Class 500
"Rocketeer"
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The Singer Model 500 Sewing Machine features a slant shank and rotary hook. It uses Class 66 bobbins and 15x1 needles.
- Singer 500 Series Model Descriptions
- Singer's 500 series "Rocketeer" machines epitomize space-age styling with their distinctive oval arm shape and futuristic aesthetic from the early 1960s. This guide details the technical specifications and differences between the Model 500 (with built-in stitches) and the Model 503 (which requires cams for all zigzag functions).
- A Card Table for the 500 Series
- The 503 Manual (9.1 MB)
- (This isn't the exact manual for the 500, but it should help.)
The lid of the Model 500 in the openposition, showing the built inspool pins and stitches.
The stitch selector dials and width control lever.
The Stitch Length Lever.
Following Compliments of Sharon Reese
The lever raises and lowers the throatplate.
I found this beauty with its manual and attachments in the original box at an estate sale. The original owner wrote "Purchased October 1961" in the manual. It has built-in stitches while the 503a does not. The knob on the arm is how you change your stitch type. It also takes cams, like the 503, to expand the variety of stitch designs you can use. I ended up keeping this machine and selling the 503a because this machine has the extra stitches and the cosmetic condition was better.
My 500a didn't have a case when I bought it. I bought this case with a 500 that was missing parts from a collector for the value of the case. Neither one of us wanted to take out the time to find the missing parts for the machine. I knew another collector who really wanted a 500, so I sold it to him for shipping costs, and he found the parts it needed. All three of us were happy with the way things worked out, which shows that it can be useful to let other collectors know what you're trying to find. : )