Singer 401A

We sewing machine collectors have all been through this:  we see a machine for sale and it's a borderline case.  It's missing a part or two.  One of the missing parts is a power cord and so it can't be tested.  It has a few dings.  But it's a venerable model and one you don't yet own and the price is really low (this one was $9.99).

Buy it and put in the time and effort to raise it to the standard of the rest of your collection or pass and wait for a better example?

It's missing the power cord, the hinged door over the cam assembly, and has no feet or attachments.  It has a few dings.  No cabinet (thankfully) but also no carry case.  I ran it using my 301A power cord (3-prong input on a 2-prong machine) and the light works and it runs, but slowly.

Fix it or part it?

Update:  I have begun to refurbish this forlorn 401A. 

As mentioned in the comments below, I purchased a hinged cover (the one with the decals) -- spool pins included -- and have both lubricated the captive bearing and cleaned the motor, i.e. polished the commutator, fired off the carbon from the brushes, cleaned the brass spring housings, etc.  It had a broken stabilizing clip (replaced with one from an old Touch-and-Sew) and the insulation strip (the one that falls out when you take the motor apart) had been in the wrong position. 

Not only does this machine now run, it runs like a bat out of hell.  I now need to find a replacement cord and pedal and see if I can snag a box of slant feet and a cam or two.  I'll then adjust the machine's settings to make sure all stitches can be sewn and I'll then put it up for sale. 

I'm sure glad this is just a hobby, as I would have gone bankrupt long ago.  As inexpensive as this machine initially was, I will likely put at least $50 into it in parts.  Of course labor is never included.  Still, it's a good feeling to get this thing running well if not quite sewing as yet. 

Singer 301A

The last thing I need is another straight-stitch machine.

But this is a Singer 301A, one that is collectible, sews beautifully, is in cabinet #42 (the Art Deco cabinet with a matching bench, this one with the curved door instead of the curved drawers), and it was only $40, including accessories.  Its condition is quite good and I like the black better than the tan or two-tone.  And did I mention it was only $40?

The craigslist seller was very nice and explained he wanted to be rid of it, apologizing profusely for not being dressed for company.  (He wasn't.  In fact, he was hardly dressed at all, arriving at the door in his underwear.)  But considering the age of the machine and that he had a vintage poster of Jayne Mansfield and her famous headlamps on the wall of his garage above the Datsun short bed he was rebuilding, it was all good.  (Although he didn't understand my remark about high beams.)

It's a lightweight machine, only 16 pounds of cast aluminum toughness, engineered using a single point on a plane and deriving a 3-D 'tripod' from which the points of the machine's frame were placed.  I'll do a blog post about the design as it's an interesting story and the machine is one of the more 'marvelous' as far as sewing marvels go.

It sews well and seems fast, faster than many of my other domestic machines.  It's also smooth.  I'll add more in the coming weeks as I get to know it (I've only owned it for about 6 hours).  Stay tuned.