Help with Singer 503 Special
 

Hi everyone! A friend found a Singer 503 machine for me at a garage sale for $10 so I figured it if works, great and if not, I've only lost $10. It looked really clean, but the wheel wouldn't turn all the way. I cleaned the bobbin area, oiled it really well and worked with it till I finally got it to sew. Took all day but it sews a really pretty seam. Unfortunately, I can't unstick the wheel I'd have to turn to wind a bobbin. It's like that and the wheel that makes the needle go up & down are fused together. Any ideas on how to fix this? There are little nicks in the paint around the wheel that made me think someone had tried a wrench on it. So, I did too, but couldn't get a grip, just made a couple more paint dings. Thanks for any advice you can give.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...80642063,d.cGE If this doesn't work, Google Singer 503 special youtube. All kinds of videos on it.

Thanks tessagin! The video shows how to wind the bobbin, which is helpful, but I can't get to that point because I can't loosen the wheel in order to wind it. It's frozen or stuck or whatever and no video that I've watched addresses this. Hoping someone can help. Thanks again.

If you are talking about the stop motion knob in the center of the hand wheel, the problem is probably that someone has cranked it down too tight to keep it from coming loose as they sewed.

Tri-Flow or other good penetrating oil. Heat from a hair drier, and a large jawed set of channel lock pliers with a piece of leather around the knob. It might take 4 hands too. Two for the pliers, two for the hand wheel.

I've had them that tight and they are hard to get off.

Once off a thorough cleaning followed by oiling and proper assembly of the clutch washer under the stop motion knob should fix the problem.

Joe

Yes! It's the stop motion knob. I knew there was a name for it! Thanks so much. I've got to find some trip-flow.

I use mechanic's gloves to get a grip
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I've had good luck by padding a heavy cardboard box with old towels, drip plenty of tri-flow around the small gap where the two wheels come together, turn the machine on it's nose with the handwheel up in the air, take the recessed screw out and keep dripping tri-flow into the hole until full and let it stand on it's head overnight. A box a bit smaller than the machine head holds it, so does an office size waste basket. The Dollar Store sells jar grips of round circles cut from the rubbery stuff shelf liners are made of. They are great for getting a grip. A few I've struggled (kenmore and singer slant) with seem to have sand in the threads. Over a period of time, it dawned on me that people used to store pincushions under the head and over time moths would devour the wool, leaving the grit and emery that got spread around as the machine was moved.

Oh, thank you all for these suggestions and the picture! Will try to post back my results some time in the future.

Can you not wind a bobbin on another machine? I would try occasionally try to get them unstuck but don't let it make you crazy:D

Of course you could just wind bobbins without loosening the stop motion screw.