Hopefully bringing a Singer 401g back from a long sleep
 

Hello,
My grandma died a few years ago and I found her old sewing machine, a Singer 401g.
I can sew by hand but never used a sewing machine, but since I'm absolutely fascinated by them I decided to try and bring this one back to life.
I never remember my grandma using and my mom only remembers the machine working when she was a child, it's safe to assume it hasn't been used for 40 years at least.
By reading this forum I already learned a few things about it, and now for now before even attempting to make it move, I'm going to clean it up and oil every single moving part.

Things I know:
- Hasn't been moved, cleaned or oiled in 40+ years
- It was set up on a treadle, I have the base and it had a belt that snaped as soon as I tried reaching the machine.
- It's very dirty of old dried oil. I think the oil leaked form the machine and soaked the bottom of the plate.
- It's missing the cord and pedal that comes with it. Could it have been used without power?

What follows are some pictures of the machine as I got it:
https://i.ibb.co/0qydK2D/IMG-4595-1.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/xqTxbgW/IMG-4599-2.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/4SZZ5pT/IMG-4610-4.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/4YwVVGh/IMG-4613-5.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/17T5zgs/IMG-4615-6.jpg

I don't remember where, but I have read about someone taking apart one of these models part by part and rebuilding, but that's a huge project.
The only "cleaning" tip I can suggest is using a heat source, such as a hair dryer, to loosen up old oil. I have needed to do this only once on a machine, and I could tell it was working because it began to move, without too much force, as things warmed up.

:O that's a huge project. I'm afraid if I attempted such a thing I would be left with a bag of spare parts.
Thank you for the tip, it's a really good idea.
​​​​​​I was planning on using WD-40, toothbrush and rags to remove the old oil and then removing and cleaning out the Wd-40 to finally oil it up properly with the appropriate oil.
Weirdly enough I was expecting to see gummed up oil on every part and it doesn't seem that bad..

I would search the board for opinions on using WD-40, some people speak favorably, others not. I think most people use oil, only sewing machine oil, to clean up oil, and WD-40 is not the same as oil.

Thank you, I'll stick to machine oil for the cleaning. Hopefully tomorrow morning I'll start the cleaning process.

I usually use wd40 to clean grease and old oil in my job, so it comes naturally to me and I didn't even consider it could harm the machine.

I think that you'll enjoy using that machine once it's fixed up. I love all of the Singer 400s and have sewn on a 403A most of my life. There are some sticky messages about cleaning old machines that you should read. One thing that I remember from this board is that sewing machine oil is great for cleaning and you can't harm a machine by using it. There's lots more tips, especially from "Skip." Have fun!

How are you doing?

As you mention, WD-40 can be a help if there are lots of stubborn hardened grease, but for lubrication you need a better oil. You can get far with basic sewing machine oil, my favorite is Finish Line Ceramic Wet lube (gold cap), it is light, dissolves old grime and dirt very well, and make parts runs a notch smoother than most oils. Another favorite for vintage machines is Tri-Flow, both the oil and the grease. There are lots out there but generally these are the only ones I can safely recommend. They will work ideallly in the long run. This model takes grease on the open gears.

Several of the light spray can oils can help to speed up the initial clean up process, but be extra careful to wipe off and apply a good oil frequently, even daily oiling and test sewing for a period. The 401 will respond to thorough cleaning and repeated oil applications, test sewing, moving levers and knobs, etc. With this model it takes a bit of effort to make new oil seep to the inners of joints, gears and hinges. As oil oil start to dissolve, it takes repeated oiling and wiping off excess to flush out all sticky grime.

You machine looks a bit dirty, tan machines often do. Old oil mess cause staining like that. On the pluss side, it looks it is in very good condition under there.

This is one of the best tutorials on the 401, and there are a couple of very good threads on this forum too.

Thank you so much. This place is an amazing source of information.
A lot of people love these machines it seems.
Hopefully in a couple of weeks it will be running smoothly and I'll be sewing my fingers together.

Thank you for asking Mickey. I'm doing well. How are you?
That link is so useful, thank you so much.

