The Morse 600 Sewing Machine
Morse 600 Sewing Machine : Antique and Odd History
Recently when doing some thrift shopping I came across a sewing machine. A Morse 600. It was a very heavy machine. From lifting it, I could tell it was made well. The action was smooth when run by hand, and all the parts seemed to be there. The front of the case said “1956 Morse 600”, but I don’t know if thats right. It was at a price I couldn’t resist so I paid and took it home.
The Morse Company has an interesting history. Importing machines from Japan after WW2, they would add a motor and some other bits, then call it “Made in the USA” and seel it as an American made machine. At some point they stopped doing that, as this machine is badged “Made in Japan.” Records were obfuscated through a few import companies so most of the records are lost. They ended up being closed down and their history is more than a little confusing. The best guess I have is the machine was actually made by Toyota. At some point they made a machine called the “Foomatic”, which if I ever find, I will just have to purchase.
After messing around a little, I had to bring it in for repair as I noticed it wasn’t all together perfect. Really not bad condition but the thread tension aseembly was not adjustable, and the rubber belt had some dry rot. The thread tenson wheel had to be replaced so the color doesn’t match, but its livable. The foot pedal was also redone with a Singer old style bakelite one before I purchased it. That must have been deemed solid and left alone. A whopping $50 later, I have an amazingly smooth running machine. It is so smooth and nice I would prefer it take it to “Quilt Club”, but at the weight, I don’t think my arm would be happy. I’m also not sure that case would survive. Its solid enough but I’m not sure I trust such a heavy machine to a single handle on top like that.
Below is the manual. When I got the machine, it came with an original manual in a plastic bag, and a very clear color photocopy of it. Searching for parts and information online, all I found was people wanting $10+ for a copy of the manual. Those ones probably don’t have the water damage stain, but $10 for 12 half-pages from a 1956 manual seems expensive. So here its free. Use it in good health. If anyone can upload it to the Internet Archive, feel free.