401a
 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]405983[/ATTACH]Here is my treasure I found on Craiglist for $50. She is just beautiful. I have oiled her. And now she is moving (how fast do they go? She's a bit slower than I thought she would be. Unbeknownst to me, the drawers were full of originals....pinking sheers in original vintage boxes, an original singer buttonholed, a plastic carry case of every foot imaginable, and a darning foot still in it original packaging. I cannot get the two sets of knobs to move off of "A", I am hoping she just needs to loosen up a bit.

i did well, yes? Nice little sewing desk, too!

Wow. In a table! I got mine in a case from good will and have been working to loosen up those dials. My thread is "shall I get this machine". I got lots if great advice from this wonderful board and I think everything moves now. Good luck and keep us posted!

You did amazingly well! We all dream of getting a deal like this! A 401 is one of the last on my list to get. (A 301 long bed is another!) You two will have so much fun together! Be patient as my 201 I got last Friday was very stiff at first and is now zooming.

Thanks ladies, I could hardly wait to get home from work and get her out of the car. Stitch ripper, I followed that thread, almost at the edge of my seat, not knowing I'd luck out and find this one. I will go back and re-read and keep working at her clean up! Thanks :)

To get the knobs to free up you'll need to remove the top of the machine and clean, oil and grease everything that moves. The two vertical shafts with the sliders on them to the left of the cam stack are the cam disk selector shafts. These need to be free of any old sticky oil and oiled to stay free. Lots and lots of moving metal parts in the 401. They are oil hogs.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...nderthetop.jpg
O= oil G = grease

I recommend Tri-Flow oil for the oil places and Tri-Flow grease for the gears. Do not oil the gears, grease them.


Joe

If the motor is strong on the 401, it should be very quick and responsive. As Joe suggested, oil it quite a bit at first to free her up, then a drop or two every 5 bobbins or so. Don't forget the gears under the bed of the machine.

Thanks so much! And where does one find TriFlow? I will have to search tOmorrow at lunch. Thank you for the photo, also helpful.

Tri-Flow oil and grease is available at Sew-Classic: { http://www.shop.sew-classic.com/ }, and some bycycle shops carry the oil.

Joe

All great suggestions are listed above. (Aren't we a smart group? :) )

Just a note: When you want to move those dials you have to pull them towards you and then turn.

Actually you pull one and push the other. I don't have mine opened right now, but I believe you pull the lower one to turn and push the top one. You will like her once she is up and running. Love that little desk and all those fabulous goodies that came with her.