Singer 503a Twins
 

couldn't resist when i saw the CL ads. nice looking twins, right ? tried to hold back but for the price i might as well grab it. my first zigzag singers. i myself was surprised to find out that the one with table and all accessories is way cheaper than the portable one (without the cover and all). when i got home i found out that the one with table had a broken presser foot cover. common problem of this model....do you know of any place i can get one ??? thanks.

I don't understand your reasoning that the one in portable case is more expensive than the one in a table. Is it because you found one on ebay or elsewhere that someone was trying to sell at a higher price?

When you say broken presser foot cover, do you mean the hinged face plate on the left end of the head? I've heard of someone making a new hinge from a bent wire or paperclip and glueing it to the head. Seems to me that someone who owns a dremel tool and likes to tinker should be able to come up with a solution.

elnan - yes, it's the hinged door. i wanted to get just the one on the table since it is cheaper but when i found out about the hinged door issue i decided to get the other one. they are both reasonably priced but the price of the cheaper 503 in my mind will justify my reasoning for getting the more expensive one. also when i was there getting the expensive 503, she threw in 2 rolls of 12"x48" veneer wood (cost $38 each) that i can use for rehabbing my singer cabinets. the cheaper 503 has all these accessories included:

Sew Classic sells the pin for the door if that is all you need to fix it. I found you could use a short piece of metal rod and some JB Weld and get a good repair. There is even a tut on-line somewhere if you google around. http://sewing-machines.blogspot.com/...ge-repair.html

thanks for the link. i think i can try this repair. appreciate it.

I understand that the problem with the broken door hinge is common on the 503. I know the door can be expensive to replace, so it is worth trying to fix if you can.

BTW, your machines look fantastic in the picture. I didn't know that the Rocketeer came in a portable style.

With or with out the little door the machine will still sew. Those are really nice machines no matter what. :thumbup:

The lift up top has similar issues so be careful with it too.

Cari

i was able to swap the one from the portable 503a. it looks like the expensive one is becoming the parts machine.

and you would think that since this is an all metal sewing machine, the design of the door hinge would have been robust but it's not. i still have the pin and looks like a bit of a hole is still intact so this can be fixed. just wondering how tough the epoxy glue is when it's dried. thanks.