The SINGER 401G
Slant-O-Matic
Sewing Machine
Now, Technically this is not the first Singer, nor sewing machine to enter my life, However it is the first one I have actually spent my money on!
While browsing the listings on TradeMe (Kiwi eBay) one night this unusual machine caught my eye, At this stage I already have a perfectly good Bernina 707 - it performs a perfectly fine straight stitch and zig-zag, but unlike the 708 or 730 it unfortunately does not come with any pattern cams, so this was a first for me to see how a sewing machine produces special stitching.
This Singer was advertised with a $25 buy now and after confirming the seller was willing to ship it to my neck of the woods I made the purchase.
When the machine came I was astounded by the beauty of the design engineered by the Singer Manufacturing Company, the auction photos didn't do it any justice.
The 401G was manufactured in Karlsruhe, Germany between 1954
This 401G came with the following defects:
- Broken spool pins, and damaged pattern plate from
someone jury-rigging a method to compensate these broken pins.
- Old lint, dust and threads all through the lower case and bobbin area.
- There is a small patch on the pillar next to the stitch length selector and
Singer logo where the paint has disintegrated away.
- The bight control (the red lever on the right, next to stitch pattern selector)
was broken off internally.