Check Out Morse Fotomatic 4100 Zig Zag Sewing Machine
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Morse Fotomatic 4100 Zig Zag belonged to my very best friends’ grandmother. He asked me to restore the machine and get it back in working order. Today, I will provide you with everything you need to know about this sewing machine. Note: At the end of this article, there is a parts list for Morse Fotomatic 4100.
If Mighty Mouse had a sewing machine, this would be it.
The blue, red, and ivory color scheme gives me Mighty Mouse vibes. Also, the “M” on the stitch selector looks a lot like the Might Mouse logo. This Morse Fotomatic 4100 screams Mighty Mouse, but it’s also a great machine.
For starters, the manual is easy to find.
A number of sellers carry the original manual in digital and printed form. But, the original manual only has a few black and white illustrations of the sewing machine with no guided color photographs. For this reason, I would suggest getting the Morse 4100: The Aftermarket Manual . The aftermarket manual includes instructions with color photographs of the actual 4100 machine and basic machine operational instructions.
Morse Fotomatic 4100 has an 80 watt motor and standard motor brushes.
Sometimes, people throw out the whole motor thinking it doesn’t work. However, most times the motor just needs a good clean, oil, and motor brush replacement. You should be able to replace the motor brushes on your own. However, don’t open up the motor unless you know how to work on them. 😉
Signs of worn motor brushes include:
- It smells funny
- Big blue sparks shooting out
- Lack of overall power when trying to sew thru fabric
- A drop in RPM. In simple terms, the machine goes super slow
- Signs of burning, cracks or crumbling on the motor brushes themselves
To replace the motor brushes, take off the motor brush caps. Remove the old motor brushes. Then, place new motor brushes.
Morse Fotomatic 4100 motor is attached to a 13 5/8 V Belt.
Washer + black clamp inside hand wheel.
This machine had a good motor belt on it. However, I thought it would be a great idea to let you know what belt the machine takes as many used machines don’t come with a belt. Just to let you know, it is a challenging to buy a new belt because everyone lists different scales of measurement. 13 5/8 is 34.61 centimeters or 346 millimeters. The size is in-between a MB-340 and MB-350 motor belt size. Personally, I would go with the MB-350. But, it’s up to you.
Your hand wheel “should” disengage for winding a bobbin, when you hold the big wheel and turn the little wheel towards you.
This particular sewing machine did not disengage to wind a bobbin. Therefore, I had to remove the hand wheel to figure out why. (PLEASE DON’T TAKE THE WHEEL OFF UNLESS YOU HAVE TO). There is a black clamp holding little wheel in place. Use a screw driver to move the black clamp out of the way and turn little wheel towards you. Once you have removed little wheel, remove the washer and big wheel. Put a few drops of oil on the screw threads.
Next, you’ll want to replace the big wheel, washer, and little wheel.
* It took me about an hour to get the wheel back on and functioning correctly! So, don’t get frustrated with this method not working on the first try.
Morse Fotomatic 4100 takes a big ol’ bobbin tire.
The first bobbin tire I purchased at Hobby Lobby was way too small. So, I had to buy one online. I got the #15287 bobbin tire off Amazon. I thought it fit the machine. However, it didn’t make full contact with the hand wheel. Fortunately, one subscriber has provided a the link to a working bobbin tire. It is the #2460 bobbin tire.
Left, middle, and right needle positions are integrated into the stitch width.
This means you cannot change needle positions with a straight stitch. Instead, the needle starts at the left with a straight stitch and moves over to middle or right position with the wider zigzag selected. My newer Janome 500 functioned in a similar way, so I don’t see it as an issue. However, it is a feature worth mentioning because many other vintage sewing machines (like Emdeko JA21) have a separate button for moving the needle into a different position.
This sewing machine has 4 feed dogs and an easy-to-find needle plate / bobbin cover slide .
I have replace the needle plate and bobbin cover slide on every sewing machine I have ever restored. The only time you’ll find a sewing machine without damaged plates is when you get a machine from someone who didn’t sew on their machine much.
In other parts news, the rest of your parts are generic Singer class 15. So, don’t freak out when you don’t see Morse listed as compatible with the part you want to buy.
It takes a class 15 : bobbin, bobbin case, and shuttle hook.
It takes low shank presser feet. All of these things are super easy to find on Amazon.
Don’t be cheap! Replace the foot pedal.
The carbon pile foot pedals heat up and are a major fire hazard. Unless you plan on rewiring, you will need to upgrade. New electronic light/motor block foot pedals are grounded and a lot safer than the old kind. Plus, they have better speed control. After my Emdeko JA21 caught fire, I decided to upgrade foot pedals on ALL vintage restore projects without exceptions! Yes, I can rewire foot controls. However, I find the newer ones just work better.
I think Morse Fotomatic 4100 is an excellent machine for working on all types of household sewing projects. But, I have to knock its rating down from a 10 to an 8 because of….
… its plastic buttons/knobs. You’ll never understand how terrible plastic buttons are until they turn 50+ and begin to crack.
Also, I am not a fan of the stitch selector. You have to select a zigzag stitch and use the silver round knob to lock the stitch in place. It’s just an unnecessary additional step.
While Morse Fotomatic 4100 has its quirks, it is still a great home sewing machine because it drives fast and makes beautiful buttonholes.
