503A For Parts (Or so I thought)

I was out of town visiting my sister and came across a VERY ragged Singer carrying case at her local thrift store.  I peeked inside only to find a decrepit 503A, my favorite model of all the Slant-O-Matics. It was missing the hinged top of the cover and didn't have a cord or foot pedal. The case was broken and had no clasps. The machine was filthy and grimy and dusty. It did, however have a cam inside, disk number 0, which I think is the best disk to have and worth a few dollars by itself. They were asking $10.00 for him. A great deal for a parts machine, I thought. I bought it, not believing it could be functional because it was so beat up, and thinking I would keep it around for parts just in case my own 503A ever needed organ donation.

I brought the poor guy home and took a better look at him. He was splattered with what appeared to be spaghetti sauce and a good amount of dirt. I gave him a good scrub. He polished up very well. (Of course I did not take a before photo, darn it). I cleaned the inside, put in a bobbin, threaded the machine, and plugged it in using the cord for my 503A.

The machine fired right up and made a smooth, even, beautiful stitch the first try. I didn't even have to adjust the tension. Nothing. It was just perfect.

So of course he's not going to be for parts.

He's a survivor.