Singer 500A "Rocketeer" Sewing Machine -- Newly restored, first performance test

I had previously restored a 500A to cosmetic perfection, swapping in all the best parts I could find and creating a true showpiece. But her performance was disappointing.
So I looked for and bought another that had been used for many years and "run in" thoroughly. I kept all the mechanical parts original to the machine, thoroughly cleaned it inside and out, overhauled the motor, and adjusted timings etc.
This is the preliminary track test of my new machine, Hephaestus. You can see that not only will he sew extremely quickly, but very slowly as well, with a fantastic performance range.
If you would like your PA motor serviced, and/or the bearing in your PA motor replaced, just get in touch at [e-mail]

[@andytubesewing1953]

Hephaestus; Greek God of Crafting. He's better than new b/c he's been thru his trials, is broken it, and running at 100%. The smoothest running 500A I've seen, and I've seen a few. Congratulations and appreciate the hard work and time it took you. Thanks for sharing.

[@theunknownchef5825]

I have a similar Rocketeer, mint condition, had very little use when I got it, but it ran bad, motor sounded off. I rebuilt the motor, put in a new bearing, with same results. When I swapped out the motor for another newly rebuilt one it ran like a Swiss clock! Original motor probably had a bent shaft from the factory and original owner didn’t use it much because of this problem. Thanks for all your wonderful videos!

[@reginaoneill9372]

I have one of these. Wonderful machine. Works like a horse, quiet as a mouse. Stitches are beautiful. So happy to see this one brought back to life.

[@matt21525]

Thanks! It's always a pleasure to make them work like a sports car!

[@suhseal]

that sounds so smooth!!!

[@r.duroucher225]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video. And then I got to thinking that I would never be able to explain that to anyone else. There is a particular type of madness in finding a video like this exciting. Congratulations on a job well done. And thank you for sharing this video!

[@thevmc]

Additional note: these are not "industrial" machines and they are not meant to sew at insane speeds -- they're domestic and for typical household projects. That said, these older machines are notoriously more powerful and durable than most things available new today.

[@athertonca]

What a lovely sound emanating from what I think is the most visually appealing VSM. I have several vintage Singers, including two 500As. I didn’t have any until a random video showed up in my KZbin feed from some guy named Andy Tube 💕 who was restoring a vintage Singer and I thought, “Hey, that could be fun…”