It handles light materials well and goes around soft curves and corners easily in spite of not having a free arm (like modern machines). Likewise, Morse Fotomatic doesn’t have a problem handling multiple layers of denim. It is such a versatile machine and even has a darner for adjusting foot pressure. In my opinion, Morse Fotomatic 4100 is very underrated for how well it performs.
Originally posted January 2020 & Last Updated February 2024
I’ve listed all of my Morse Fotomatic 4100 purchases below. Perhaps this list will make it much easier for you to find some of the parts you need.
Replacement Parts List (with clickable links)
Morse 4100: The Aftermarket Manual
Other Helpful Articles
The Insider’s Guide to Sewing Machine Repair Part I: Electrical Cords
26 Comments
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where can I purchas the needles for the Morse Fotomite 4100Machine
Morse Fotomatic takes standard sewing machine needles. You can find them at any craft store or in the craft section of any big box retailer.
Where can I find parts for the Fotomatic 4100.
Just look for Singer class 15 compatible parts. You can easily find them at online shops like eBay, sewingpartsonline, and a1sewingmachine.
Are you familiar with Morse 4300? I want to be able to put pieces of the tensioner assembly back together. There are 2 disks, one round plate, spring, the main part that goes with the take up spring, a cog like washer, cup, a plastic part that goes into the screw hole of the knob, the knob. I think I counted all. What is the correct order to reassemble?
I am familiar with the Morse 4300.Thread tension reassembles similar to how most Singer class 15 and semi-industrial modern machines do. Here are two videos off YouTube that might help you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ftHGCfU39M other https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vubZ6Ieonhc
Hi I purchased a Morse Fotomatic Push Button Zig Zag machine- what the manual says. It looks very similar to the one you have pictured. I was going through the manual to figure out how to work it. It seems that the zig zag stitch selector is stuck and also the M knob won’t turn either. Do you know if this can be fixed and how? This is the first vintage machines I have gotten and would be using. Any help that you could give me would be much appreciated. Thank you Amy
You have to push down and slide over the zigzag max width first (little silver knob). Then, you can change the M knob. If this doesn’t work, take your machine in for service. I know we all hate to hear “service.” I don’t have the machine in front of me to tell you how to fix. But, if that function isn’t working, you will need to find someone who can do the repair. Sorry, I couldn’t be of more assistance!!!
regaurding comment on 1-17-2021 where can i find a “knob” adjuster for the zig zag setting?
There is a control panel on the cream part of Morse 4100. On the left side of that control panel, you will find a little silver knob. This is your knob for adjusting the zigzag width.You have straight stitch and then zigzag widths 1-4. To change the length, you need to rotate the wheel under your white reverse button. Hope this helps. Thanks for visiting the blog!
Hi! I inherited the 4100 and I’m super excited to fix her up. I think she will need a new motor belt. Do you have any recommendations of which brand/ type belt I should get? Thank you!!
Honestly, I think most of the belts are made in China and just sold under different brand names. I tend to go with the clear orange kind in MB-350. Thanks for visiting the blog.
This has-been soon helpful! I keep coming back to it and thr kinks you provided while I learn about the machine. Thank you!
Thanks for visiting the blog
Re:Morse 4100. For $20, this 4100 is mostly in great shape. The three buttons Normal. Silk. Tack are all in the down position and wont come back up. Suggestions?
If you turn the machine onto the underside, you will see a mechanical system controlling these buttons. Most people have never cleaned or greased the system. On the machine used for this article, I had to remove the buttons and give them clean and grease. If I remember correctly,there is also a spring associated with this system. It may need to be replaced. Springs can easily be found at the hardware store. Just make sure to get one roughly the same size. *FYI: Use a Tri Flow clear synthetic grease on this assembly to insure you don’t get any oil onto the plastic buttons as oil will cause the buttons to degrade.
About what year would this model come out? and is it a vintage or classic? Also would it be worth more if I sold it ? it’s incased in a little stand or table . Thanks Ray
The machine reviewed was purchased in the 1950’s as a wedding gift for my best friends grandmother. Since it is more than 50 years old, we consider it vintage. If you own one of these, you won’t get much money for it because the current American market only considers Singer and Bernina “valuable.” However, if the belt tension is just right, Morse 4100 will stitch thru some seriously thick materials without a hiccup. I would definitely not get rid of the machine because its worth its weight in GOLD even though the world doesn’t value it.
My reverse button won’t budge….What can I do?
There are 3 to 4 mini sized screws around the silver bezzle surrounding the reverse button/ stitch length module. Unscrew the silver ring and remove it. From there, you will be able to remove the stitch length module and get to the reverse button. I like to take a q-tip and add tri-flow synthetic grease behind the button to help it move. But, if you don’t have any, it is ok to use machine oil and let it sit. If you use oil, you’ll have to take great care with not geting it on the plastic buttons. Please let me know if you are able to get it working again. Happy sewing!
Do you by have any idea when this machine was manufactured?
I cannot be 100% sure. Since the machine was a wedding present for the grandmother who married in the early 50’s, I would assume it was manufactured around the same time.
Thank you so very much for all this information. I bought a J-C4 Morse from an estate sale and the motor works but doesn’t have enough to get the wheel and needle going. I’m wanting to get it going because I really love the vintage look. It’s very beautiful.
Awesome 🙂
where can I find a diagram of tension spring assembly for my morse 4100. needs reassembly.
There are two main types of tension spring assemblies. Here is a video that shows the basics of how each one of those goes back together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABYrdfC4p3M