I figured out how to put the finger back in easily. If you look at the video, you tried installing it, then rotated it 90*, if you rotate it 90* one more time it goes together very easily. Hope this helps, don't know how else to describe it.
Nicely done! 👍 I pinned your comment to the top for others to read right away. Thanks for sharing that. You are quite the puzzle master. I think it's about time to share some of these great ideas and your experiences in your own videos. Don't think you can't do it.😀 When I started 5 years ago I had no idea how to go about it, and now I have over 2.5 million views on my channel. I never thought anyone would be as interested as I am about these vintage machines or be able to stand me rambling on about them. You can record even with just a cellphone and directly load to your TH-cam Channel and do a lite edit there. You control if the video is public, unlisted, or private so it gives you a chance to practice. Most video editing software can be used for free as a trial so you can find one you like, or there are also some for totally free (I've been told) I use a 6 Y.O. version of Corel I bought for $25. Just think about it. The number of people posting vintage sewing machine videos has exploded, so why not you? Nothing to lose but your time. Some channels are takeoffs of mine, albeit with better lighting and software; younger people are amazing to me. (copying is the sincerest form of flattery, thanks people 👀) Just think of the fun you could have sharing your new sewing machine adventure as you do more and more models (and chances are you will, at the rate you are going.) If you ever put up a video you make public, let me know and I'll share it on my channel. Happy Happy.
@@andytubesewing1953 I tried for several minutes to separate them, and finally gave up. I took them to the sink to degrease/clean them. Rinsed them off and dropped them into a towel and they separated. I knew there had to be an easier way.
@@andytubesewing1953 I saw the first few lines of this earlier and thought that was all there was. Didn't see the part about doing videos. I will think about it, but I don't stay focused on one thing for very long. Usually a few months, then I'm off to something else. I use youtube as a tool and learning aid when I can't figure it out, and lots of times there are tips and shortcuts that save more time than it took to watch the video. . I'm sure my wife's New Home plastic gear that's 40+ years old will be retired now. I know it's been in the shop at least 5-6 times over the years, having gears replaced, timing issues, etc. She will probably retire the Singer that I bought her a few years ago when she first started quilting. Almost all her sewing is straight stitching, so she can save them for when she needs to zig-zag, or some other fancy stitch. Thanks again, Ken
@@customcutter100 No worries, and I get it. A rolling stone gathers no moss, right? I just felt you're a good candidate for the videos with the backgrounds you're coming from. Experience is a great teacher. I never knew how much I knew until I started training new employees for Telcom. It's been a pleasure, Sir. Stop by anytime.
Thank you so much for making these videos. It helps me to really understand what is described in the maintenance manual! Thanks to you I can use my machine again.
Thank you Andy for this great video. My 403a came to me with a bent hook. I followed your video to remove and replace. Took 2 weeks to get the set screw on gear to break free. I think I was just nervous. Most amazing was my hook to needle timing was perfect right off the bat. Was I just super lucky? Thanks for putting these videos together for us❤️
Yes, you should buy a MegaMIllions Lotto Ticket right away, hehe. I'm a little bit surprised the timing was not lost from whatever bent that hook, but it is a strongly built model. My favorite Heavy Duty ZZ model. I'm glad you found the video. I appreciate that you repaired the machine to keep it in service. 🙏
I just bought a 403a on an online auction (sight un-seen) and it did not sew. I watched your 2 videos and was able to de-assemble, clean and fix the timing on it! Thank you! It sews beautifully and creates a beautiful stitch. Now to sell my Rocketeer 500a and a 128-3.
Nicely done, Susanna. I'm glad you found my videos. I love the 403A. I have a playlist with 25 videos for it: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html Almost every machine I've worked on had a dirty commutator on the motor. On the 403A you can clean it inplace for about $10 and speed up your motor back to factory new speed: th-cam.com/video/pzq4tv8qn94/w-d-xo.html Thanks for the nice comment, and happy sewing.
@@andytubesewing1953 Thank you! I will look into those video. The machine was hardly used and I think "broke" early on in its life. I believe, I have a new machine that sat for many years. But with your help and excellent video, I was able to fix the timing and the grime in the bobbin area that probably lead to the issues it had. Some areas were super clean and some other areas were full of oil that shouldn't have had oil. I am so happy to have found your videos. Thank you again
Thanks Andy! I was able to successfully remove, clean and replace the hook and finger in my 401A (dirtier than I had expected) and I was also successful in re-timing the needle, all using your video. Took a few times to get the hook re-timed properly but as always, your instructions were clear and unambiguous. So I am now ready to take on the next task in restoring my machine.
Nicely done, Gail. Those are two of the more complicated procedures to do, especially for the first time. I'm happy my videos are helping and love that you are saving/rehabbing the machine.
In Part II you accomplished both objectives & solutions to your usual standard and a high one it is, too! The value of your videos is hard to quantify. Thank You Mike Kirwan - Kenmore, WA
Your comments always make me want to start another series of videos. Thanks for your kindness, and for watching my channel. Glad you survived your recent heatwave. Take care.
Thanks so much for your excellent videos. Everything is so clearly explained. I wouldn’t love my 401 as much if I hadn’t discovered your recordings. I learn (and sometimes re-learn) something every time I watch one!
Great video. I’ll take a hook out of my practice slant machine and see how it goes. If all good I’ll do my 411 and 401. Thanks, love your narrative when showing what you are doing, very informative
thank you and that's great that you have an old practice machine That's the perfect way to approach these type of remove and replace actions I'm sure you can do it and it'll be interesting to see what you find under that hook in your practice machine Good luck and thanks so much for watching my channel
I'm so relieved! I have Singer 403 Special. I took my bobbin case out like the manual said to clean, but had not put it back in properly. So, the machine was not working right and skipping stitches. Thanks to your video it's sewing okay now! Thank you so much.
I'm glad you found the video. Then the first couple times you put the case back in. It's a little weird. It was for me anyway, so you're definitely not alone. Thanks for the nice comment and happy sewing
Hi Andy, first thank you for all of the videos that you post! They are very detailed, easy to follow and understand. I recently acquired a 403a that was locked up solid. I put WD-40 Super Penetrant on everything and let it soak for a week applying more WD-40 daily. After a week of soaking it still wouldn't budge. Upon closer inspection, as I jiggled the hand-wheel I observed the gears underneath had slight movement except for the rotating hook gear. This gave me an idea to remove the gear and rotating hook and that was the culprit! So following this two part series on the rotating hook my new (to me) 403a runs smooth and operates perfectly again. Note: this machine has the "lint pin" on the positioning finger so I left it on there. I also discovered that it's a little easier to install the positioning finger where the "half moon" cut-out is on the rotating hook. Thanks again, Gene.
It's good to hear the videos are helpful. Thanks very much for saving that machine and getting it back in service. I appreciate you watching my channel. All 27 of my Model 403A videos are in this Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html Happy sewing.
This was great Andy, thank you. Your uploads help me keep my 403a going along with the confidence to tackle the job myself. (still worried about that damaged top cover screw!)
You're welcome and thanks for watching. The top cover screws will be my next video. I started the storyboard today and found the tool I will use. You're going to be surprised I think!
I know this video is from a while back. I’m so glad I found this video! I have 2 of the 401A machines. One bought and one found. The one bought has a problem with power issues. Won’t go and then finally goes too fast once it does. I did thoroughly clean both, so not sure why it’s still doing this. The other one has a feed dog issue, not grabbing material and feeding it. That one was horribly dirty with lots of lint. I’m going to follow what you’ve done in both these videos and see if I can get one of them to run perfect. I sought them out due to the rave reviews of being a work horse. Im reupholstering my furniture and need something stronger than my Janome. Thanks again for showing us how DIY. Checked with local repair guy. Way too expensive to just clean it. Let alone trouble shooting and repairing.
Hi, Judith. You can do all the repairs on this machine, no worries. I don't think the hook has anything to do with the problems you mention, but go ahead and clean it if you like. Here is my latest playlist of videos for the 401A: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKLiDl9yFTP6mJgQmz5lj4NO.html About your power issues, what you describe is a classic signal the foot controller needs servicing. Here is a playlist showing how to do that: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKL6ePPxLpmnWSzTyxPKTb71.html A slight chance the commutator on the motor needs cleaning, too. Here is a video showing how to do that in 5 minutes for $10 th-cam.com/video/pzq4tv8qn94/w-d-xo.html Your power issue is more likely the foot pedal, but cleaning the motor is easy and really increases power. Finally, the feed dog. You may need to clean/adjust the presser bar system: th-cam.com/video/qNURZmUPraA/w-d-xo.html Once you are sure the presser bar works properly, you can check the feed dog height th-cam.com/video/Du-W1k_qHHI/w-d-xo.html Good luck, Judith, and thanks for watching my channel.
