Clean and restore Mitutoyo dial caliper

If you are only doing a few, the Harbor Freight watch press is a very inexpensive option for installing crystals.

The only modification needed is to dome one of the nylon dies that come with it. This is easy enough to do on a lathe. As they come, the die edges are too rectangular and can deform your nice new replacement crystal instead of leaving it with a smooth, even curve. I learned that the hard way, so you don't have to.

Untitled.png
 
If you are only doing a few, the Harbor Freight watch press is a very inexpensive option for installing crystals.
That looks like a perfectly good way to install crystals on machinist indicators for low $ and little time invested. The HF part number is 91621. I will get one myself, probably way better than my cobbled up contraption (which does work...)
 
Made a lens for a pressure gauge out of 1.5 mm polycarb cut 3 x 3 square to be screwed to a bit of planed inch thick wood through the centre of which I put a counter sunk coach bolt , added half a dozen nuts and put it on the lathes face plate then trued it up before attaching the predrilled poly carb square with mushroom head wood screws.. across the whole of the square I used double side sticky tape to hold the lens in place when it separated then turned the disc from along the bed with a fine ground tool tip to just over size of the bezel including the lip . Made my own cups & a plunger on the lathe and then inserted the lens using the drill press table , cup & plunger to cup it .
 
Back
Top