MFord

Yup. Went to Goodwill looking for some china since we have 9 for Thanksgiving and I only have 8 place settings. Someone will have to use a paper plate since I went straight for the sewing machine area and saw this nice 401a! No pics as it is still in the back of my car - can't lift it out by myself.

The machine looks very linty and dirty, so I'll have to do a little cleanup before I try it. It has the power cord and knee/foot pedal control and a bobbin, so that's good, but no manual or cams. Well, I can easily download the manual... I'll look at ebay for the cams. I hope this one works without too much fuss, as I already have too many that need looking at and worked on. Such fun, though!

I've seen lots of good reports on this machine. Hope to work on it this weekend!

SteveH

Woo Hoo! Congrats!

Macybaby

A 401A is always hard to pass up! Glad you brought it home so it won't spend Thanksgiving alone!

Mrs. SewNSew

You can use cams with a 401 but you don't need to. It has an internal cam stack. Nice find! I love 401's!

SewExtremeSeams

Oh, Margaret, you went out in the snow today? No wonder you came home with a machine. I have a 401A. It is a workhorse. A few years ago DH helped me with the weightiness of the boat canvas so I could repair a few seams. It worked like a charm and the motor hardly noticed it was working.

How much did you get your machine for? Happy Thanksgiving!

MFord

Internal cam stack??! Whoa! I definitely need the manual! Linda, I got it for $45. I think it's a Queen Anne cabinet - needs a little sanding and stain, but it isn't bad. Grr, got to finish "the quilt" before I mess with the machines. I'm at the binding stage, so I may just get it done before Christmas!

miriam

Most of the time the 401s come dirty, linty and with dried up oil in the moving parts. I have spent more time on those machines than average.

Manalto

Those 401s can be pretty seductive, especially dressed in a scanty price tag. It's my default machine; I use it for everything. I have to remind myself to use other machines, but I always come back to the Brown Hen. Congratulations on your find. I suggest kerosene to clean out the internals; it will dissolve any of that old, solidified oil.

ManiacQuilter2

Have fun cleaning her up. Sounds like you are going to have some fun during the holidays.

tessagin

Got mine at an estate sale. Not hard to clean or maintain. Mine was also in a cabinet. Came with cams and attachments and manual. Mine was $150.00. Cleaned it up right away and been awesome.