Okay, I bought the nail polish at the supermarket yesterday. In my neck of the woods, color Coral Reef was labeled as #239. The store shelf had a marking "239/405 Sally Hansen, Hard As Nails", etc. It's looks like the same stuff. In the 404 that I'm replacing the hook, who ever had the machine before me put a long scratch across the metal of both gears where they meshed, so I at least know the gears are meshed properly (I hope) now. I like your method of using nail polish much better; it's much more visible, so I'll remark these gears with the nail polish. I won't be replacing the hook for awhile, but I'm ready to do it!
Haha, good job. Two of the retired Singer guys told me it was common to "scratch" the gear mesh if they needed to take them off. They said, "if you see that scratch you can bet the gears were off the machine at least once, for whatever reason." I like the polish b/c you can remove it with polish remover if you want to. Thanks for watching and I know you will be successful replacing the 404 hook. Take Care.
@@andytubesewing1953 With your wonderful instruction, I have successfully replaced the defective hook in my 404. The defective hook sat a little too high, and whoever had the machine before me pushed the hook bushing down, so that this defective hook would fit. So I had to loosen the screw that holds the hook bushing (scary!) and push the bushing up just a little bit and then tighten that screw, so my replacement hook (from my parts 401A machine) fit properly. And then, the hook bracket assembly needed to be pushed to the right so it was snug against the lug (V8). Luckily the bracket set screws were not stuck, and the assembly easily moved. And I put the gear mesh back to factory setting with the set screws to the gears lining up; they were not when I began, and did not notice it, so my nail polish markings are not matching now either. Luckily, the gears sound smooth, and I don't think I need to use that gear meshing compound (boy that sounds messy!). Whew, thanks again. I could have never done anything like this without your expert help.
Hello Andy, my hook seems far from my needle, and when stitching stretch fabric it often skips. Timing has been adjusted to be perfect and everything works great on every other fabric types. Is there a way to adjust spacing between hook and needle? Thank you!!!
You are on the correct path thinking of such an adjustment. Knit fabrics were just coming to the marketplace around the time these models did. Singer became aware of the "Knit Skipping" problem and describes a way to adjust the hook TOWARDS the needle. If you can paraglide I know you can do this fix 😀 It is on page 144 of the Model 401A Service Manual available for a FREE download at this link from the Sewing Dude: sewingdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/singer-401-service-manual1.pdf There is a White Paper around sewing circles written by a retired Singer Man who said they got the best result by adjusting the hook even closer that the manuals advises. He said they would carefully adjust until the needle just barely, barely kissed the hook, and when dead quiet you could just barely hear a Schwing or zing sound. Good luck and I hope that helps you with your problem. Thanks for watching my channel.
@@andytubesewing1953 Thank you so much for this valuable piece of information! To be honest I was poking around for a week or so and could not find a suitable solution to move the rotary hook. I ended up damaging the hook while skipping on a screw and decided to find an organ donor. I found a 402G in poor condition nearby and bought it for 30 euros, I figured I would give me all the parts I would need for life. Everything is back in working order, I will now adjust the position of the hook thanks to you! Let me know if there is a way to buy you a beer (paypal, venmo or other). Cheers
@@dronemotioncom That's a great price for a parts machine! I have heard feedback from a handful of viewers who made the adjustment successfully and hope it solves any problems you have there. Thanks a lot for the offer, 🙏but just pay it forward and do a favor for someone and tell them Andy said welcome. Take care.
My 401a has the delint pin, and I keep having the upper thread wrapped around it and I've tried everything to stop this from happening. I am so happy to learn from you that this little bar is the cause of my problem. Hope I can pull it out as I have no grimder 😣
Thank you for the video! I’ve had an issue for years on my 401A with the top thread getting caught around the lint clearing pin on the finger positioning arm. Going to try to remove the pin and hope that solves the issue! Thanks again!
Well, this machine still vexes me! After removing the pin, I’m still having issues. I’m now thinking it might be some weird tension issue after all. My top thread is still getting looped around the finger position arm and then breaking. The weirdest part is that it’s super inconsistent. Sometimes it happens constantly, sometimes not for hours of sewing. I do notice that right when it is about to jam up, the thread spoil kind of jumps a little bit, and then the next stitch or so is when the thread will break. Have you heard of any such problem before?
I've only seen some pictures and videos of the 401G. It does have an interesting bobbin winder. I've had many emails about it and owners tell me my 404, 403A and 401A videos have helped them a lot. Also, they said the Service Manul I linked them to worked great for the German Slant machines. If you'd like a free Singer 401A, 403, 404 Service Manual you can find it at this link: sewingdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/singer-401-service-manual1.pdf Thanks for watching my channel, Carol, and take care.
Thanks again for all your hard work. Have you ever run into or have any idea why, on a timed machine, it might skip stitches while on the right setting, #5, but not skip anything while center or left sticking on #1? Same with a zigzag, it will pick up bobbin thread while on left part of zigzag but miss on the right. Its zigging but not zagging!! Could it be a tension problem?
Maybe. It's a 401A? It may be more of a needle positioning or timing problem. Sometimes the machine just needs to have all those followers and lifters cleaned and oiled. Have you (or anyone) ever oiled the vibrating bracket? See? There are about 40 recommended oil points on the machine. You can find them on pages 86 - 91 of the 116-page instructions manual which is a free download here: www.singer.com/search/support?title=401 I have videos about working on the 401A and 403A models: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKLiDl9yFTP6mJgQmz5lj4NO.html th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html I have timing videos: th-cam.com/video/cHkqoYYlvRE/w-d-xo.html Tension? I have a 7 video playlist all about your tension assembly: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKJaeFB_GW97NsW5GYM7KD9U.html Honestly, a good cleaning and oiling can fix many weird problems, so I always start there. You don't have to give the machine a shower as I do, but you can tell where dirt and crud are built up and clean some of it off. Get rid of all the lint. Get some nice fresh oil in/on the recommended spots and run the machine medium to fast for 3 minutes to work it in. Put in a fresh needle and rerun the thread. Now see if you still have your problem. If so you can check some of my videos to see about checking adjustments and settings which you don't want to do on a dirty machine anyway. Your Slant-O-Matic is a great machine, but it has a lot (a whole lot) of moving parts that must work together. You know where to find me if you think I can help. Good Luck
@@andytubesewing1953 it is a 401a. We bought it at a consignment store a couple years ago with a nice desk it sits in. After looking under the desk I came to find that it had a Baltimore school system sticker on it so I assume it used to be used in a home ec or sewing class. Even seems to have some different kids names etched into the wood. Seems to be in good cosmetic shape but I'm sure it hasn't been cleaned or oiled in ages. That will be my next step. If the hook is timed at center position, how does it also pick up bobbin thread at lt and rt needle position? Wide margin of error?
The hook is timed to the center position, true, but the hook is rotating all the time. As the needle is pulling up the thread drags on the fabric and a "loop" is formed that the hook grabs. "margin of error" may be a good way to explain how the hook can still grab that loop. I know if the timing is "late" (hook comes by after the loop is up) on ZigZag the skipped stitch is on the left. If the timing is "early" the hook goes by before the loop and it skips on the other side. (I may have those reversed,) but if the timing is set correct and on the center position it is able to grab either side when in ZZ. (or straight stitch of course.) Nice to have a tiny camera under there to see how it does it, right? I can't remember the model but I remember a service manual that said to time the hook in the ZZ mode with the needle down on the left side. I did that and it sewed properly.
@@andytubesewing1953 got it to work. After a good oiling and running it for a bit I tested it. Sewed perfect with needle in the left position, skipped a few with it in center position, and didn't really sew at all in the right position. So just to see what would happen I moved the hook a few millimetres to the right of the needle for timing, almost like it was timed with the right needle position and not the center. Works great now in all three positions. I guess Im just making up for another problem in the machine, but its working now so Ill leave it. Your videos are amazing. Used the four quarter trick to set the foot height. Didn't have a spacer to make up the rest of distance so I used two playing cards, found out the average thickness for those are 0.2mm. Keep up the amazing work!!
Congrats! Yes, maybe compensating for some other adjustment, but getting a good stitch is what matters, and I love the playing card "trick", a winning pair? Hehe. Happy for you, Daniel. Thanks for watching and for saving that incredible machine.
