Singer 404 - A Repair or Cleaning Problem?
Hello, All! I just purchased a 1959 Singer 404 straight stitch for $30 from a thrift store today. The motor runs but the hand wheel won't turn after engaging the clutch, so it will not sew, it seems frozen. I've read that the vintage machines are easy to maintain and repair at home but I'm not sure it's something I myself can fix. as my talents are few when it comes to fixing mechanical items. It appears to have been sitting stored for some time, as it is rather dirty around the outside seams of the machine, and after removing it from a cabinet at the store, I could see that it has very heavy "dirty" dust around the bottom. I opened the front top face plate and it looked pretty clean inside there, i.e., no rust at all. I watched an on-line video about removing the face plate from the bottom of the machine to look at the mechanics inside there, but I have not done that because I thought I would ask you folks if this is a simple matter of oiling or cleaning, or did I buy something that cannot be fixed at all? Thank you in advance for any advice you may be able to give me.