My wife uses a Singer 401A every day at our shop. We have two 401A machines, so that one is on the shelf ready if a problem arises with the one in use, and also gives me time to service one while the other is being used. One of the machines has sort of been a little “problem child” from the time that we found it at a moving sale. It hadn’t been used in a very long time, and the motor bearings were dry and complained loudly when I was getting it limbered back up. It got the nickname “Weenie” because of the loud “Weeeeeeee-Neeeeeeee” sound that it made when initially speeding the motor up and letting it coast back down. It quieted down after a little oil worked its way in, but the nickname stuck.
Weenie has been a fairly good sewing machine, but has been giving us a recurring problem on occasion when it suddenly starts breaking the top thread at the bobbin case. I’ve fiddled with the clearance setting of the position bracket several times, and it will be problem-free for a long time, just to act up again. This time, I’ve swapped the position bracket out with one from another machine. The one that was in it is unlike any that I’ve seen before, so I’m wondering if it came from a different model machine or is a reproduction. Anyone seen one made like this? (see arrow in photo)
CD in Oklahoma