Posted 2 years ago
gollcath
(1 item)
All original and in working condition.
Included: Machine, manual, wood table and base, electric plug, multiple foots and bobbins
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Hi, gollcath. :-)
A 1961 Singer Rocketeer. Cool.
Presumably, you found a NC100001 through NC400000 serial number somewhere on the body of your machine.
It possibly seems like a minor detail, but this is actually a Singer model 500a. Besides spying that model number on the front of the machine, one of the easiest tells that it's a 500a instead of a 503a is that big knob on the front.
About the Singer 500a and 503a (the 500a actually had more built-in stitches than the 503a):
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/501a
More about the Singer 500a:
https://www.quiltingroomwithmel.com/2015/08/singer-500a-rocketeer-sewing-machine.html
https://www.ashleyandthenoisemakers.com/blog/2015/3/20/singer-500a-the-rocketeer-review
https://www.spoolofthought.com/500-slantomatic-rocketeer
Here is a soft copy of the owner's manual for the 500 family:
https://sewingdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/singer-500-owners-manual.pdf
Here is a soft copy of the service manual:
https://sewingdude.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/singer-500-service-manual.pdf
Here is a gallery of Singer cabinets that fit Singer's 300-400-500 family of machines, depending on whether it's a short bed or a long bed:
https://www.singer301.com/cabinet/default.html
I can't quite make out the patent numbers listed on yours, but this poshmark listing of a Singer 500a had a slightly more focused picture that allowed me to make out that last design patent number (USD183405):
https://poshmark.com/listing/Singer-Sewing-Machine-500a-Slant-O-Matic-Vintage-60e0969c074d244d8b4fb3a7
It looks like your machine probably has the same patents more or less as the 400 series.
Here they are toward the bottom of this post about vintage Singers:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/308616-help-for-vintage-singer-sewing-machines
About the factory:
https://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/anderson
In case I'm forgetting anything, here is my collection of vintate sewing machine links:
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/285089-help-for-vintage-sewing-machines
However, it's a lot to sift through, so if you have any questions (other than worth, which I don't do), just ask them here in a comment on your post.
Hi again, gollcath. :-)
I just wanted to follow up a bit, because it appears that your Singer model 500a won't fit in that cabinet without some special hardware.
Here is a twin of your cabinet, called the Singer model 88 (the Cosmopolitan):
https://millardsewing.com/product/singercosmo1/
The listing says that it will fit Singer models 401, 403, 404, 500 and 503.
The problem is that the listing doesn't really show the special hardware.
Here are the mounting pins and cradle, along with some caveats about fitment:
https://millardsewing.com/product/170112/
At the bottom of this page at the Singer model 301 site, the cradle and its hardware are shown, along with their SIMANCO numbers:
https://www.singer301.com/cabinet/default.html
The author states that they personally have a Singer model 88 cabinet, and their 301 fits in it perfectly -- using the cradle assembly.
The bed dimensions of the Singer model 500a are essentially the same as the 301a, so it conceivably could fit into a Singer model 88 cabinet, but it needs some supporting hardware, which don't show in your current pictures.
Whoops, one more link.
This tutorial shows a Singer model 301 being installed into a drop head cabinet (some of the pictures are actually of a Singer model 401, which is part of the same family of machines as the 301 and the 500):
http://www.oldsewingear.com/blog/rock-a-bye-baby-singer-301-cabinet-cradle
This video makes clear the distinctions between installing a Singer model 301 and models 401 or 500 into a cabinet (along with a lot of other things to consider):
How to choose a cabinet and install a vintage Singer sewing machine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34PKrDn3LUA
The short version: the model 301 needs the cradle, but models 401 or 500 don't.
All models, however, will need hinge pins, which are not seen in the photographs in this post:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-set-hinge-pins-mounting-3823013916
I suspect that what looks like a wired-in knee controller in photographs three and four can simply be removed if so desired, because the foot controller seen in photograph four plugs directly into the base of the sewing machine head.
I feel better now. };-)