Hi Andy, I’ve watched a lot of your videos and love to watch them. You’ve taught me how to tackle lots of jobs on my machines. During your videos you sometimes mention the ‘Service manual’ and I get the impression that you’re referencing manuals that go into much more detail than owners manuals, maybe they’re workshop manuals for sewing machine mechanics. Am I right in thinking that? If so, can you share where I could pick up these manuals? Keep up the great work you do, and all the very best.
Yes, thanks for asking. Each machine I have worked on made by Singer has it's own Service Manual or Adjusters Manual made by Singer for their Repairmen & women to use at the old Singer Stores and in the field. A handful of the older models cam be found online at document sharing websites and you can always search for them by model number. I have bought some from manualsoncd.com/ You just pay and download them in PDF format. They have brands beside Singer, too. I have bought several from Terry's TNT website, along with some of the guides he wrote himself (30-years experience) store.tandtrepair.com/repairmanuals.html There are a few sellers on eBay (and other online sites) that have taken those types of copies and had them printed and some are downloadable and for more money you can get a professionally printed copy. Again, just search for Singer Model 401A Service Manual or Repair Manual, and use which ever Model Number you are looking for. Thanks for watching my channel and good luck.
Andy thanks for sharing your info on the old singers. I found a 503a in garage sale out in the rain I disassembled clean lubed and adjust per the serviced manual and your videos. Sews great and sounds like a BMW running compared to my wife’s plastic Walmart singer. I do have one problem some time the thread will tangle in the hook area when I pull it out top thread and bobbin thread will come up but also an additional loop. It seems to be caught on the lint pin as you described in one video (Remove and Install the Hook and Finger Singer 401A PART TWO) I am considering removing the pin. My question why would the thread ever be down in the area of the pin? Thank You Eddie Wheeler
You're a natural troubleshooter, James. Want a job? Yes, the thread can and does get caught on the pin. I have had several conversations with viewers about that delint pin since the COVID stay at home thing, and many have removed it and fixed the problem. In part one of the videos you mention you can see the position finger already had the pin removed on the machine I was working on, or never had one. Some folks used a grinder to remove the pin, and then word got around that the pin is just inserted into a hole and can be pulled out. One fellow, Matt, was concerned the empty hole would collect lint, so he forced in a plastic toothpick and smoothed it off flat with the metal to plug the little hole ( nice fix) There is one other thing to check which can cause a similar problem, but I'm thinking you already adjusted the thread clearance between the bobbin case and bobbin case positioning bracket spring. th-cam.com/video/OXKqZp87eN4/w-d-xo.html I do not know why, but I've never had a delint problem on a 404 or 403A. It seems to happen on the 401A, 500A. Hope that helps, James. If you lived in Phoenix I'd pay you to restore some machines for me, hehe. 👍
@@andytubesewing1953 Thanks, I will remove the pin and let you know how it goes. It may be a few days as I must cut the pasture before the rain returns to East Texas.
Andy, I removed the pin and all seems good. I am 76 year old retired auto mechanic; I was always fascinated with sewing machines. I would like to share my thoughts about the 503 tangles. When first went through the 503 I check adjustments but made no change if within the limits per the manual. When I first did a sewing test and it would skip stitch often. I rechecked the needle space from the hook I had to rotate the hook system to get the needle within .002. The manual did not say this would also change the thread clearance such as SPRING TO HOOK RACE which turned out to be way wider than .015 - .023. I removed the lint pin and adjusted all of the thread clearances. When working in this area I compared this to my 404, on the 503 everything required greater movement to achieve the correct settings. I have limited knowledge of sewing machines but this is my thoughts why this problem is most on 503. The castings were a little bit off requiring greater movement of the hook system to obtain needle to hook setting then it is difficult to get spring to hook race spacing down to .023. Seems to me the only way the thread would get over to lint pin is if it failed release from the hook at the spring. It is working well now but I will not know if the pin was the problem. I will value your reply thank you.
@@jameswheeler6137 The "rotate the hook system" you are talking about the adjustment on page 16? I recently received a paper written by Bill Holman who is well known in Sewing Machine Circle. He states that they made this adjustment by sound rather than feeler gauge when he was working on the machines. A very slight rub of the needle was desired. He called it a 'swing" sound. Barely audible. I've never had to make the adjustment myself, but I remember a couple of machines that had the slightest 'schwing" to them when running dry (no thread or fabric) I never worried about it as the machines sewed so well. Little did I know they were probably adjusted that was by a Singer repair person. Bill also wrote that hook bracket assembly was desirable as it allowed the adjustment and fine-tuning. Singer dropped the bracket with the 600 series and later and that was lamented b/c the hook was just mounted in the casting with no possibility for adjustment. That became a problem with the new knot type fabrics, so SInger issued a KNIT FIX solution of a different hook and an off-center bushing to mount it in. That helped somewhat but also moved the hook side to side, so most felt that the 400 & 500 bracket system was superior, but eliminated to save cost. As to the delint pin, I'm going by what others have written to me about removing it to solve the problem. I have restored machines with and without pins that stitched very well and have never emoved the pin myself.
Mr. Andy, I hope you are well and can help me to solve a problem. I'll be as brief and get to the point as quick as possible. I watched and attempted to follow outfishing13 video Singer 500a shipping and jamming, I marked the gears as instructed but was not able to complete the task so I put the the gears back together aligning my marks, ran the sewing machine which made a bunch of noise. So I removed the gear (P/N 172209), again to investigate, and I thought I should clean the gear with some Krud Kutter, bad idea while it did clean the gear it also removed my removed my sharpie alignment mark. I've search but can not find how/what I need to do now. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you for your time and all of your excellent videos.
A hard way to find out what cleaner will remove sharpie ink! There are a couple of methods I know of to help with this. They are quite involved so it's better through email. andytube53@gmail.com
Some model 401A & 500A models were purposely adjusted by moving the hook closer to the needle to prevent skipped stitches on knit fabrics. The adjustment was to BARELY have the needle touch the hook making a barely audible zing or schwing sound. It should not cause the needle to be caught by the hook point. With a 60+ year old machine we don't know who has done which adjusting. There is also a way to adjust the needle bar front to back and yours could be out of adjustment. Also, the timing of the hook point to the needle point is the most important adjustment on the machine. No timing = no sewing, period. If the timing is completely off the needle would hit the base of the inside of the hook. A big mess. Here is a link to a free PDF copy of the original Service Manual for model 401A: sewingdude.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/singer-401-service-manual1.pdf All of the adjustments I have mentioned are in that manual. I should have timing videos among my 600 videos and you can search for timing a 401, 403, 500, 04 503 Singer to find some. Under my Regna 403A playlist, I have videos about the needle bar and other parts, under the trouble playlist I have videos for the knobs, cam stack, lifters, followers, etc. My last piece of advice before you pick up a screwdriver is to be sure the machine is oiled and the needle bar has not been damaged/bent
I have watched quite a few of your videos on the 401a. I am not really sure where to start. My top timing looks correct, but my bobbin hook has movement to it counterclockwise that does not move the needle or the spin the hook. Depending on if i move it manually or not the timing can line up correct. What video would you recommend for me to work to stop that. Thank you
I've read your comment 3 times but I can't seem to get the gist of your problem. Sorry. I do have several videos for model 403A the sister of the 401A. Some of the videos are about timing the hook and the disk driving worm wheel among others. You can find the entire playlist of videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html Maybe one of them can set you on the path to correcting your problem. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
Hello Andy, I learn so much from your videos; they’re brilliant! I'm new at this, and am working on a so-so 421G and a neglected and completely seized 403A. I have noticed that on both of them, the gears are not nicely lined up as they would have been in the factory (as per your nailpolish markings), with the set screws lining up and meeting each other the way you describe. After several days of coaxing, pleading with and sternly addressing various seized parts, I’ve finally loosened and pulled the hook and finger from the 403A. However, the hook gear is off by 6 cogs CCW, or about 100° to the left. Is it better to leave it like this or to go back to having the set screws meet up as per your explanation? I have no idea how long it’s been this way, and since it was seized when I got it, I don’t know how it runs. On the 421G the same set screws are at 180° to each other. That machine is pretty clattery and there may be other issues causing the noise, but it does seem to be coming from the bobbin/hook area. Again: leave it or take apart and reset? Anyhow, the question is: should I reset to your (factory preset) specs or leave them the way they are now? You mentioned in your video “Remove and install Hook and Finger Pt.1” that you would talk in Pt.2 about what to do if this is the case, but I just watched Pt.2 and didn’t see that important detail. (I hope I didn’t miss that, and I apologise if I did). Is there another video you could point me to, in order to answer this important question? Thanks for teaching us all so well.
