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Singer 401A's Dirty Little Secret...

8/6/2015

9 Comments

 
The Singer 401A is legendary for its durability and power.  Like the old Timex, it can take a lickin' and keep on stitchin.'  After all, it has steel gears, doesn't it?

Yes, the 401A is famous for it's Made in the USA steel gears, but did you know that the 401A has ONE gear that is NOT steel?

In fact, the gear in question isn't even metal.
       
"Say it ain't so, Joe..."
The 401A is often touted as an "all metal" or "all steel" sewing machine, but neither description is strictly accurate.


The 401A machine head is cast aluminum, which is lighter-weight than the earlier cast iron straight-stitch machines.  The 401A's casting is heavier than the Featherweight 221 or 301, but it's still aluminum.   

Inside the 401A, the needle bar, cam-stack, cam followers, hook, and driving gears are nearly all steel parts.    

Nearly...

Picture
Nylon handwheel gear - Singer 401A
The exception is the large gear that sits just inside the handwheel and engages the upper machinery to the vertical motor drive shaft.  This particular gear is 1/2 inch thick and made of an extremely durable plastic composite.  

It may not be steel, but whatever the stuff is, it stands the test of time, because you never hear of this gear stripping, breaking, or cracking.  Unlike the plastic and nylon gears that Singer used on later models, this substance just quietly does its job year after year after year.   

The material in question is most likely Textolite, which consisted of woven fibers infused with bakelite.  If you examine these gears closely you can see the cross-hatch of woven fibers, and the service manual for Singer 201 refers to a similar gear as a "textolite gear."  Textolite was a brand-name patentend by GE in 1936 and heavily promoted through the 1950's for everything from laminate counter-tops to tile floors. 

So now you know the 401A's dirty little secret.  It's not "all steel" and it isn't even "all metal."  But it is still unquestionably one of the finest Singer sewing machines ever built.   

 
Happy Sewing!
Barbara

OldSewinGear...dedicated to helping you get the most out of your old sewing gear.
Updated 12/13/14:  Thank you to members of the Vintage Sewing Machine Facebook group  for prompting further research into Textolite, which led to revisions of this article!
9 Comments
Peg Smith
5/24/2018 10:41:35 am

I bought a singer 401A, second hand, in 1969. Been using it to do all sorts of sewing from girls clothing, my clothing, upholstering chairs, making waterproof curtains for our camper, and various other projects. It is the best machine ever! Mine is still going strong. Nice to get your info on the gears!
Thank you,
Peg S.

Reply
Lizzie link
3/4/2019 08:02:53 am

Glad to have found this post! I am currently doing up a Singer 411G, and I had realized that the handwheel gear wasn't metal, although wasn't sure what it was made from. The thing is - do you lubricate yours?? I have read all sorts of conflicting advice about lubricating, or not, plastic/nylon/fibre gears. I'd be grateful for more advice!

Reply
Peg Smith
3/4/2019 10:53:32 am

I don' know anything about gears, but I love my Singer 401! I do not lube it, but a while back (a long while back!) I had a man come to the house and he went all over it; belts, lube, cleaning. It still runs like a charm. But unfortunately I don't use it much anymore. Mostly I use it for mending. I see projects that I would like to do, but my get-up-and-go seems to have got-up-and-gone. Thought I might sew for granddaughters, but the older one won't wear homemade things, and the younger one wears a uniform to school. Oh well, back in the day, I made one of my prom dresses, my wedding gown, a tailored Easter suit, a sports coat for my bro, and many more lovely and fun things. Thanks for listening!
Peg

Reply
Sharon
7/18/2020 02:37:18 pm

I have a 401 also. Just got it from my sister. It was our Mom's. I sewed with it growing up. I'm hoping to learn more about using it properly and for some of the extra things it does beyond straight and zigzag stitches.

Steve
9/15/2020 09:09:40 am

Hi, check out Andy tube on youtube he has a lot of videos showing proper cleaning, lube, and complete restoration of singer machines. The textolite gear should be lightly greased.

Reply
Kathy
12/16/2020 06:39:29 pm

Should the textolite gear be GREASED or OILED?

Reply
Jim M
1/1/2021 04:45:17 pm

Where can I get a service manual for my 401A?

Reply
Pav
1/27/2021 09:18:30 pm

https://sewingdude.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/singer-401-service-manual/

Reply
Leslie
2/28/2022 06:08:47 pm

Go to the Singer website. I got mine there. You may have to dig around but they are there.

Reply



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