The Singer 301 Family is Complete - LBOW

A few years ago I picked up a Singer 301-1 black short bed.  It quickly became my favorite machine, and now lives in a beautiful #42 cabinet.  That's all I could ever want. Except...

I then came across a 301-2 beige long bed in a case for a good price.  That would round out my collection (one of each color, one of each style.)  Except...

There was one more color I didn't have, which is the Light Beige Oyster White (LBOW.)  I was okay if I never got one, but when I saw one being offered at an Estate Sale, I couldn't resist the siren song.

I wanted to be the first one in line, so I got there an hour early and waited in the pouring rain.  Good thing I did because someone right behind me was after it too.  It was only $40 because it didn't work.

However, I disagree.  It absolutely does work!

Here it is stitching at very slow to very high speeds.

And it makes a perfect stitch

But it wasn't working - that is the wheel wouldn't turn - when I bought it, and all the better to my advantage.  However, I knew this:  as long as the bobbin case was in there (and it was) it was worth $40 because the bobbin case alone is worth more than that.  I was also pretty sure I could get it running anyway.  I've done it before, after all.  But if I couldn't get it working, then I would part it out and come out ahead, so win/win.

So here, just as I suspected, was the problem.  First of all, YUCK.  

Gobs of lint that hadn't been cleaned out in years.

But even worse, there was a thread wrapped around the hook

It took a while, but I finally got it free.  It was wrapped up in there pretty tight.

So maybe a messy hour of my time, and I got a machine that had been written off as not working right back into operation.  It was also bone dry and needed some oiling and lubing.  It still sounds a little hard, but it runs fast and the stitch is perfect like any 301.  (Hopefully after running and oiling it a little more, it will settle down.)

             I'll be selling one of them soon, but for now it's kind of cool to have the whole set.