I've never seen gear set screws that do not match up, so I think it is normal that they do. Are the setscrews on the hook gear lined up with the flat spot on the hook shaft at least? Normally I have found if there is only one screw on a shaft that rotates that there is a flat spot on the shaft where the screw must sit to prevent slippage. On gears that have two set screws there is usually no flat spot on shaft b/c the shaft may need to be turned for timing. It's a hard call for me b/c maybe yours have been misaligned for 1 million rotations and are meshed together as well as any other factory set gear pair. There are other things that cause noise in the bobbin hook area beside the gears, although when I misaligned my first set of gears it was fairly obvious that the gears were a problem (a big problem with noise) I would remove the bobbin case completely and be sure the hook shaft was well oiled and run the machine to verify the noise was not from the bobbin case. If I decided to remesh the gears I would mark the existing mesh as I did in the video with nail polish or something in case I decided to go back to that mesh. When I have had poorly meshing gears in the past or a used replacement bobbin case on my original hook race and they seem rough and noisy I have used valve grinding compound to try to smooth out the mesh and quiet things down. It is a real messy procedure as the grinding compound gets thrown around and is grease based so you have to take some parts back off and clean and degrease everything. You don't want even a little of it on the machine afterward. Think of bushings and bearings getting that stuff inside them 👀 So I put a little on the gears and turn the handwheel or run the motor to rotate the gears slowly. How long and how many rotations depends on how bad the mesh was. This is the same for putting the compound on the hook race and inserting the bobbin case and running the machine. As the compound spins off you have to keep adding a little more at a time. It is tempting to just run the machine faster but trust me that just throws the stuff farther and makes it come off the gears quicker. When you feel it may be enough you can wash it off with water or Krud Kutter and dab a little grease on there and run the machine a little to see if you are satisfied with the results. If it sounds good then you start taking stuff apart for deep cleaning but if it needs more compound then put some back one and run the machine some more. Taking parts off and washing them and the machine is what I do anyway, so it isn't a big deal for me, but people who don't do that have failed to clean up well after and then oiled the machine and what happens is the compound sneaks into the bushing/bearings and of course, it is grinding away over time and you get a lot of play in the parts. So clean very well! The compound I sue the most is made by VeraChem. Versachem 13209 Metal Grinding Compound Here is some on Amazon on 5/24/2020: www.amazon.com/Versachem-13209-Metal-Grinding-Compound/dp/B00C3Z9EX4 I use the fine because the gears came so well meshed and polished to begin with. That is just what I chose to buy. The Fine Grade Compound. SO RECAP: if you want to try a remesh, mark the existing mesh, remesh so set screws lineup, run a little bit to listen. If there is less noise then keep the remesh and polish if you like. If the noise is the same then keep the remesh and polish. If the noise is worse then go back to the mesh you found on the machine and I'd still polish them somewhat. You are correct. I mentioned I would discuss this later, but I did not discuss it in part two to save video running time. You can see it takes some explaining and I don't think many people need it or would be willing to do it. But here it is now. Good luck, and thanks for watching my channel. www.paypal.me/andytube
L Beez, I ,too, have a frozen 403a and am considering the removal of the hook assembly. What did you find to help with loosening your machine? Where do you think it was seized up? My hand wheel (which is off and waiting) just won’t turn at all. Not even a full gear tooth! But I’m persistent and patient and looking for a way to break it free from its slumber!
@@candydeister Hi Candy, it sounds like what I was dealing with. There are a number of places where it might be gummed together, so you have to slowly work from one end to the other, and clean everything. Usually if one thing is stuck, others will be as well; the problem will be wide-spread because the oil is old and dry. Some things will be more frozen than others, so try wiggling the hand wheel gently to see if there is any movement at all, even a fraction of a gear tooth! A tiny bit of play means that particular thing will not be seized, but something else is. Then start your work at the end of the ever-so-slightly loose part. Try also moving the hook by hand. Is it completely rigid? Quite possibly. If it is, the hook gear is probably also frozen solid. Were you able to remove the feed dog? That’s the first step, but it could be frozen as well! I wasn’t able to get the frozen feed dog out because the throat plate lifting mechanism was frozen, so I had to dismantle that system, which was another job and a half, with everything solid from one end to the other. What I did was to tackle each joint one as an individual problem, and work my way through the whole drive train (not in any particular order). It took hours and hours and hours, but eventually after about 4 weeks of intermittent persistence I now have a functional machine. It’s such a great feeling of accomplishment! Your tools will be a hair dryer; a couple of decent-quality screwdrivers (one of those little flat ratchet sets is very handy for reaching awkward spots); kerosene or pure, unscented, uncoloured white lamp oil (I’m in Canada so I’m using the Canadian definition of lamp oil, which is a bit more expensive than kerosene but purer and you don’t have to buy a gallon of it; penetrating oil (I use PB Blaster “powerful rust penetrating catalyst”) and sewing machine oil (although triflow would be fine). Two or three 3cc syringes with needles are very handy for kerosene/lamp oil and sewing machine oil application because you can be very specific about where you put it, in tidy little amounts. You can also take the needle off one syringe and pack in Vaseline for lubricating. It’s so much easier to apply small amounts. I heat up the part I want to free up with the hair dryer and drip in/on some lamp oil, and chase that with penetrating oil. I let it cool, then I do it again, maybe 3 times. It will likely still be rigid, so at that point I leave it till the next day, and move on to another spot. Paper towels catch excess chemicals. If you are loosening set screws on the gears, do it there as well. Try to loosen the screws with a screwdriver but go gently, and if they don’t want to move, just do the heat, lamp oil, penetrating oil, etc., and move on. It’s so easy to damage the slots on the set screws and then you’re in trouble. Every single screw on my machine has been mangled to some degree by a previous impatient person. I followed Andy Tube’s instructions on removing the hook, by first removing the set screws on the hook gear and then loosening the hook. It took days, so don’t despair; patience is your friend. One morning it will suddenly be loose and you’ll cheer loudly! Andy Tube’s videos are so good, and as they say, “See one, do one, teach one”, so I am happy to share what I’ve learned. Good luck!
So if I replaced the hook and the needle is now hitting the hook, what do I need to do to fix that? The part numbers match, and i got the new hook off of another 401A. I'm not sure how to change it since there isn't wiggle room in the hook shaft.
It sounds like you lost the timing while replacing the hook. The needlepoint to hook point timing. I tried to cover that in this video, but here is a separate video specifically for checking and setting the timing on model 403A th-cam.com/video/cHkqoYYlvRE/w-d-xo.html It shows how to check it first and then if needed how to reset the timing. You loosen a drive gear at the other end from the hook gear and with the needle at a certain height you rotate the hook with your fingers until the hook point lines up with the needlepoint, then tighten that gear. Mind saying why you changed the hook to begin with? Just curious.
@@andytubesewing1953 I took it in for service and they told me it needed a new hook but that they couldn't find one for it. I may take it to another place an hour away who didn't look at me like old machines are junk when I was telling them about it.
@@woochles Ok, thanks. I wondered b/c I've never had a bad hook that needed replacement. I was hoping you'd try resting the timing yourself. If you take it somewhere give them the link to my timing video. Several viewers have told me they had a small appliance repair person or motorcycle mechanic, and even high school auto repair class kids repair their machines for extra credit with their teacher when they could not find a sewing repair shop. Good luck.
Pode utilizar a funcionalidade Closed Caption (CC) no vídeo e alterar o idioma para o que desejar. Se não sabe como fazer, aqui estão alguns vídeos a explicar como. th-cam.com/video/Q-6_7_dbhRo/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/KPSgueF_Cpg/w-d-xo.html Boa sorte e obrigado por ver o meu canal.
I figured out how to put the finger back in easily. If you look at the video, you tried installing it, then rotated it 90*, if you rotate it 90* one more time it goes together very easily. Hope this helps, don't know how else to describe it.
Nicely done! 👍 I pinned your comment to the top for others to read right away. Thanks for sharing that. You are quite the puzzle master. I think it's about time to share some of these great ideas and your experiences in your own videos. Don't think you can't do it.😀 When I started 5 years ago I had no idea how to go about it, and now I have over 2.5 million views on my channel. I never thought anyone would be as interested as I am about these vintage machines or be able to stand me rambling on about them. You can record even with just a cellphone and directly load to your TH-cam Channel and do a lite edit there. You control if the video is public, unlisted, or private so it gives you a chance to practice. Most video editing software can be used for free as a trial so you can find one you like, or there are also some for totally free (I've been told) I use a 6 Y.O. version of Corel I bought for $25. Just think about it. The number of people posting vintage sewing machine videos has exploded, so why not you? Nothing to lose but your time. Some channels are takeoffs of mine, albeit with better lighting and software; younger people are amazing to me. (copying is the sincerest form of flattery, thanks people 👀) Just think of the fun you could have sharing your new sewing machine adventure as you do more and more models (and chances are you will, at the rate you are going.) If you ever put up a video you make public, let me know and I'll share it on my channel. Happy Happy.