I don't know tri flow I only have generic sewing machine oil (I use it at work and the bottles are recent). I might get the tri flow if I can find it. But do you think the generic one okay for cleaning at least and first oilings?

It's really dirty but I'm hoping it will be easy to clean and the outside will look as good as the inside. My grandpa was a machinist so I'm sure the machine was well oiled and cleaned while he was alive.

Andytube on YouTube has very detailed step by step videos on how to clean and service the 401.

Looks like you have a treadle version of this machine
http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/401G-...d-Electric.htm

Thank you!
Those videos have been really useful.

I suspected that. I have the base and the pedal for it. Is the treadle the base+pedal/cabinet? Or just what you call the way it operates.

Generic sewing machine oil should be fine, even in the long run. The less additives the better. I guess we just try to find the very best of the old machines, but it's still arguable how much we can improve on a basic good quality oil. Some additives have shown to cause trouble in the long run. I think Singer made a point of using their own oil, but it was a purified, acid free mineral oil, neither to thin or too thick, no additives at all. I think it was the equivalent of SAE10.

I have a beige aluminium 201, the same paint as your 401, it polished up very nicely with autoglym super resin polish (for cars). It's the liquid type that dries to a whitish film, and then buffs of with a cloth. Many brands make a similar.

Welcome. It warms my heart to see those that return heirlooms to their original purpose. I didn't realize that in order to treadle a 401 that it needed a different hand wheel, until read http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/401G-...d-Electric.htm This morning I found https://www.quiltingboard.com/vintag...g-t184470.html and https://www.quiltingboard.com/vintag...s-t211311.html

Treadle is defined as "a lever worked by the foot that imparts motion to a machine." I think of a treadle as not only the method of operation, but the necessary parts that make said lever work. I work in a sheet metal shop that has an old press brake that is operated by a foot bar lever. I don't remember what the label says, but I remember reading something about "treadle" on it. I'll have to look at it a little harder.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
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The pedal and cord are probably just missing. You need replacements. Don't bother about treadling a 401 unless it came as it originally. There are plenty of original trealde setups ot there if you need one.

LOL. Janey (or John), I have to say, I know what a treadle is, but I would just describe it as a sort of manually pedalling the machine in stead of motor ;- ) Not ideal words chosen for an official manual, but...

I guess I should have quoted #10 -"Is the treadle the base+pedal/cabinet? Or just what you call the way it operates."

From post #1 "- It was set up on a treadle," and the pictures indicate that it doesn't have any of the electrical stuff in the bottom.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

I rescued one of these a while back with very little knowledge and the folks here helped me a lot to get it up and running

https://www.quiltingboard.com/vintag...e-t216956.html

[QUOTE=OurWorkbench;8417542]...From post #1 "- It was set up on a treadle," and the pictures indicate that it doesn't have any of the electrical stuff in the bottom.../QUOTE]

I noticed the missing parts too, but I noticed the belt guard until now A 401 with an original treadle set up is definitely worth keeping intact. It means that nothing is missing, sorry I missed that.

Wonderful news:
After 4 hours of cleaning the insides with machine oil and a lot of rags and paper towels I'm happy to say all moving parts are moving! Work is not even close to done but it's no longer frozen. I didn't have to force anything as soon as the old oil was removed and new oil permeated the joints things just started moving.

Good to know! I understand you a lot goes into oil especially for machines with such minuscule tolerances the right oil can mean a lot more years of service.
I assume the people here run away from 3 in 1 it's a great product for certain things, but it builds up over the years and it's hard to remove if left to dry.

​​​​​​Thank you. I think objects like this should always be kept in working order, used and treasured. These were probably incredibly expensive at the time and something that often was bought thinking of the future.
​​​​​​
In that case I'm a proud owner of a treadle too, tomorrow I'll poat pictures.
​​​​​
​​​​​​Exactly John and Janey. It's missing a motor and was set up as a treadle. I have the treadle and the belt (unfortunately it snaped) I just removed the machine from it to make cleaning easier.

