Another one leaped out and grabbed me...Singer 401a
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! |
Woo Hoo! Congrats!
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A 401A is always hard to pass up! Glad you brought it home so it won't spend Thanksgiving alone!
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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!
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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! |
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!
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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.
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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.
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Have fun cleaning her up. Sounds like you are going to have some fun during the holidays. :)
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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.
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