@@andytubesewing1953 I tried for several minutes to separate them, and finally gave up. I took them to the sink to degrease/clean them. Rinsed them off and dropped them into a towel and they separated. I knew there had to be an easier way.
@@customcutter100 Well, Ok.
@@andytubesewing1953 I saw the first few lines of this earlier and thought that was all there was. Didn't see the part about doing videos. I will think about it, but I don't stay focused on one thing for very long. Usually a few months, then I'm off to something else. I use youtube as a tool and learning aid when I can't figure it out, and lots of times there are tips and shortcuts that save more time than it took to watch the video. . I'm sure my wife's New Home plastic gear that's 40+ years old will be retired now. I know it's been in the shop at least 5-6 times over the years, having gears replaced, timing issues, etc. She will probably retire the Singer that I bought her a few years ago when she first started quilting. Almost all her sewing is straight stitching, so she can save them for when she needs to zig-zag, or some other fancy stitch. Thanks again, Ken
@@customcutter100 No worries, and I get it. A rolling stone gathers no moss, right? I just felt you're a good candidate for the videos with the backgrounds you're coming from. Experience is a great teacher. I never knew how much I knew until I started training new employees for Telcom. It's been a pleasure, Sir. Stop by anytime.
Thank you so much for making these videos. It helps me to really understand what is described in the maintenance manual! Thanks to you I can use my machine again.
You're very welcome. I'm glad you found my channel. Thanks for keeping that machine in service.
Thank you Andy for this great video. My 403a came to me with a bent hook. I followed your video to remove and replace. Took 2 weeks to get the set screw on gear to break free. I think I was just nervous. Most amazing was my hook to needle timing was perfect right off the bat. Was I just super lucky? Thanks for putting these videos together for us❤️
Yes, you should buy a MegaMIllions Lotto Ticket right away, hehe. I'm a little bit surprised the timing was not lost from whatever bent that hook, but it is a strongly built model. My favorite Heavy Duty ZZ model. I'm glad you found the video. I appreciate that you repaired the machine to keep it in service. 🙏
I just bought a 403a on an online auction (sight un-seen) and it did not sew. I watched your 2 videos and was able to de-assemble, clean and fix the timing on it! Thank you! It sews beautifully and creates a beautiful stitch. Now to sell my Rocketeer 500a and a 128-3.
Nicely done, Susanna. I'm glad you found my videos. I love the 403A. I have a playlist with 25 videos for it: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html Almost every machine I've worked on had a dirty commutator on the motor. On the 403A you can clean it inplace for about $10 and speed up your motor back to factory new speed: th-cam.com/video/pzq4tv8qn94/w-d-xo.html Thanks for the nice comment, and happy sewing.
@@andytubesewing1953 Thank you! I will look into those video. The machine was hardly used and I think "broke" early on in its life. I believe, I have a new machine that sat for many years. But with your help and excellent video, I was able to fix the timing and the grime in the bobbin area that probably lead to the issues it had. Some areas were super clean and some other areas were full of oil that shouldn't have had oil. I am so happy to have found your videos. Thank you again
@@susanna3313 I'm happy you will put the machine back in service. Think of the decades left in it! Happy for you. Take care.
That gear mesh looks so pretty with that shade of nail polish Andy! Working on 401's, thanks Andy; best wishes!
Best of luck!
Thank you so much for this, something went terribly wrong but you helped me fix it and now my 401g is sewing like a dream machine XX
I love hearing that! I'm glad the video was useful. It's a wonderful machine and thanks for keeping it in service. ✨
Thanks Andy! I was able to successfully remove, clean and replace the hook and finger in my 401A (dirtier than I had expected) and I was also successful in re-timing the needle, all using your video. Took a few times to get the hook re-timed properly but as always, your instructions were clear and unambiguous. So I am now ready to take on the next task in restoring my machine.
Nicely done, Gail. Those are two of the more complicated procedures to do, especially for the first time. I'm happy my videos are helping and love that you are saving/rehabbing the machine.
In Part II you accomplished both objectives & solutions to your usual standard and a high one it is, too! The value of your videos is hard to quantify. Thank You
Mike Kirwan - Kenmore, WA
Your comments always make me want to start another series of videos. Thanks for your kindness, and for watching my channel.
Glad you survived your recent heatwave. Take care.
Thanks so much for your excellent videos. Everything is so clearly explained. I wouldn’t love my 401 as much if I hadn’t discovered your recordings. I learn (and sometimes re-learn) something every time I watch one!
Thank you for such a kind comment. I appreciate you watching my channel. Take care.
You are an excellent teacher. Really do enjoy watching your videos!!!
Thanks very much. I appreciate the support.🙏
Great video. I’ll take a hook out of my practice slant machine and see how it goes. If all good I’ll do my 411 and 401. Thanks, love your narrative when showing what you are doing, very informative
thank you and that's great that you have an old practice machine That's the perfect way to approach these type of remove and replace actions I'm sure you can do it and it'll be interesting to see what you find under that hook in your practice machine Good luck and thanks so much for watching my channel
I'm so relieved! I have Singer 403 Special. I took my bobbin case out like the manual said to clean, but had not put it back in properly. So, the machine was not working right and skipping stitches. Thanks to your video it's sewing okay now! Thank you so much.
I'm glad you found the video. Then the first couple times you put the case back in. It's a little weird. It was for me anyway, so you're definitely not alone. Thanks for the nice comment and happy sewing
Hi Andy, first thank you for all of the videos that you post! They are very detailed, easy to follow and understand. I recently acquired a 403a that was locked up solid. I put WD-40 Super Penetrant on everything and let it soak for a week applying more WD-40 daily. After a week of soaking it still wouldn't budge. Upon closer inspection, as I jiggled the hand-wheel I observed the gears underneath had slight movement except for the rotating hook gear. This gave me an idea to remove the gear and rotating hook and that was the culprit! So following this two part series on the rotating hook my new (to me) 403a runs smooth and operates perfectly again. Note: this machine has the "lint pin" on the positioning finger so I left it on there. I also discovered that it's a little easier to install the positioning finger where the "half moon" cut-out is on the rotating hook. Thanks again, Gene.
It's good to hear the videos are helpful. Thanks very much for saving that machine and getting it back in service. I appreciate you watching my channel. All 27 of my Model 403A videos are in this Playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html Happy sewing.
This was great Andy, thank you. Your uploads help me keep my 403a going along with the confidence to tackle the job myself. (still worried about that damaged top cover screw!)
You're welcome and thanks for watching. The top cover screws will be my next video. I started the storyboard today and found the tool I will use. You're going to be surprised I think!
I know this video is from a while back. I’m so glad I found this video! I have 2 of the 401A machines. One bought and one found. The one bought has a problem with power issues. Won’t go and then finally goes too fast once it does. I did thoroughly clean both, so not sure why it’s still doing this. The other one has a feed dog issue, not grabbing material and feeding it. That one was horribly dirty with lots of lint. I’m going to follow what you’ve done in both these videos and see if I can get one of them to run perfect. I sought them out due to the rave reviews of being a work horse. Im reupholstering my furniture and need something stronger than my Janome. Thanks again for showing us how DIY. Checked with local repair guy. Way too expensive to just clean it. Let alone trouble shooting and repairing.
Hi, Judith. You can do all the repairs on this machine, no worries. I don't think the hook has anything to do with the problems you mention, but go ahead and clean it if you like. Here is my latest playlist of videos for the 401A: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKLiDl9yFTP6mJgQmz5lj4NO.html About your power issues, what you describe is a classic signal the foot controller needs servicing. Here is a playlist showing how to do that: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKL6ePPxLpmnWSzTyxPKTb71.html A slight chance the commutator on the motor needs cleaning, too. Here is a video showing how to do that in 5 minutes for $10 th-cam.com/video/pzq4tv8qn94/w-d-xo.html Your power issue is more likely the foot pedal, but cleaning the motor is easy and really increases power. Finally, the feed dog. You may need to clean/adjust the presser bar system: th-cam.com/video/qNURZmUPraA/w-d-xo.html Once you are sure the presser bar works properly, you can check the feed dog height th-cam.com/video/Du-W1k_qHHI/w-d-xo.html Good luck, Judith, and thanks for watching my channel.
Thanks Andy. I started working on my 401 yesterday so this will be helpful.
Have fun. I think you will enjoy seeing some of the differences in the 401A model. Take care.
