NiaJane, the best advice I can give about the Singer Slants is to go to the Groups section of Yahoo and join the Singer Slant Group. There is lots of advice and in the Files section there are manuals and plenty of help.

Also, you'll find that many recommend TriFLow oil for vintage machines. It can be found at bicycle shops. Regular sewing machine oil is good, but TriFlow has tiny flakes of Teflon in it, which help protect the parts from wear. You can also find grease with Teflon, for the gears.

Best of luck finding your Rocketeer.

Tate

GrandmaNancy, look at your zig-Zag template and see if it is worn out. Could it be?

I will also say that I have put up several videos on Youtube about caring for and fixing some known issues with the slant machines. You can look for my name (AA) and a bunch should come up. Should the machine be "stuck" at the stitch selectors, it can be fixed but is a bargaining chip.

GrandmaNancy, the one about unsticking stuck might help you with your issue too.

Thank you, Tate! I wil check out the Yahoo group. Also, I had heard of the Triflow oil, but didn't know what made it special.

Archaic Arcane, thank you for letting me know about the videos. They have already helped with the 66 tensioner. :)

Oh! Good to hear! Good luck with the visit with the 500A today ;)

I love mine. I quilted a twin quilt without a quilting foot and it just sewed right through all the fabric, batting and backing like butter.

I got it! She is a beauty! Just as I remember from my childhood!
A sewing cabinet full of sewing goodies including cams, owner's manual and presser feet was included.
I'll get her set up and take pictures tomorrow.
Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement!

Well shoot! Now I am so jealous .... but happy for you, of course. But how the heck did it happen that fast? Didn't you just ask about them and now you have one? Ah to be so lucky. You might want to think about playing the lottery this week. Enjoy your "new" machine. Cannot wait to see it.

WOOOHOOO!! Congratulations! Sounds like you scored!! I'm still hunting for the 'right' cabinet for mine.

I'm looking forward to the pictures!

No lottery for me... I think I used up all my luck for a little while! LOL! I'm staying away from black cats and ladders...
Actually there were 2 Rocketeers in my area on Craig's list... the other had no power cord or accessories and was in need of a faceplate and some serious TLC.
The one I purchased was orignally owned by the seller's grandmother-in-law. She had service records showing the machine was taken in for service annually in June. It looks like the accessories are all there. I'm having a treasure hunt through the drawers of the cabinet.
Pictures soon....