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Tips/Techniques A Day of Micrometer Calibration

Tips/Techniques
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Downwindtracker2

Well-Known Member
I bought a NOS Moore and Wright to complete my 0-150mm set. I have three Polish VIS 0-75mm, a Bestool-Kanon 75-100mm , a Mitutoyo 100-125mm and the Moore and Wright. Except for the Mit, and it was from Amazon, they were all clearance or the Ebay NOS. There was considerable difference in truing them up. While there are lots of You Tube videos of Mits, Kanon was the same, I didn't find any on my model of M&W, and certainly none on my VIS . I had to do the M&W, when I got a 125 standard , it didn't come with one,I was shocked at how far out it was. I had to use the coarse and fine adjustment. On the M&W and the VIS the oil had hardened. Having no instructions I pulled them apart to clean and adjust.

My black framed Moore and Wright looks more like a Mit ,instead of a Starrett. Inside it's different, for coarse adjustment there is a round nut under the sleeve . The sleeve comes off like a Mit, but much easier.

The VIS were friction thimble instead of ratchet, sweet. The coarse adjustment is a set screw on the shaft. After the end cap is unscrewed, the friction sleeve comes off by turning clockwise and pulling. This will expose the set screw. Getting that sleeve back on involves bad language and patience to get the spring in it's groove while you slide the sleeve over it. It is doable.

Fine adjustment is on the barrel on them all , fairly standard. On a couple, I had to oil and wait before I could move it. I had to se a longer Mit wrench to boot.


I set them for me, either by three clicks on the ratchet or the friction. I hope this helps someone.
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
I set them for me, either by three clicks on the ratchet or the friction. I hope this helps someone.
Click to expand...

OK, you got me. What the heck is an NOS? I have never heard of those. And what are they used for?

You never know when you are going to learn something cool. I have also never heard of the 3 click method. I've always just clicked till it stopped turning. Of course I calibrate the same way so I doubt it matters. Is there a reason you adopted 3 clicks?

Also just wondering what others do and why.....
 
NOS = New Old Stock??? Now that is FUNNY! Here I am thinking it must be something like a deep throat micrometer or a tubing Micrometer, or an Inside Micrometer!!!!

I must live a really sheltered life. I've never seen that before!

Thanks for the laugh on me!
 
NOS has been a thing in the antique and old car worlds for decades.
I've got NOS parts for a 67 Datsun roadster, still in the original boxes, never been installed.
The right piece for the right car can be worth a fortune to the guys who absolutely positively must have original parts and not reproductions.
I am not that guy, the parts came with the car:)
 
I worked as an operator in wire mill before an opening came up in maintenance . We made wire for wire rope basically . Some of the wire was in 1/10th of a thou specs. I don't care how good a feel for micrometers you have, you have to use the ratchet get the exact repeatable numbers that testing could also get. I still have my company supplied mic from those days, a fine and expensive vernier Mit. 1"

Wandering the interweb looking for information on micrometers, VIS and Moore & Wright mostly, I hit on a thread in Practical Machinist forum. A good evening's read. One poster said he didn't like ratchets because they could act like impact guns, I have noticed the creep, the next posters said only use three clicks. This made sense to me. A very, very recent lesson. Also don't look at the numbers was repeated as well. Another very recent lesson. I have only been using mics for 40 years.

NOS The VIS were NOS from KBC. They still have some. When I bought them, VIS had closed down for 20 years. A Dane on that Practical Machinist thread posted that on. The Moore & Wright was from EBay, here in Canada. He has some left, as well. Mine was obviously a second and I got it for only a little more than a Chinese mic. It was from the Neill era of Moore & Wright . It has a vernier and reads down to .002mm. The other mics read to .01mm.
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
One poster said he didn't like ratchets because they could act like impact guns, I have noticed the creep, the next posters said only use three clicks. This made sense to me. A very, very recent lesson. Also don't look at the numbers was repeated as well. Another very recent lesson. I have only been using mics for 40 years.
Click to expand...

Although I didn't use mics on a daily basis, I do have another 20 years on you. And I love vernier scales too.

But I'm not sure what you are saying about the lessons you learned @Downwindtracker2 .

What are the two lessons?
 
I guess need a lesson in english composition, as well. chuckle. The two lessons learned, only use three clicks with a ratchet and the other,don't look at the numbers. He was right, I know I would try to have a "even" number if I watched the numbers. I guess there is more to using a mic then I was taught in pre-app. I started out as carpenter, then switched trades to millwright. I had to do a pre-apprenticeship machinist/millwright course along the way. It was good for one year time in either trade.
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
I guess need a lesson in english composition, as well. chuckle. The two lessons learned, only use three clicks with a ratchet and the other,don't look at the numbers. He was right, I know I would try to have a "even" number if I watched the numbers. I guess there is more to using a mic then I was taught in pre-app. I started out as carpenter, then switched trades to millwright. I had to do a pre-apprenticeship machinist/millwright course along the way. It was good for one year time in either trade.
Click to expand...

OK, now I understand what the learning is. Thank you.

But... I still don't understand why....

If the mic is calibrated on a standard with 12 clicks and used at 12 clicks, why wouldn't the numbers be just as correct as 3 and 3?

I don't personally believe my mind is biased toward even numbers. I will have to watch that..... Who knows, maybe there is a reason I'm odd.... LOL!
 
By even, I simply mean lines, as in even with a line. More poor quality english.

What they are likely talking about is the same number, three is an easy one to remember. but if I were to use 12, it would mean, I would have to take off a boot. LOL
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
By even, I simply mean lines, as in even with a line. More poor quality english.

What they are likely talking about is the same number, three is an easy one to remember. but if I were to use 12, it would mean, I would have to take off a boot. LOL
Click to expand...

Ah, it is all clear now. Thank you for being so patient with me.

Good call using 3 instead of 12. Taking off your boots in a metal working shop is a very bad idea. LMAO!
 
I was taught either click or friction works, and if you are lucky enough to be one of the feel that has the feel you can achieve the same results.

The only difference is that on the friction or click type devices is that they are traceable for quality standards.

Additionally I have seen individuals that even when trained and supervised properly can not get a consistent accurate reading if their life depended on it no matter what method they used.

Good tool and die is about accuracy, great tool and die is about feel.
 
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There is also technique. Clean anvil faces. Positioning them so they are centered to the diameter tangents. Avoid traversing edges of parts where there may be machined burrs. Do some sanity checks in a few spots at different orientations that should correspond to one another. I haven't found much difference between 2 clicks or 4 clicks clutching out on something accurate like a gage block. But maybe over time the mechanism wears & more is better to ensure the same contact pressure?
 
After the metric mics, I tackled the imperial ones. The 0-6" was another set of VIS. A pawn shop deal, they were stuck. But there was still another style of adjustment involved, Lufkin, a 6"-12" with interchangeable anvils. I know it's at least 58 years old, they sold their machinist tools line in '64. I bought it off Craig's list Seattle from a retired Boeing machinist . Lufkin were considered on parr or better than Brown & Sharp or Starrett.

Again a different style of adjustment . The cap under the ratchet end comes off. On mine, the ratchet is the same diameter as the sleeve. The ratchet just slides off exposing a collet nut with a male taper threaded on the spindle shaft. The cap has the female taper.

Lufkin mics are sought after, the friction thimbled ones look very special.
 
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