Angela Kelley
Member since 2012
Posts: 8 |
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Date: 1/30/12 11:08 AM I have the Singer 503a which I thinks is almost identical to the 500 and was wondering if the plain zig zag stitch, which I read is cam choice 0 and is built into the machine, should automatically operate? The cams seem to work fine, but when I remove the cam and try to make a plain zig zag stitch by moving the stitch width lever to 3 or 5, the needle moves, the gears inside the top of the machine seem to reposition themselves, but the machine will not stitch a zig zag stitch - it continues to stitch a straight stitch. This is odd because the stitch patterns when using cams seems to work fine. I wonder if there is some other setting I need to be aware of to do the plain old zig zag stitch on these machines. Does anyone have any advice? |
pknord
Intermediate
TX USA
Member since 2011
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Date: 1/30/12 11:51 AM The 503a only does the zigzag stitch with the cam--there's no internal camstack like the one in the 500. ------
Pat in Rockport, TX
"As ye sew, so shall ye rip."
http://community.webshots.com/user/pknord
http://www.quiltingthoughts.blogspot.com/ |
lisalu
Advanced Beginner
GA USA
Member since 2008
Posts: 1265 |
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In reply to Angela Kelley
Date: 1/30/12 12:08 PM No there is no "built in" zigzag stitch on the 503. You have to have the cam in place. |
Angela Kelley
Member since 2012
Posts: 8 |
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Date: 1/30/12 12:42 PM Oh my goodness - I thought I read in the manual that it is cam 0 and that is built into the machine? If not, is there a cam 0? I have a pdf of the manual on my computer and I am pretty sure I got the right manual. Is there a 503a and a 503 special and are they different? Thanks so much to all who know anything about this. |
Angela Kelley
Member since 2012
Posts: 8 |
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In reply to lisalu
Date: 1/30/12 12:43 PM Oh my goodness - I thought I read in the manual that it is cam 0 and that is built into the machine? If not, is there a cam 0? I have a pdf of the manual on my computer and I am pretty sure I got the right manual. Is there a 503a and a 503 special and are they different? Thanks so much to all who know anything about this.
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lisalu
Advanced Beginner
GA USA
Member since 2008
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Date: 1/30/12 5:01 PM Yes there is a 0 cam for the basic zigzag stitch. Do you have the set of cams that comes with the machine? I think there are 9 of them including the 0 cam which remains in the machine when you aren't using one of the other stitches. |
Angela Kelley
Member since 2012
Posts: 8 |
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In reply to lisalu
Date: 1/30/12 5:27 PM I have a lot of cams and I am going to look through them all for 0. I'll let you know what I find.
I hope you don't mind if I ask you another question since you seem to know about the 503 - If things are otherwise running fine, how do I know if I should take the top off and clean up all those gears and joints? I've seen photos of these machines that have been cleaned and restored and gosh, this one sure doesn't look pristine, but of course it has probably never been cleaned like that before. Thanks for anyone's help! |
lisalu
Advanced Beginner
GA USA
Member since 2008
Posts: 1265 |
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In reply to Angela Kelley
Date: 1/30/12 8:12 PM In my experience it is going to be underneath the machine where you will need to clean. That is where all the lint and thread accumulates. When I bought my 503, I removed the base and was shocked at 40 years worth of lint wadded up in there. 
Especially around the feed dogs and the bobbin race you need to get that thoroughly cleaned out, even taking it apart as necessary. Don't oil it until you remove all the debris or you'll have a bigger mess.
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Angela Kelley
Member since 2012
Posts: 8 |
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In reply to lisalu
Date: 1/31/12 12:07 PM I didn't find a 0 cam - maybe that is the most frequently lost? So I ordered one online. I do have quite a few of the others, however - which is really cool. I have a whole collection that came with a couple Singer Touch n Sew machines I inherited - they are the 600 series. I never had much luck with them and they've been stored away, but this Rocketeer 503a seems to be a better machine.
Thanks for the heads up on starting with taking the bottom off and going after lint etc.
I'm just relieved that my machine will do zig zag when I get the cam. I also ordered the service manual reprint. |
m/m
Intermediate
NJ USA
Member since 2005
Posts: 271 |
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Date: 1/31/12 2:19 PM Double check that the 0 cam isn't already sitting inside the top of the machine - the 503 manual says that's where it's stored. The other cams all come in the accessories box. I don't know "503" vs "503a" but I've got my mom's 503 and she was the original owner way back when. The machine only went to the shop twice since it was purchased and I was always the main user. I've always cleaned lint out carefully, used oil as indicated in the manual, and occasionally used lubricant as indicated in the manual. There's rarely much lint in the top part of the machine but it does need oiling there. In addition to underneath the machine bed, the other place that gets lint is the arm that moves the needle up and down but it's not as bad. When you oil it be sure to move the stitch selector from straight to zig zag and move the feed dogs forward and backward too. My favorite cleaning tool is a tiny brush that's sold by one of the vendors at Mancuso quilt shows in NJ and eastern PA. It gets into all of the little nooks and crannies.
Enjoy the machine - they're great. |
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