Another happy dance in WV

Ok, I just purchased a 403A and am waiting for it to ship. I'm so excited! I know it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the 401, but that's ok. The flea markets and yard sales will start up in about a month :):)

Been doing research, and can't find answers to a few questions I have.

1) What does the "A" mean in the 403A (or 301, etc, etc)? Does it indicate where it was manufactured (like the 99k) or does it have different features for the 403?

2) I know some of the cams among these machines are interchangeable. Which ones will fit the 403?

I should be able to find this info on my own, but have googled till I can't google any more. Thanks for any help.

Cindy in WV, who is jumping for joy at adding yet another member to my "family."

Reply to
CindyP
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Don't hold me to this but I did a little research on my own to figure out what machine my brother had and what what meant. Here is what I have come up with

the "A" seems to implie that the machine has a bed extention. Only a few inches but still, I was told by someone that this makes them highly desirable.

As for the cams , you will need to find cams made for the 400 series they would be interchangable with other machines in the 400 range. check ebay on a regular basis , they tend to turn up. Check e-bay auctions for other 403 machines , if they are complet it will give you an idea of what the standard accessories for that machine was. ( i know that the 401 came with 5 cams total, in a case with all the other accessories : presserfoot needle plates etc)

Jean

"CindyP" a écrit dans le message de news:h7K_b.36$ snipped-for-privacy@news01.roc.ny...

Reply to
Jean Péloquin

A denotes it was made in the Anderson plant. Nothing else. While for most of the A marked machines this holds true, in the last part of the production of the 301 it was moved to the Elisabeth plant but they still retained the 'A' designation. The best place to find out info on your machine is

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Reply to
Theresa

The ONLY difference is it doesn't have the built-in stitches the 401 has. It needs cams to do any decorative stitch, including the zig zag. Other than that, it's the same machine. My 403 is quieter than my 401, and I was told this is because it doesn't have this huge internal cam stack spinning around all the time.

It was made in the Anderson plant. No other difference.

The black Singer "Top Hat" cams are what you want. They were called "Fashion Discs" and look like little top hats. These originally came in "0" (zig zag, and the hardest to find so hopefully you got one with your machine) on up to 21. =20

Now, there are two other cams in the 'top hat' series, the 22 and 23 cams. While they will fit in the cam shaft of the 403, they won't work as they were designed, as these were made especially for certain later models that had the particular feature built in -- the stretch stitch (for the 22) or the basting stitch (for the 23). For example the Touch and Sew model 640 can use the 23-basting cam because it had a basting mechanism built into the needle shaft that 'held' the neele up for several rotations to make a long, basting stitch. The Golden Touch and Sew 758 does stretch stitching, and so the 22 cam along with that model (which also came with the 'flexi stitch' white-colored cams). This same cam, when used on the 403 or 401 just produces a regular zig zag which doesn't 'stretch' as much as when made on the 758 (I have these two Touch and Sew models along with 25+ other machines.....).

It's not that easy to find, and it doesn't hurt to ask.

------------------------ Adult: A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing = in the middle.

Reply to
IMS

Congratulations!! You will love the 403, I have on in my collection :-)

Thanks for all the responses! You all have helped alot. Yes, my machine comes with the zigzag cam, but no other. It'll be fun building up the accessories.

Cindy

Reply to
CindyP

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