I always prefered eletrical, but I think it is all about what you get used to. I have never had a chance to work much on treadles. Some here love and use their treadles, and have developed a fanstastic feel for the needle and feed dogs movements you really only can get on a threadle.

I've never tried electric or treadle but I do have memories associated with treadle machines. When I was a kid I us to use my great grandmother's sewing machine as a desk and would keep my feet on the pedal. I'm excited to fix it and try my hand at machine sewing.

Update time, but first here's a picture of the treadle:
https://i.ibb.co/Km70Wh2/IMG-4620-1.jpg

Here's the machine after two days of cleaning and oiling. Everything moves, however, the stitch type knob works smoothly for a bit then gets stiffer, the problem is the push pull system. I assume it will get better with more oil and use.
The switch to change from the sew to clean position in is also harder to move and sometimes the bed gets stuck in the up position, but this is also getting better with time.

Thank you everyone for all the help and advice.

https://i.ibb.co/RcZ03XC/IMG-4621-2.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/KWjThwT/IMG-4623-4.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/cgYMg1Y/IMG-4622-3.jpg

Wow! That's coming along nicely.

Great job!, it looks perfect. The treadle irons looks like they are in very nice condition too.

The knob is notorious for needing exasperating repetitions of oiling, ...daily, for weeks on end in the worst of cases. You machine probably is probably on the easy side. It looks like it's in very nice condition, no excess oil or grime mess. There are tutorials for taking off the knob, as well as the cam stack, but unless there's rust or lots of dried up grease, regular oiling should do the job.

Best of luck

Thank you!

Thank you so much.

​​​​​​The treadle is in great shape just in need of a cleaning.
​​​​​
I've read here about that knob being difficult.
I'm trying to avoid removing it for now, but I'm seriously tempted to do it. Would make things definitely easier

Do you have any tips on how to remove old dissolved oil that's collecting on the bottom of the machine? I've been using paper towels to absorb it, but it's time consuming and I'm always afraid of the paper ripping and leaving some behind. Is it ok to flip the machine upside down? In order to drain it.

Personally I have used paper towels, strips of old rags twisted around a wooden skewers. I have sometimes come across extra large cotton swabs, those are good. I tend to use heaps of cotton swabs on a machine. I guess you just have to get inventive. It is time consuming, I don't think there are any way about it. Having the machine on the side or up side down should not be a problem in my mind, it is harder to poke around in there though and be carefull not to damage knobs or hinges that can't take the weight of the machine. Compressed air? I know you often have to look far and wide to find a repair guy who does a thorough cleaning and service on these machines.

Look at that baby...it's beautiful!

Get some 90% rubbing alcohol or kerosene to get those last bits. Soak up the excess with anything absorbent that suits you. What remains will evaporate. Don't get the alcohol on the red lever, as it will take off the paint.

Looks like a great machine in really nice shape. You are doing a great job.

bkay

edit: unscented lamp oil is just plain kerosene, available from Walmart

Isn't it? :) Time well spent bringing it back.
Tomorrow is back to cleaning and oiling and starting on the treadle.

Good call on the skeewers+rags, thank you. Those extra long cotton swabs would be sweet, but no such thing around here.
I've found myself wishing I had a compressor way to many times.


Thank you! I was afraid of the rubbing alcohol and the paint on the dials good to know the only problem is the red lever.

I also would love the polish up the badges but I'm afraid steel wool might remove the markings on them. Do you have any experience with this?

​​​​​

Never steel wool on anything, exception would be bare rusted metal. Chromed parts don't need it. You could try gentle polishing on the oval badge, I would not use anything more abrasive than liquid car polish, and test a tiny spot with cotton swab first. The whitish part is gritty, and lifts up grime. The numbers and decor on the stitch lenght lever back plate is usually delicate, I can't remember exactly how the paint is on the 401. I expect gold trims to be delciat, the beige paint is rather tough. If a badge is a bit dull, it might be wear, not grime, best leave it alone, just the gentlest of cleaning. Badges on some machines are soft metal and would scratch, the paint is often even softer, unlike the chromed parts.

