Starrett Micrometer

Deep Joy!

i went to a boot sale this morning, I bought a huge roll of fine emery tape for £4, a 1lb and 1 1/2lb ball peibn hammers for 50p each and three neat little precision G-clamps for £1.50, two hand made, the tiny one of Indian make.

Best ofall? A vintage Starrett 436 micrometer, apparently in good working order, certainly nice and smooth with no perceptible play for £1.

Not worried about it's accuracy in its old age, just a nice thing to have

Neil

Well done, that man !

MichaelG.

Neil

If you are not worried about it's accuracy, then that will be 4 precision G-clamps you now have!

Phil

Well Neil

Starrett mic. -- You did well for £1.

I see there is one "Buy it Now" on ebay in the US for $31.49 !!

N

Edited By NJH on 02/09/2012 17:10:28

Edited By NJH on 02/09/2012 17:11:19

It was already set properly to read zero at zero, soo i just tried it out with my 1" standard (came with my 1-2" micrometer) and was upset to see it reading 1.0095"

Then I remembered my 'inch standard' is actually 25mm long or 0.98425" and I was mis-reading the mike - it say 0.9845, so reaing about t 0.00025" out over an inch. Obviously it could have larger errors if it worn on the middle of the thread (if I could be bothered to check and had a standard better than just using another micrometer), but even so not bad for a pound

Neil

So Neil - reading your profile and philosophy ( "The Art of Coarse Model Engineering" ) 1/4 thou. error - that would seem far too accurate for you!!

I must say I think I have three mics covering 0 - 1" and, to be honest, I can't think of any occasion when I've needed more than one at a time! (Though, had I been at the boot sale today before you, I would now have 4!)

I recall my first 0-1" was a M&W - a Christmas present from my Grandfather when I was 12 and still my "best" mic. ( Interesting chioce as the family business was woodworking! - but my large collection of "things engineering" might well be down to his gift)

N

Edited By NJH on 02/09/2012 18:39:44

Edited By NJH on 02/09/2012 18:45:57

It gets more fun still. Here are some of the goodies:

Starrett 436

Apprentice piece clamps(?) initialled 'FG' one has a pad on one jaw fixed by an alloy rivet.

Nice clamp marked Futters London Limited on one side, 1" Made in England on the other (not India) once I cleaned the crap off. The body appears to be a stamping from 1/4" plate.

Sorry about the quality - I think I over-jpegged them

neil

By way of apology for those photos (someone had set compression to 100...) here is an object of real beauty - a Moore and Wright inside micrometer, It was complete in the box for a fiver, but there is only one anvil (for 1 1/2" to 1 3/4" so must be for a speciality purpose. There is nowhere to store other anvils. there is a small, circular depression that is empty, about 1/4" across and not very deep. Any ideas what may belong in it?

is it not one of the most exquisite meauring tools? It would make a fine adustable precision end stop, but I could not brutalise it.

Neil

That IS rather nice!

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 02/09/2012 22:30:06

I don't think it is missing an anvil, it's missing a spacer. My 2" to 12" M&W inside micrometer has a 1/2" spacer included. For instance the smallest anvil measures 2" to 2-1/2" inches. Adding the spacer allows the same anvil to measure 2-1/2" to 3". For 3" to 3-1/2" the next longest anvil is used, without the spacer, and so on. So I'd suggest that your set is missing a 1/4" spacer.

Regards,

Andrew

I agree, Andrew

... the Spacer is shown on the page that I linked.

MichaelG.

Yes, looks like I'm missing a 1/4" spacer

Neil