I've had this machine since I was seventeen years old, when I left home and landed in Lihue, Kauai. The first thing I did was to go down to the Singer store in town and buy this machine for $75, which was a lot of money back then. It was the best investment I ever made. I made curtains and bed covers for my apartment with it out of Hawaiian bark cloth. Over the years, I've made all of my clothes with it, along with slip covers for my furniture, (and made more when the kids wrecked them,) dog beds, pillows, quilts, bikinis, purses, etc. I even made my dau's wedding dress...oh yeah...I made MY wedding dress with it too! I certainly wasn't going to let a little thing like a tension problem discourage me from getting it fixed right.
I'd recommend the 403A to anyone looking to buy a vintage machine. They just go and go. Plus, they have a strong motor and tons of stitches to play with. Thanks everyone for helping me get it back in service.
~ Cindy