Micrometer repair

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Hukshawn

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I have two mics needing repair. One is a good digital mititoyo, it fell on the floor and became remarkably stiff, I just sent that one for professional repair at mititoyo in Canada today. I won't try to repair that one, and it's going to be expensive.

But I have an old 0-1 Moore & Wright. Works, but is also stiff. Stiff enough the clicky clutch won't turn the knobby.
I'm having a hard time finding somewhere to send that one as mititoyo won't take it.
Its not rusty.
How hard are they to service/lube? Should I attempt it? I have standards to calibrate it to. I'm considering either leaving it, or trying my hand since the mititoyo will be expensive.

Thoughts? IMG_20171111_224327.jpg
 
You can try it yourself, or most places that do calibration will repair mics also.
 
Try some penetrating oil on it Shawn, followed by a light oil
 
Hukshawn said:
I have two mics needing repair. One is a good digital mititoyo, it fell on the floor and became remarkably stiff, I just sent that one for professional repair at mititoyo in Canada today. I won't try to repair that one, and it's going to be expensive.

But I have an old 0-1 Moore & Wright. Works, but is also stiff. Stiff enough the clicky clutch won't turn the knobby.
I'm having a hard time finding somewhere to send that one as mititoyo won't take it.
Its not rusty.
How hard are they to service/lube? Should I attempt it? I have standards to calibrate it to. I'm considering either leaving it, or trying my hand since the mititoyo will be expensive.

Thoughts? View attachment 264803
Click to expand...

They are not hard to work on. Not hard at all.
Take it apart, soak it in mineral spirits to degunk it. and lightly oil it with mineral oil.
If it is binding, figure out why. There is on some a ring that controls the amount of effort needed to turn the spindle. If that is the cause usually loosening it will help. The threads are tapered and it closes down the more you turn the ring in. But I am thinking this is just gummed up, rusted or dropped.
 
Small mics are pretty cheap on e bay; I have had some large mics that had the same problem, was unable to make it better by the cures detailed above, junked them.
 
Many moons ago I was trained to service and calibrate micrometers and there's not much to it honestly, the most difficult part is ensuring flatness of the anvil with an optical flat, but the rest of it is essentially very simple. Carefully take it apart and I suspect you'll find the issue (probably decades worth of grease and grime). I wouldn't think disassembly and cleaning of a micrometer to be a difficult task for anyone who frequents this forum. Calibration is easy too, it just requires reference tools many of us don't have in our shops.
 
The hardest part is lapping the faces. The 0-1" mics don't need standards to calibrate. You adjust them with a small wrench when fully closed and locked.
Not many parts at all. As long as the spindle is straight, not bent, you should be able to repair it yourself. Do a search for an exploded parts view
and make sure no parts are missing. Check the lock. A small bur or nick can cause binding.
 
Uhg. As I get older, I’m more and more an advocate of letting the professionals do the job instead of ripping into it myself. But I can’t find a place locally that will repair this mic... so, it looks like I will be on my own.
Thanks for all the suggestions. When I do finally sit down to work in it, I’m sure I’ll be here too.
First I still need to clean the rest of the garage. But I took a step back from it for a few days. No time, and stress was getting the better of me in there.
 
If it's just a matter of the thimble being a bit stiff, that's a simple fix usually. I did five of mine a few nights ago. Simply turn the thimble until it unscrews from the body and then give it a few drops of light machine oil, like 3 in 1. Screw the thimble back on and work it back and forth a few times. All of mine freed right up. It think the threads just had a bit of dried oil in them making them stiff. Doing this shouldn't change the calibration. It didn't on any of mine anyway.
 
Professional repair will cost about $110. More than the mic is worth.
You can buy a nice Swiss 0-1" Etalon for less than $100.
 
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