Old Machines
05-07-2014, 11:46 PM
#1
Super Member
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,859
Old Machines
The tan Singer 401A is my mother's machine, and will be named Gilda. The blue Brother was my old machine from when I was a fairly young. Both need cleaning etc. The Brother has some rust damage in the bobbin area (flood in parents basement due to fire) and it wasn't taken care of at that time. Mother passed away last Oct and my brother brought both of these to me on his visit in Jan 2014. I hope to get both of them running eventually. Gilda will be going in for her update with my machine man in June. They may not be the machines most go after, but that 401A is known as a workhorse.
In high school, I used that old Brother to sew look-alike outfits for myself and 3 friends. That was 50 years ago. Skirts, pants, jackets to match the pants. Oh we thought we were something…
In high school, I used that old Brother to sew look-alike outfits for myself and 3 friends. That was 50 years ago. Skirts, pants, jackets to match the pants. Oh we thought we were something…
Last edited by tuckyquilter; 05-07-2014 at 11:49 PM.
05-08-2014, 05:29 AM
#4
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
Posts: 4,890
Both are great machines. There's plenty of people here who go for both of them. Thanks for showing us. I'd like to see the bobbin area too. If the rust isn't too severe it can be cleaned up.
Rodney
Rodney
05-08-2014, 07:18 AM
#5
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Mendocino County CA
Posts: 1,976
Nice machines. I would say no to a 401A if it shows up in my neighborhood! Getting to have the old machines that have been in your family is a blessing. I was lucky to get mine. One is in the house and I love using it, the other is waiting in the garage for my restoring skills to get just a bit better. 
05-09-2014, 06:55 AM
#8
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
On some of them if they are too rusted up in the bobbin area I replace the parts that come out and then just clean up the rest and wonder of wonder, the machines work. You can get slide plates and throat plates from Sew-classic.
05-09-2014, 06:09 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 613
Oh! I have a blue brothers just like yours! It's a beautiful machine and runs really well. Rust on the plate can be taken care of by aluminum foil and water. Wad up a ball of aluminum foil and dip it into water then scrub it. It'll make it shiny again. I picked that up from the American Restorations show on tv. It works well too. But only on the chrome parts not the blue parts.
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