Okay, I bought the nail polish at the supermarket yesterday. In my neck of the woods, color Coral Reef was labeled as #239. The store shelf had a marking "239/405 Sally Hansen, Hard As Nails", etc. It's looks like the same stuff. In the 404 that I'm replacing the hook, who ever had the machine before me put a long scratch across the metal of both gears where they meshed, so I at least know the gears are meshed properly (I hope) now. I like your method of using nail polish much better; it's much more visible, so I'll remark these gears with the nail polish. I won't be replacing the hook for awhile, but I'm ready to do it!
Haha, good job. Two of the retired Singer guys told me it was common to "scratch" the gear mesh if they needed to take them off. They said, "if you see that scratch you can bet the gears were off the machine at least once, for whatever reason." I like the polish b/c you can remove it with polish remover if you want to. Thanks for watching and I know you will be successful replacing the 404 hook. Take Care.
@@andytubesewing1953 With your wonderful instruction, I have successfully replaced the defective hook in my 404. The defective hook sat a little too high, and whoever had the machine before me pushed the hook bushing down, so that this defective hook would fit. So I had to loosen the screw that holds the hook bushing (scary!) and push the bushing up just a little bit and then tighten that screw, so my replacement hook (from my parts 401A machine) fit properly. And then, the hook bracket assembly needed to be pushed to the right so it was snug against the lug (V8). Luckily the bracket set screws were not stuck, and the assembly easily moved. And I put the gear mesh back to factory setting with the set screws to the gears lining up; they were not when I began, and did not notice it, so my nail polish markings are not matching now either. Luckily, the gears sound smooth, and I don't think I need to use that gear meshing compound (boy that sounds messy!). Whew, thanks again. I could have never done anything like this without your expert help.
Hello Andy, my hook seems far from my needle, and when stitching stretch fabric it often skips. Timing has been adjusted to be perfect and everything works great on every other fabric types. Is there a way to adjust spacing between hook and needle? Thank you!!!
You are on the correct path thinking of such an adjustment. Knit fabrics were just coming to the marketplace around the time these models did. Singer became aware of the "Knit Skipping" problem and describes a way to adjust the hook TOWARDS the needle. If you can paraglide I know you can do this fix 😀 It is on page 144 of the Model 401A Service Manual available for a FREE download at this link from the Sewing Dude: sewingdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/singer-401-service-manual1.pdf There is a White Paper around sewing circles written by a retired Singer Man who said they got the best result by adjusting the hook even closer that the manuals advises. He said they would carefully adjust until the needle just barely, barely kissed the hook, and when dead quiet you could just barely hear a Schwing or zing sound. Good luck and I hope that helps you with your problem. Thanks for watching my channel.
@@andytubesewing1953 Thank you so much for this valuable piece of information! To be honest I was poking around for a week or so and could not find a suitable solution to move the rotary hook. I ended up damaging the hook while skipping on a screw and decided to find an organ donor. I found a 402G in poor condition nearby and bought it for 30 euros, I figured I would give me all the parts I would need for life. Everything is back in working order, I will now adjust the position of the hook thanks to you! Let me know if there is a way to buy you a beer (paypal, venmo or other). Cheers
@@dronemotioncom That's a great price for a parts machine! I have heard feedback from a handful of viewers who made the adjustment successfully and hope it solves any problems you have there. Thanks a lot for the offer, 🙏but just pay it forward and do a favor for someone and tell them Andy said welcome. Take care.
My 401a has the delint pin, and I keep having the upper thread wrapped around it and I've tried everything to stop this from happening. I am so happy to learn from you that this little bar is the cause of my problem. Hope I can pull it out as I have no grimder 😣
I think you can pull it out. I have heard from a few viewers now that said they pulled and slightly twisted with pliers and it came out. Good Luck.
Thank you for the video! I’ve had an issue for years on my 401A with the top thread getting caught around the lint clearing pin on the finger positioning arm. Going to try to remove the pin and hope that solves the issue! Thanks again!
I'm glad you found the video, Nancy. I've had several viewers now tell me removing the pin worked for them. Good Luck.
Well, this machine still vexes me! After removing the pin, I’m still having issues. I’m now thinking it might be some weird tension issue after all. My top thread is still getting looped around the finger position arm and then breaking. The weirdest part is that it’s super inconsistent. Sometimes it happens constantly, sometimes not for hours of sewing. I do notice that right when it is about to jam up, the thread spoil kind of jumps a little bit, and then the next stitch or so is when the thread will break. Have you heard of any such problem before?
Could be your thread gets caught on the little notch on the spool of thread. That happens to me occasionally
Thanks for another great video!
It's nice of you to comment and say so. Thanks for watching.
Можете показать настройки Зингера 328к
Thanks Andy. I have a 401G, almost identical. Just loading the bobin differs.
I've only seen some pictures and videos of the 401G. It does have an interesting bobbin winder. I've had many emails about it and owners tell me my 404, 403A and 401A videos have helped them a lot. Also, they said the Service Manul I linked them to worked great for the German Slant machines. If you'd like a free Singer 401A, 403, 404 Service Manual you can find it at this link:
sewingdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/singer-401-service-manual1.pdf
Thanks for watching my channel, Carol, and take care.
Thanks again for all your hard work. Have you ever run into or have any idea why, on a timed machine, it might skip stitches while on the right setting, #5, but not skip anything while center or left sticking on #1? Same with a zigzag, it will pick up bobbin thread while on left part of zigzag but miss on the right. Its zigging but not zagging!! Could it be a tension problem?
Maybe. It's a 401A? It may be more of a needle positioning or timing problem. Sometimes the machine just needs to have all those followers and lifters cleaned and oiled. Have you (or anyone) ever oiled the vibrating bracket? See?
There are about 40 recommended oil points on the machine. You can find them on pages 86 - 91 of the 116-page instructions manual which is a free download here:
www.singer.com/search/support?title=401
I have videos about working on the 401A and 403A models:
th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKLiDl9yFTP6mJgQmz5lj4NO.html
th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html
I have timing videos: th-cam.com/video/cHkqoYYlvRE/w-d-xo.html
Tension? I have a 7 video playlist all about your tension assembly:
th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKJaeFB_GW97NsW5GYM7KD9U.html
Honestly, a good cleaning and oiling can fix many weird problems, so I always start there. You don't have to give the machine a shower as I do, but you can tell where dirt and crud are built up and clean some of it off. Get rid of all the lint.
Get some nice fresh oil in/on the recommended spots and run the machine medium to fast for 3 minutes to work it in. Put in a fresh needle and rerun the thread. Now see if you still have your problem. If so you can check some of my videos to see about checking adjustments and settings which you don't want to do on a dirty machine anyway. Your Slant-O-Matic is a great machine, but it has a lot (a whole lot) of moving parts that must work together. You know where to find me if you think I can help. Good Luck
@@andytubesewing1953 it is a 401a. We bought it at a consignment store a couple years ago with a nice desk it sits in. After looking under the desk I came to find that it had a Baltimore school system sticker on it so I assume it used to be used in a home ec or sewing class. Even seems to have some different kids names etched into the wood. Seems to be in good cosmetic shape but I'm sure it hasn't been cleaned or oiled in ages. That will be my next step.
If the hook is timed at center position, how does it also pick up bobbin thread at lt and rt needle position? Wide margin of error?
The hook is timed to the center position, true, but the hook is rotating all the time. As the needle is pulling up the thread drags on the fabric and a "loop" is formed that the hook grabs. "margin of error" may be a good way to explain how the hook can still grab that loop. I know if the timing is "late" (hook comes by after the loop is up) on ZigZag the skipped stitch is on the left. If the timing is "early" the hook goes by before the loop and it skips on the other side. (I may have those reversed,) but if the timing is set correct and on the center position it is able to grab either side when in ZZ. (or straight stitch of course.) Nice to have a tiny camera under there to see how it does it, right? I can't remember the model but I remember a service manual that said to time the hook in the ZZ mode with the needle down on the left side. I did that and it sewed properly.
@@andytubesewing1953 got it to work. After a good oiling and running it for a bit I tested it. Sewed perfect with needle in the left position, skipped a few with it in center position, and didn't really sew at all in the right position. So just to see what would happen I moved the hook a few millimetres to the right of the needle for timing, almost like it was timed with the right needle position and not the center. Works great now in all three positions. I guess Im just making up for another problem in the machine, but its working now so Ill leave it. Your videos are amazing. Used the four quarter trick to set the foot height. Didn't have a spacer to make up the rest of distance so I used two playing cards, found out the average thickness for those are 0.2mm. Keep up the amazing work!!
