fallisme

I have a Babylock Espire for sale if interest PM me

thepolyparrot

If the zig zag feature on your 403 is not working, the cam is possibly not seated correctly or the bar that swings the needle is stuck with old oil - it turns to a hard, sticky substance like varnish.

A serious cleaning of the inside from the top, bottom and nose plate will start to alleviate the situation. Here's a picture of the bar that pushes the needlebar side to side - oil in this spot and start pushing the needlebar back and forth until it gives way and starts moving. There is about a half-inch of movement in this bar when it's working properly.

Candace

Where are you looking??? Cams can be had for only a few dollars each.

thepolyparrot

If you search eBay for accessory sets for the 600 & 700 series of Touch & Sew machines, the black "top hat" cams will all work fine as will the slant-shank attachments that were originally included with those sets. (the white cams will not function correctly - they will not even seat properly in your 403)

The sets for the Touch & Sews sell for far less than the sets sold specifically for the 400 and 500 Slant-o-Matics.

I've seen very large sets of the black "top hat" disks with a lot of attachments and sometimes even buttonholers and other options sell for $10-20 plus postage, which will run about $12 via Flat Rate Priority mail. Many times, these sets don't even get a bid.

Get a box of q-tips and a bottle of acetone or denatured alcohol to clean the steel parts inside the machine, a bottle of Tri-Flow to oil it all and you have a wonderful hard-working machine for a pretty small investment.

bmanley

thepolyparrot, thanks so much that very well could be the problem. Will certainly try that. It was very, very dirty when I got it. Oiled and cleaned it up but probably didn't check that part.

bmanley

Also, thanks so much for the info in the cams. I was wandering if any other cams would work. You all are great. I will know what to order if I can get the zig zag needle to work.

bmanley

Thanks for your input Judi. I truly appreciate it.

thanneaKS

I have a 30 year old Elna Carina, a 16 year old Bernina Activa, a Janome 6600 and a brand new Juki HZL 600. I needed the Juki like I needed a hole in the head, but I found it online for under $1000 and I could not resist. I like each machine for different things, but for sheer value, I'd go with the Juki. I found mine at Ken's Sewingcenter (online store). It was used at a weekend quilting expo and came with a 30-day moneyback guarantee. I do at least as much dressmaking and heirloom sewing as I do quilting, and that might not hold true for everyone. I do love having 4 machines--let's me keep 4 projects going.

MadQuilter

I used to be loyal to Pfaff but they are not the quality that they once were. (Bought out and going for cheap imho). Now I have a Baby Lock and just LOVE that machine. My model is the Espire which is now marketed as the Symphonie. It has so many features, I don't know what to do with them all. Nice large harp, great light, needle down, adjustable speed, awesome stitch quality, built-in scissors, drop-in bobbin, single push threader (the bomb!), large table, and she sews sideways. I wish she had a built-in walking foot but.....it's not such a big deal to add one on.