Singer 401/A
05-12-2011, 07:26 PM
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Montana
Posts: 847
I also inherited my mom's 401 that I learned to sew on beginning at about age 10. I need to get the serial number and date her but I think my mom got her in about 1957. I was so glad both of my sisters let me have her to go along with all my other machines. I would like just one more machine ~ a featherweight. (OH ~ not counting a long arm of course!)
05-20-2011, 09:51 PM
#22
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
Originally Posted by butterflylady54
Thank you for the input I will check into them further.
I am new to this site. maybe I will try to add pic's
I am new to this site. maybe I will try to add pic's
The New Home is probably a good machine.
The 401 if it works well is a good machine - if it doesn't work well, it can be repaired. Check with the vintage sewing machine page for repairs
05-21-2011, 04:03 AM
#23
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Frederick, OK
Posts: 2,031
The Model 401A was one of Singer’s best machines. My wife and I have 4 of them, and our daughter has the fifth one. Three of ours do “tag team” duty for my wife at our shop and at home. She sews daily at the shop, and nightly at home. A 401A is in use at each place, and the third one gets serviced and set on my work bench for the next rotation.
We picked up the fourth one when we got her Singer #430 "Profile" 3-Way Sewing Desk for our home. It was designed as an extra large desk for school use that combined a sewing table, a cutting table, and a school desk all in one. It has a 43 1/4" X 37 1/2" surface area with the leaf folded out. The machine folds down in the desk, and there’s an insert to cover the cut-out for a cutting table.
I named the 4th 401A machine “Weinie”, because of the sound that the motor makes when I take it up to top speed and let it wind back down (weeeeeeiiiiiiiinnnnniiiiiieeeee). The motor bearing lubricant dried up after years of non-use, and it will take a while for the oil that I added to it to soften it back up again. It’s a loud enough whine to be really annoying. It should quiet back down eventually and be another good machine. If not, I’ll stick another motor in it.
Non-use is probably the hardest thing on the 401A model, as with most other machines. If they don’t get used regularly, things get sticky, whether freshly oiled or not prior to storage. Nearly all of the 401A machines that I’ve come across have had sticky cam selector pins in them, so it’s common. Things can get bent if someone hauls one out of long-term storage and starts forcing the linkages.
Prices vary greatly from one area to another, so I can’t comment on that.
CD in Oklahoma
We picked up the fourth one when we got her Singer #430 "Profile" 3-Way Sewing Desk for our home. It was designed as an extra large desk for school use that combined a sewing table, a cutting table, and a school desk all in one. It has a 43 1/4" X 37 1/2" surface area with the leaf folded out. The machine folds down in the desk, and there’s an insert to cover the cut-out for a cutting table.
I named the 4th 401A machine “Weinie”, because of the sound that the motor makes when I take it up to top speed and let it wind back down (weeeeeeiiiiiiiinnnnniiiiiieeeee). The motor bearing lubricant dried up after years of non-use, and it will take a while for the oil that I added to it to soften it back up again. It’s a loud enough whine to be really annoying. It should quiet back down eventually and be another good machine. If not, I’ll stick another motor in it.
Non-use is probably the hardest thing on the 401A model, as with most other machines. If they don’t get used regularly, things get sticky, whether freshly oiled or not prior to storage. Nearly all of the 401A machines that I’ve come across have had sticky cam selector pins in them, so it’s common. Things can get bent if someone hauls one out of long-term storage and starts forcing the linkages.
Prices vary greatly from one area to another, so I can’t comment on that.
