copequilts

OH, your pictures make me long for my 401A . . . it has been in the shop. The needle began hitting the throat plate. I'm hoping to get it back this week to take on a Retreat. I bought it at an auction for $15, and had it completely serviced, using it joyfully for quite a long time. Then, it started giving me "thread-throw-up" on the back of my work, and I rushed it to my service guy, Gary Sink, Sink Sew 'n' Vac in Lebanon. Bad news is that he has a five-star reputation, and he's getting so busy! Cross your fingers for me that "she" comes home this week!

miriam

Sounds like the needle was in wrong or a messed up tension.

Texasjunebug

What did you mean by learning the hard way not to use sprays to clean it? My MIL just gave me her 401A in its cabinet. Used very little for the last 45 years, but never cleaned. I've been trying to get good information before I open to examine it. Hopefully, I won't have to pay a huge bill to get it serviced! She didn't know where the accessories are, so I could have to buy some.

miriam

I think the spray is a waste of time and way more messy than necessary. Clean out the lint. Go into the bobbin area after you have removed the bobbin race and thoroughly clean out all the lint and built up dried oil, drop a little oil on the moving parts or places that will rub. Clean lint off the bottom of the machine - drop a little drop of oil on the moving parts. Go up into the nose - clean out any lint or dried up oil. Cleaning dried up oil is not absolutely necessary - it just looks better - BUT you do have to worry about dried up oil in the moving parts. Tri-flow will penetrate and loosen it up. The zz slant machines have a pin the needle bar rides on - that will need lots of attention - the other pin it works off of is below the camstack and to the left - if you push on the needle you can see it. Those get caked up and the machine doesn't zig and zag. If you don't get it completely clean the patterns will not look right - the needle won't swing all the way left and all the way right or it will do slow motion. The cam stacks readers will need to be cleaned - PITB IMHO - takes time. Clean up all that moves and then re-oil. You will need to grease the gears. The first time I did it was a disaster - I sprayed WD40 all over the place then I used 3-in-1 oil on the whole thing - gumbo gumbo gumbo.

Sew-classic has lots of slant-o-matic accessories and good bobbins.

oregongirl

oh miriam - i loved your pics! good for you for restoring the one you found in the garbage!

i have a Singer Slant-o-Matic 503a (i have to say the whole thing just cuz i like it so much!) and i absolutely love my machine. Of course, after signing on to this board, i fell into the Land of Antique Singers and I bought 4 more. Now I have another Singer Slant-o-Match 503a for my 20yr old daughter, my grandma's 66 treadle with the cabinet all restored and pretty, a featherweight, a 15-91 (in cabinet) and another 66 (also in a cabinet). *sigh* sewing machines are so much fun.

oh, and i gave my mother's Pfaff 310 to my older daughter. so i'm "down" to "just" 5 machines in my vision right now and my Singer Slant-o-matic 503a is downstairs in its cabinet.

miriam

I love the Singer 503s but my Singer 403 is still my favorite - I wish it did stretch stitches - sigh. I had an Elna I dearly loved. The motor burned out and burned out and burned out - long story short - it is toast. Finally, 20 years later, I bought another one - it is not my favorite machine - this is not the same - it does not feel the same - it is a slightly different model, too. I've been ready to get it gone lately. I have a Phoenix that I am getting used to but it doesn't have the capacity to use a buttonholer or my nifty circle foot. The 403 doesn't do the circle foot - that leaves me back to the Elna that I don't love.

BTW my sister chews me out big time for having dirty sewing machines and gasp - posting a picture of it on the world wide web.... (401A I presume) You should have seen it when I got it... LOL Paint likes to flake off that one - I just leave it alone - maybe one day I will pretty it up. The inside was sprayed with WD40, Liquid Wrench was used, Kerosene, 3 in One oil - that baby is my experimental machine - I learned by trial and lots of errors what all NOT to use to unfreeze a stuck machine. If I can't be a good example, at least I can be a terrible warning. Go easy with cleaning... The 411G could use a bit more clean up, too but not so bad as that 401G - I always see more dirt, lint, dried up oil, finger prints AFTER I take a picture than before...

ArchaicArcane

Don't forget to oil the slide pins for the throat plate too. I had a "Stuck" 401A recently that had that as the final outstanding problem. Seized in solid. We literally ended up pounding it out. (I suppose a more patient person might have waited a few more days, but it really didn't seem like it was going to go without a little abuse.)

miriam

You just wait a couple days for the Tri-Flow will work - if it doesn't work hit it again with the oil.

Ombragrise

some of the 411 are named 411, and other 411M.What is the difference ? Minre is g, u supposed it was made in germany,but where does the other come from? i have also a wonderfull singer 431G Perfect mechanical, BUT MOTOR sEAMS CAPUT (so said the technician by singer); do uoi now if i can put her on a treaddle; Thanks for help.

ArchaicArcane

M is Malaysia, isn't it? G for Germany, J for St Jean Quebec, in Canada, K for Kilbowie Scotland, A for Anderson, South Carolina, USA,....

I think you'd be hard pressed to treadle a 431, there are no holes for the hinges to mount. You might be best off taking the motor from the 411 and put it in the 431 then treadle the 411.

That said, it's worth checking the motor brushes on the 431 before holding the funeral on it. So many technicians don't properly service or even check the motors.