Touch and Sew 600
 

There's a 600 in an estate sale within a mile of my house. It's in a small cabinet. They are asking $150.00, which I am definitely not going to pay. The closer it gets to Saturday at 3:00, the cheaper it will get.

Is the 600 that different than the 603, which is still on CL? The bobbin looks the same, although I'll take an empty bobbin and make sure it works. The lid on the top is no longer attached, which may mean the attaching screws are stripped. It has no attachments or cams, either.

I'd really like to have a Touch and Sew that will hold up. These are the first of the low 600 numbers that I've seen. I've been looking for about 6 months.

bkay

Found my answers. 600 has a built in cam stack + removable cams, 603 uses cams only - no built in cam stack. It's just like the 500 and 503. Otherwise, they are the same machine. Bobbins are supposed to be cranky on both.

I had a 778 (788?) that I donated to the school, and never had a problem with the bobbin winder. The kids are struggling with it at times. I guess I was just lucky.

Thanks,

bkay

Don't all of the T&S models have plastic gears? I had a T&S and after years, the gears wore out so my husband replaced them then, after years they went out again so I got rid of it. I'd never own another machine with plastic gears.

The 600 and 603 have metal gears.

I bought it. It may not be a good deal, as it has some problems. I paid $40.00, including the cabinet and stool, so I can't loose much. I've posted on the yahoo slant Singer list, hoping for some help.

The service manual is widely available. So all will be well, hopefully.

And YES, all appears to be metal, including the cam stack.

bkay

nice job of waiting for the price. Not a bad deal. What's wrong with it? Did you like your 700 series?

I donated my 778 to the school. It's never been a great machine. It's always had too much pressure on the presser foot. I've got it turned all the way down and it still skews the fabric on long runs. It's still in good condition, though. I'm donating the 758 to them, too. It has a cracked cam stack. It still works, though. I figured it was best if they had two alike, since they are just learning to use a sewing machine. I've told them not to have the machines repaired when they die.

On the 600, the needle bar is loose. According to Roy, "If it's freely swinging, something in the linkage isn't properly connected."

I need to download the service manual and see what I can do. I'm getting handier with a screwdriver after a few small repairs. Hopefully, I can fix this. I have been watching for a 600 or 603. Maybe this is it.

bkay

The issue with plastic gears have been up for discussion before, but I can't find the posts. I think there have turned up both all metal machines and with plastic gears with the same model number. For the later models 600 numers and up it seems we have to check the machine individally. Some plastics have lasted better than others too, that's a factor to be considered. In some cases there are both plastic and metal gear replacements available. I'm not too strict on plastic parts, since my favorite zigzagger has a few.

Singer machines began to decline in quality in the early 1960s, because of competitive pressure. Their policy of making machines that would last a lifetime (or two) became one of planned obsolescence. They cut corners and used cheaper materials. The 600 is the last vestige of Singer's famous quality.

So far, not looking good. I found a repair ticket from 1972 for a warranty repair. It says, bobbin will not stay in case, AL setting is not in adjustment, and bobbin fills incorrectly. If it sold in 1972, that would indicate it was used then, wouldn't it?

Oh well, if it's a dud, it won't be my first mistake.

bkay