CD in Oklahoma
Singer 401A in Model 430 3-Way Sewing Desk
[ATTACH=CONFIG]200000[/ATTACH]
Singer 401A in Model 430 3-Way Sewing Desk
[ATTACH=CONFIG]200001[/ATTACH]
05-21-2011, 04:21 AM
#25
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
The numbers for them is:
401 (built in zigzag and other decorative stitches)
403 (my preference but needs a top hat to zigzag and do the decorative stitches - it also has more stitch width control than the 401 or the 500)
500 (built in zigzag - pretty much the same internals - just has a different body than the 401)
503 (also needs a top hat to zigzag - same as 403 inside but has a different body)
The 404 and the 301 have slant needles but straight stitch only. All but the 301 have a drop in bobbin. There are some other models of 400 series as well. I also have a 411G and a 401G. (they were made in Germany and they are a bit different) They are ALL excellent machines. The 401G was found in the trash and in horrible, horrible, horrible condition. I started messing with it anyway and sort of fell in love. At one point I took it in to a repairman to get a cord (he's 92 and still going strong) He looked at it and his eyes got big. He said he'd never seen the 401G. So we looked it over and he said that one was well worth fixing up! So I did - it took me a year and a lot of trial and error. I learned SSSSSOOOOOOO much. It works. I had to clean dog poo, cigarette smoke, rust, gunky oil, the whole thing was frozen up - nothing moved. Then I tried to put an old Necchi foot on it and threw the timing off (blush) I found a service manual for the 500 and learned how to do the timing, clean out the cam stack, etc. We pulled the motor and DH cleaned it up. That whole machine works slick now!
This is on the vintage page but I thought it might be interesting to put it on here as well.
401 (built in zigzag and other decorative stitches)
403 (my preference but needs a top hat to zigzag and do the decorative stitches - it also has more stitch width control than the 401 or the 500)
500 (built in zigzag - pretty much the same internals - just has a different body than the 401)
503 (also needs a top hat to zigzag - same as 403 inside but has a different body)
The 404 and the 301 have slant needles but straight stitch only. All but the 301 have a drop in bobbin. There are some other models of 400 series as well. I also have a 411G and a 401G. (they were made in Germany and they are a bit different) They are ALL excellent machines. The 401G was found in the trash and in horrible, horrible, horrible condition. I started messing with it anyway and sort of fell in love. At one point I took it in to a repairman to get a cord (he's 92 and still going strong) He looked at it and his eyes got big. He said he'd never seen the 401G. So we looked it over and he said that one was well worth fixing up! So I did - it took me a year and a lot of trial and error. I learned SSSSSOOOOOOO much. It works. I had to clean dog poo, cigarette smoke, rust, gunky oil, the whole thing was frozen up - nothing moved. Then I tried to put an old Necchi foot on it and threw the timing off (blush) I found a service manual for the 500 and learned how to do the timing, clean out the cam stack, etc. We pulled the motor and DH cleaned it up. That whole machine works slick now!
This is on the vintage page but I thought it might be interesting to put it on here as well.
05-21-2011, 04:22 AM
#26
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
I saw on line that the 401G can be hooked up to a treadle because of the openings in the base - it would need a different balance wheel though - there is info on line:
German Singer 401G:
http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/index.htm
and
making it a treadle:
http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/401G-...d-Electric.htm
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to treadle mine - that would be the BOMB!! I wonder where to get a balance wheel like that? Could one be made?
more on the 400G series
Same website different page
http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/German-400.htm
I also put this on the Vintage page
German Singer 401G:
http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/index.htm
and
making it a treadle:
http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/401G-...d-Electric.htm
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to treadle mine - that would be the BOMB!! I wonder where to get a balance wheel like that? Could one be made?
more on the 400G series
Same website different page
http://www.toolfool.org/sewing/German-400.htm
I also put this on the Vintage page
05-21-2011, 04:24 AM
#27
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
I have 5 or 6 cabinets like the one above in my garage. Mine are blonde. They came from a school. I think you could drive a truck over them. The back can go on top when the machine is folded down, the back can go straight down, or can go like in the pictures above. I've wondered about finding a way to make that back into an ironing board but it wouldn't fold over the top.
11-02-2011, 05:59 PM
#29
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Mesa AZ
Posts: 219
Originally Posted by miriam
401A is American made 401G is German made
Then there is the 400 series and 500 series.
There is 401, 403, 404 and I found a 411G
There is 500 and 503
Then there is the 400 series and 500 series.
There is 401, 403, 404 and I found a 411G
There is 500 and 503
11-03-2011, 06:41 PM
#30
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 147
I am a new 401 owner and am very impressed with my new old machine. It cam with all it's accessories in a Singer cabinet. Up here in Canada in my area I don't see the low prices even in the thrift shops taphat a lot of collectors in the States are reporting. Seems People are either saving their machines or charging big money for them.
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