel and turning inner coupling wheel away from you until it is firm.

Open the bobbin cover flap, drop the bobbin in with the holes on top. Hold the thread tail and move it clockwise around the bobbin case until it goes into the little groove - press down on the thread while holding the bobbin still with a finger, you will hear the thread click into the tension spring. Try again if this doesn't happen, you must get it into the tension. You can test by lifting the thread vertically, it will come out again if not in the spring.



Now, top thread. Turn the flywheel toward you until thread take up lever is in its highest position and raise the pressure foot. Place the thread spool on a spool pin so that the thread unwinds itself from the side nearest the machine. Pas the thread from below throu the thread guide then throu one of the two openings of the upper thread tension, thread from left to right, through the hole of the thread take up lever, then pas it from behind through the two thread guides at the lower front of the head. Then thread the needle from front to back. Use the top thread to draw up the bobbin thread by holding the top thread and turning the flywheel towards you through one sequence so the hook catches the upper thread, then pull the top thread to draw up the bobbin thread to the top. Close the bobbin cov er plate, draw both threads to the back of the sewing platform and you're ready to sew.

You need to oil this vintage machine and there should be marked red points inside the head cover and on the side of the bobbin case denoting where.

I would suggest that you join the Yahoo group called Elna Heirlooms; you'll find some useful information there and very helpful members who maintain their Elnas like your model.