Vintage Starrett 56a Score

[Dan_S]

I picked up one at a flea market recently very nice condition but missing the scribe. Any ideas on how to make or obtain a replacement scribe at a reasonable cost?

if it's a Starrett, you can order parts from them still, but it won't be cheap.

 

[dlane]

Guess I'll dig them out and clean them up

 

[EmilioG]

I recently got a good deal on 3 surface gages, two Brown and Sharpe and one Starrett.
All are hardened steel and in good shape. I'll post photos after I clean them up.
They are all vintage with the larger B&S gage made in England.

 

[KBeitz]

How yo use....

http://www.technologystudent.com/equip1/surgau1.htm

 

[Brian Hutchings]

This has been a very interesting topic. I used to use these 50 years ago to mark out castings for machining. Like others on here, I'm a sucker for old tools, especially ones in good condition.
I've bought 2 recently, both from eBay. The first one was made by Moore & Wright which is about 15 miles from me in Sheffield (England) and is fairly modern in its cardboard box.
The other is also by Moore & Wright but is more interesting as it is stamped "AM 1939". AM stands for Air Ministry which was the government department responsible for the Royal Air Force and 1939 is the year that WW2 broke out in Europe. When bought it was still covered in thick lanolin preservative.
Brian

 

[Silverbullet]

One real thing for sure , all old time machinist who served apprenticeship know how to use and the many ways it should be used even today. Anyone who uses a mill , a planer , a shaper, and yes a lathe too. Surface gage is so underutilized now . In my ancient youth it was a required tool in minimum of one . That had to be the mid size models 9" + 10" rods , usually came with two back then. Smaller ones for smaller jobs bigger for big of course. I happen to own several one is to me Hugh weighs about ten pounds or so. The rods are 18" + 24" , I used it on many set ups on planners and shapers , back in the seventies . Sure don't seem like that's old to me but it is . With the pins down it could set up a casting with in .020 easily . Add an indicator and 1/2 thou is more then possible for squareness on the table.

 

[Brian Hutchings]

This got me thinking about Starrett tools that I have but I could only find the one in the picture. The only other US ones I own are by Slocomb.
This base for this protractor was given to me by someone who had been sent in to strip the workshops when Crossley-Premier was sold to a company that was not interested in the Diesel and gas engines that the company made. When this someone heard that I had worked there he offered be the base because the company name was on it but the rule was missing.
Several years later, I met a fellow Crossley-Premier ex employee and when he found out that I had the base, offered me the rule that had been in his toolbox when the company was sold!
So the tool is now complete again.
Brian