I think I would try metal polish. I've used it extensively on sewing machines, but not on the badge. That would still be my first choice.

I have to admit that I am afraid of the auto polish, although everyone says to use it. I have a black 301 that needs that, but it's still sitting there.

bkay

Thank you. Liquid car polish worked. It didn't make brand new, but that's not what I wanted either. It's an old machine and despite the good condition you can tell it has a few years on it, badges being too shiny would look wrong. It cleaned them up and increased contrast which is what I wanted.

The badges on this machine appear to be brass that's etched and painted, the painting makes me weary of anything abrassive.

Metal polish should work well too.
I used liquid polishing on the whole machine without any problem or scratches, mine is a very delicate polish. I've use it on musical instruments without issues. So I felt more comfortable using it. However it's always a bit scary.

Polishes vary a lot, I have had metal polishes starting to dissolve paints (like on Elnas), you can't go by random choice, you have to get the right stuff for the job. I lean towards furniture polishes suitable for shellac, or resin type car polishes. On very special machines I would hardly dare anything but gentle cleaning. I allow a few signs of wear and age, I don't mind. I do touch ups of chips and if there are spots where the paint is missing or very worn. A machine should be in bad shape before I do a refinish and complete stripping of the old paint. I tend to avoid too much rust or damaged chrome. I clean off all grime and dirt, usually with a bit of effort, and it takes a few turns of cleaning and polishing before I get there. Maybe a bit of dissasembly here and there too. I poke around with tooth picks, cotton swabs,...

It looks like your machine is cleaning up very well. Any test stiching, or new leather belt?

Wd40
 

I would avoid using wd40 as it has chemicals that are unnecessary and left overs will continue to break down oil. Instead, use kerosene, that was recommended at the time and several SM mechanic experts recommend it. I use a kerosene alternative, called klean heat, it doesn't have the smell. Just my opinion. Good luck!! Reba

No test stitching yet, altough I can't wait. I still need to clean the treadle. Today I cleaned the machines covers.
I'll be needing a new belt definitely. The original one snapped close to were both ends join so with any luck I'll be able to cut the broken part and make a new joint.
Then it's a matter of learning how to thread the line and work the machine.

Thank you Reba. I was fortunately able to get rid of all the old oil using only sewing machine oil.

Jay, learning to treadle is a skill in itself. practice long enough before you thread it that you can carry on a conversation while keeping the machine spinning the correct way. if you reverse directions when threaded you will snap the thread.

Thank you. I've been watching videos and it seems like a lot of skill and practice goes into it. I just couldn't understand if the thread breaks if you too fast, don't keep a good rythm or because if you just let go of the treadle the needle moves back and snaps the thread. The problem with watching talented people is that they make everything look easier than it is.

I have only done a little bit of treadling, but I dare say it is within doable. You can go full speed, with zigzag patterns you do that some times. the tricky thing is the large wheel on the treadle can end up turing the wrong way. That is part of the learning process, just make sure you start by guiding the wheel the correct way on the first stitches and after everytime you stop and start again. A steady pace is preferable, it is not too difficult and don't worry. The machine does most of the job regarding stiching and fabric feed, thread snapping should not be a problem and you only need the really fine tuned skills for freemotion like quilting and embroidery.

Quite a change in a short amount of time. Good for you!
0xygen tubing, aquarium tubing, window screen spline, can also be used as a treadle belt alternative. A leather treadle belt can usually be found online for under $10.00.

Looking forward to seeing the treadle 401 finished https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/thumbup.png

Thank you Mickey and WIChix. I'll order some treadle belt from Amazon and some needles while I'm at it.

Thank you. For now it's on Amazons court, but as soon as I'm finished I'll post about.

Meanwhile here's a before and after of the wood top and a shot of the assembled machine+treadle.

https://i.ibb.co/pQ8m4pY/20200915084345-IMG-4628.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/zmLrtFp/20200915170246-IMG-4650.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/HdTBhBQ/20200915174628-IMG-4657.jpg

Beautiful, very well done. What did you use on the wood?

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.