Congrats! Yes, maybe compensating for some other adjustment, but getting a good stitch is what matters, and I love the playing card "trick", a winning pair? Hehe.
Happy for you, Daniel. Thanks for watching and for saving that incredible machine.
Hi Andy, I’ve watched a lot of your videos and love to watch them. You’ve taught me how to tackle lots of jobs on my machines. During your videos you sometimes mention the ‘Service manual’ and I get the impression that you’re referencing manuals that go into much more detail than owners manuals, maybe they’re workshop manuals for sewing machine mechanics. Am I right in thinking that? If so, can you share where I could pick up these manuals?
Keep up the great work you do, and all the very best.
Yes, thanks for asking. Each machine I have worked on made by Singer has it's own Service Manual or Adjusters Manual made by Singer for their Repairmen & women to use at the old Singer Stores and in the field. A handful of the older models cam be found online at document sharing websites and you can always search for them by model number. I have bought some from manualsoncd.com/ You just pay and download them in PDF format. They have brands beside Singer, too. I have bought several from Terry's TNT website, along with some of the guides he wrote himself (30-years experience) store.tandtrepair.com/repairmanuals.html
There are a few sellers on eBay (and other online sites) that have taken those types of copies and had them printed and some are downloadable and for more money you can get a professionally printed copy. Again, just search for Singer Model 401A Service Manual or Repair Manual, and use which ever Model Number you are looking for. Thanks for watching my channel and good luck.
Very well explained,
Thank you for watching my channel and for your nice comment. I appreciate it
Andy thanks for sharing your info on the old singers. I found a 503a in garage sale out in the rain I disassembled clean lubed and adjust per the serviced manual and your videos. Sews great and sounds like a BMW running compared to my wife’s plastic Walmart singer. I do have one problem some time the thread will tangle in the hook area when I pull it out top thread and bobbin thread will come up but also an additional loop. It seems to be caught on the lint pin as you described in one video (Remove and Install the Hook and Finger Singer 401A PART TWO) I am considering removing the pin. My question why would the thread ever be down in the area of the pin?
Thank You
Eddie Wheeler
You're a natural troubleshooter, James. Want a job? Yes, the thread can and does get caught on the pin. I have had several conversations with viewers about that delint pin since the COVID stay at home thing, and many have removed it and fixed the problem. In part one of the videos you mention you can see the position finger already had the pin removed on the machine I was working on, or never had one. Some folks used a grinder to remove the pin, and then word got around that the pin is just inserted into a hole and can be pulled out. One fellow, Matt, was concerned the empty hole would collect lint, so he forced in a plastic toothpick and smoothed it off flat with the metal to plug the little hole ( nice fix) There is one other thing to check which can cause a similar problem, but I'm thinking you already adjusted the thread clearance between the bobbin case and bobbin case positioning bracket spring. th-cam.com/video/OXKqZp87eN4/w-d-xo.html
I do not know why, but I've never had a delint problem on a 404 or 403A. It seems to happen on the 401A, 500A. Hope that helps, James. If you lived in Phoenix I'd pay you to restore some machines for me, hehe. 👍
@@andytubesewing1953 Thanks, I will remove the pin and let you know how it goes. It may be a few days as I must cut the pasture before the rain returns to East Texas.
No worries. Pastures before thread tangles seems right. Good Luck.
Andy, I removed the pin and all seems good. I am 76 year old retired auto mechanic; I was always fascinated with sewing machines. I would like to share my thoughts about the 503 tangles. When first went through the 503 I check adjustments but made no change if within the limits per the manual. When I first did a sewing test and it would skip stitch often. I rechecked the needle space from the hook I had to rotate the hook system to get the needle within .002. The manual did not say this would also change the thread clearance such as SPRING TO HOOK RACE which turned out to be way wider than .015 - .023. I removed the lint pin and adjusted all of the thread clearances. When working in this area I compared this to my 404, on the 503 everything required greater movement to achieve the correct settings. I have limited knowledge of sewing machines but this is my thoughts why this problem is most on 503. The castings were a little bit off requiring greater movement of the hook system to obtain needle to hook setting then it is difficult to get spring to hook race spacing down to .023. Seems to me the only way the thread would get over to lint pin is if it failed release from the hook at the spring. It is working well now but I will not know if the pin was the problem. I will value your reply thank you.
@@jameswheeler6137 The "rotate the hook system" you are talking about the adjustment on page 16? I recently received a paper written by Bill Holman who is well known in Sewing Machine Circle. He states that they made this adjustment by sound rather than feeler gauge when he was working on the machines. A very slight rub of the needle was desired. He called it a 'swing" sound. Barely audible. I've never had to make the adjustment myself, but I remember a couple of machines that had the slightest 'schwing" to them when running dry (no thread or fabric) I never worried about it as the machines sewed so well. Little did I know they were probably adjusted that was by a Singer repair person. Bill also wrote that hook bracket assembly was desirable as it allowed the adjustment and fine-tuning. Singer dropped the bracket with the 600 series and later and that was lamented b/c the hook was just mounted in the casting with no possibility for adjustment. That became a problem with the new knot type fabrics, so SInger issued a KNIT FIX solution of a different hook and an off-center bushing to mount it in. That helped somewhat but also moved the hook side to side, so most felt that the 400 & 500 bracket system was superior, but eliminated to save cost. As to the delint pin, I'm going by what others have written to me about removing it to solve the problem. I have restored machines with and without pins that stitched very well and have never emoved the pin myself.
Mr. Andy, I hope you are well and can help me to solve a problem. I'll be as brief and get to the point as quick as possible. I watched and attempted to follow outfishing13 video Singer 500a shipping and jamming, I marked the gears as instructed but was not able to complete the task so I put the the gears back together aligning my marks, ran the sewing machine which made a bunch of noise. So I removed the gear (P/N 172209), again to investigate, and I thought I should clean the gear with some Krud Kutter, bad idea while it did clean the gear it also removed my removed my sharpie alignment mark. I've search but can not find how/what I need to do now. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you for your time and all of your excellent videos.
A hard way to find out what cleaner will remove sharpie ink! There are a couple of methods I know of to help with this. They are quite involved so it's better through email. andytube53@gmail.com
Hello, Andy I purchased a 401a and the hook rubs on the needle and gets hung up on the hook, can you help with me please
Some model 401A & 500A models were purposely adjusted by moving the hook closer to the needle to prevent skipped stitches on knit fabrics. The adjustment was to BARELY have the needle touch the hook making a barely audible zing or schwing sound. It should not cause the needle to be caught by the hook point.
With a 60+ year old machine we don't know who has done which adjusting. There is also a way to adjust the needle bar front to back and yours could be out of adjustment.
Also, the timing of the hook point to the needle point is the most important adjustment on the machine. No timing = no sewing, period. If the timing is completely off the needle would hit the base of the inside of the hook. A big mess.
Here is a link to a free PDF copy of the original Service Manual for model 401A: sewingdude.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/singer-401-service-manual1.pdf
All of the adjustments I have mentioned are in that manual. I should have timing videos among my 600 videos and you can search for timing a 401, 403, 500, 04 503 Singer to find some. Under my Regna 403A playlist, I have videos about the needle bar and other parts, under the trouble playlist I have videos for the knobs, cam stack, lifters, followers, etc.
My last piece of advice before you pick up a screwdriver is to be sure the machine is oiled and the needle bar has not been damaged/bent
I have watched quite a few of your videos on the 401a. I am not really sure where to start. My top timing looks correct, but my bobbin hook has movement to it counterclockwise that does not move the needle or the spin the hook. Depending on if i move it manually or not the timing can line up correct. What video would you recommend for me to work to stop that. Thank you
I've read your comment 3 times but I can't seem to get the gist of your problem. Sorry. I do have several videos for model 403A the sister of the 401A. Some of the videos are about timing the hook and the disk driving worm wheel among others. You can find the entire playlist of videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLsCOZgzzaiKKyqvdDRwS-9MfLuwSNJTcg.html Maybe one of them can set you on the path to correcting your problem. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
excellent video
thank you.
Hello Andy, I learn so much from your videos; they’re brilliant! I'm new at this, and am working on a so-so 421G and a neglected and completely seized 403A. I have noticed that on both of them, the gears are not nicely lined up as they would have been in the factory (as per your nailpolish markings), with the set screws lining up and meeting each other the way you describe. After several days of coaxing, pleading with and sternly addressing various seized parts, I’ve finally loosened and pulled the hook and finger from the 403A. However, the hook gear is off by 6 cogs CCW, or about 100° to the left. Is it better to leave it like this or to go back to having the set screws meet up as per your explanation? I have no idea how long it’s been this way, and since it was seized when I got it, I don’t know how it runs.
On the 421G the same set screws are at 180° to each other. That machine is pretty clattery and there may be other issues causing the noise, but it does seem to be coming from the bobbin/hook area. Again: leave it or take apart and reset?
Anyhow, the question is: should I reset to your (factory preset) specs or leave them the way they are now? You mentioned in your video “Remove and install Hook and Finger Pt.1” that you would talk in Pt.2 about what to do if this is the case, but I just watched Pt.2 and didn’t see that important detail. (I hope I didn’t miss that, and I apologise if I did). Is there another video you could point me to, in order to answer this important question?
Thanks for teaching us all so well.
I've never seen gear set screws that do not match up, so I think it is normal that they do. Are the setscrews on the hook gear lined up with the flat spot on the hook shaft at least? Normally I have found if there is only one screw on a shaft that rotates that there is a flat spot on the shaft where the screw must sit to prevent slippage. On gears that have two set screws there is usually no flat spot on shaft b/c the shaft may need to be turned for timing.
It's a hard call for me b/c maybe yours have been misaligned for 1 million rotations and are meshed together as well as any other factory set gear pair. There are other things that cause noise in the bobbin hook area beside the gears, although when I misaligned my first set of gears it was fairly obvious that the gears were a problem (a big problem with noise)
I would remove the bobbin case completely and be sure the hook shaft was well oiled and run the machine to verify the noise was not from the bobbin case.
If I decided to remesh the gears I would mark the existing mesh as I did in the video with nail polish or something in case I decided to go back to that mesh. When I have had poorly meshing gears in the past or a used replacement bobbin case on my original hook race and they seem rough and noisy I have used valve grinding compound to try to smooth out the mesh and quiet things down. It is a real messy procedure as the grinding compound gets thrown around and is grease based so you have to take some parts back off and clean and degrease everything. You don't want even a little of it on the machine afterward. Think of bushings and bearings getting that stuff inside them 👀
So I put a little on the gears and turn the handwheel or run the motor to rotate the gears slowly. How long and how many rotations depends on how bad the mesh was. This is the same for putting the compound on the hook race and inserting the bobbin case and running the machine. As the compound spins off you have to keep adding a little more at a time. It is tempting to just run the machine faster but trust me that just throws the stuff farther and makes it come off the gears quicker. When you feel it may be enough you can wash it off with water or Krud Kutter and dab a little grease on there and run the machine a little to see if you are satisfied with the results.
If it sounds good then you start taking stuff apart for deep cleaning but if it needs more compound then put some back one and run the machine some more. Taking parts off and washing them and the machine is what I do anyway, so it isn't a big deal for me, but people who don't do that have failed to clean up well after and then oiled the machine and what happens is the compound sneaks into the bushing/bearings and of course, it is grinding away over time and you get a lot of play in the parts. So clean very well!
The compound I sue the most is made by VeraChem. Versachem 13209 Metal Grinding Compound Here is some on Amazon on 5/24/2020: www.amazon.com/Versachem-13209-Metal-Grinding-Compound/dp/B00C3Z9EX4 I use the fine because the gears came so well meshed and polished to begin with. That is just what I chose to buy. The Fine Grade Compound.
SO RECAP: if you want to try a remesh, mark the existing mesh, remesh so set screws lineup, run a little bit to listen. If there is less noise then keep the remesh and polish if you like. If the noise is the same then keep the remesh and polish. If the noise is worse then go back to the mesh you found on the machine and I'd still polish them somewhat. You are correct. I mentioned I would discuss this later, but I did not discuss it in part two to save video running time. You can see it takes some explaining and I don't think many people need it or would be willing to do it. But here it is now. Good luck, and thanks for watching my channel. www.paypal.me/andytube
L Beez, I ,too, have a frozen 403a and am considering the removal of the hook assembly. What did you find to help with loosening your machine? Where do you think it was seized up? My hand wheel (which is off and waiting) just won’t turn at all. Not even a full gear tooth! But I’m persistent and patient and looking for a way to break it free from its slumber!
@@candydeister Hi Candy, it sounds like what I was dealing with. There are a number of places where it might be gummed together, so you have to slowly work from one end to the other, and clean everything. Usually if one thing is stuck, others will be as well; the problem will be wide-spread because the oil is old and dry.
Some things will be more frozen than others, so try wiggling the hand wheel gently to see if there is any movement at all, even a fraction of a gear tooth! A tiny bit of play means that particular thing will not be seized, but something else is. Then start your work at the end of the ever-so-slightly loose part.
Try also moving the hook by hand. Is it completely rigid? Quite possibly. If it is, the hook gear is probably also frozen solid. Were you able to remove the feed dog? That’s the first step, but it could be frozen as well! I wasn’t able to get the frozen feed dog out because the throat plate lifting mechanism was frozen, so I had to dismantle that system, which was another job and a half, with everything solid from one end to the other.
What I did was to tackle each joint one as an individual problem, and work my way through the whole drive train (not in any particular order). It took hours and hours and hours, but eventually after about 4 weeks of intermittent persistence I now have a functional machine. It’s such a great feeling of accomplishment!
Your tools will be a hair dryer; a couple of decent-quality screwdrivers (one of those little flat ratchet sets is very handy for reaching awkward spots); kerosene or pure, unscented, uncoloured white lamp oil (I’m in Canada so I’m using the Canadian definition of lamp oil, which is a bit more expensive than kerosene but purer and you don’t have to buy a gallon of it; penetrating oil (I use PB Blaster “powerful rust penetrating catalyst”) and sewing machine oil (although triflow would be fine). Two or three 3cc syringes with needles are very handy for kerosene/lamp oil and sewing machine oil application because you can be very specific about where you put it, in tidy little amounts. You can also take the needle off one syringe and pack in Vaseline for lubricating. It’s so much easier to apply small amounts.
I heat up the part I want to free up with the hair dryer and drip in/on some lamp oil, and chase that with penetrating oil. I let it cool, then I do it again, maybe 3 times. It will likely still be rigid, so at that point I leave it till the next day, and move on to another spot. Paper towels catch excess chemicals.
If you are loosening set screws on the gears, do it there as well. Try to loosen the screws with a screwdriver but go gently, and if they don’t want to move, just do the heat, lamp oil, penetrating oil, etc., and move on. It’s so easy to damage the slots on the set screws and then you’re in trouble. Every single screw on my machine has been mangled to some degree by a previous impatient person.
I followed Andy Tube’s instructions on removing the hook, by first removing the set screws on the hook gear and then loosening the hook. It took days, so don’t despair; patience is your friend. One morning it will suddenly be loose and you’ll cheer loudly!
Andy Tube’s videos are so good, and as they say, “See one, do one, teach one”, so I am happy to share what I’ve learned.
Good luck!
So if I replaced the hook and the needle is now hitting the hook, what do I need to do to fix that? The part numbers match, and i got the new hook off of another 401A. I'm not sure how to change it since there isn't wiggle room in the hook shaft.
It sounds like you lost the timing while replacing the hook. The needlepoint to hook point timing. I tried to cover that in this video, but here is a separate video specifically for checking and setting the timing on model 403A th-cam.com/video/cHkqoYYlvRE/w-d-xo.html It shows how to check it first and then if needed how to reset the timing. You loosen a drive gear at the other end from the hook gear and with the needle at a certain height you rotate the hook with your fingers until the hook point lines up with the needlepoint, then tighten that gear. Mind saying why you changed the hook to begin with? Just curious.
@@andytubesewing1953 I took it in for service and they told me it needed a new hook but that they couldn't find one for it. I may take it to another place an hour away who didn't look at me like old machines are junk when I was telling them about it.
@@woochles Ok, thanks. I wondered b/c I've never had a bad hook that needed replacement. I was hoping you'd try resting the timing yourself. If you take it somewhere give them the link to my timing video. Several viewers have told me they had a small appliance repair person or motorcycle mechanic, and even high school auto repair class kids repair their machines for extra credit with their teacher when they could not find a sewing repair shop. Good luck.
Thank you!
Welcome, Trae. 👍
Any video on a singer 750?
I'm sorry, Sa. The 750 is a Touch & Sew and I do not work on them. Did you have any particular issues?
it was easy to pull out the de-lint pin on my 503A.
Glad to hear that. Nicely done.
Traduz pra português
Pode utilizar a funcionalidade Closed Caption (CC) no vídeo e alterar o idioma para o que desejar. Se não sabe como fazer, aqui estão alguns vídeos a explicar como.
th-cam.com/video/Q-6_7_dbhRo/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/KPSgueF_Cpg/w-d-xo.html Boa sorte e obrigado por ver o meu canal.