Sticky dial indicator

[pelhamjeff]

I didn't know where to put this, but I know there are some competent guys around this department-MGA, Gink, Mark, Eric, others- I have a dial indicator that's getting a little sticky about returning to zero. Do normal people replace them when this happens, or is there something I can lube the internals with? Thanks!

 

[Old_School_Nut]

If its a cheep indicator i would upgrade to a better name brand one, i have seen cheep ones around that not only were VERY inacurate but sticky as well...

if the indicator is known to be good i would oil it with something like starrets fine oil, 3 in one or something like that and work it back and forth...

be sure it is clean, i have seen measuring instruments get ruined from dirt and metal chips.

-Leo-

 

[mga]

If its a cheep indicator i would upgrade to a better name brand one, i have seen cheep ones around that not only were VERY inacurate but sticky as well...

if the indicator is known to be good i would oil it with something like starrets fine oil, 3 in one or something like that and work it back and forth...

be sure it is clean, i have seen measuring instruments get ruined from dirt and metal chips.

-Leo-

i agree, the starret oil works well, providing you use very little. i worked in a lab where we calibrated gauges and tooling and repaired many of them. alcohol is an excellent cleaner for the intricate gearing in them, and sometimes oil invites dust. if the brass gears are chipped or scratched, it's best to just throw them out.

sometimes, the indicator slide might be marked, preventing it from sliding. point is, there could be a couple of reasons why it's hanging up.

pelhamjeff...what brand is it and what do you use it for?

 

[pelhamjeff]

It be a Mitotoyu, or maybe it's Mitutoyu-I remember it being expensive ten years ago. I have some 3 in 1 and it's really thin. I almost used it before putting this on AS, but then I took the back cover off the indicator and saw how fine those little gears are and I wondered if there might be something even thinner than 3 in 1. Since I have that and not the Starretts, I'll try it this evening. Much obliged!

 

[pelhamjeff]

Sorry MGA, what I use it for most recently was was to check play in a Mercedes ball joint. Are you talking about just using rubbing alcohol, like what people have in medicine cabinets? Seems like that would evaporate, but since you have used it with good results, I dont know if I should try that or 3 in 1. I have both.

 

[kevin j]

kerosene?

I remember the 'old relatives' kept a jar lid filled with kerosene inside the mechanical clock case. The K1 vapors were supposed to be just enough long term lubrication for the precision gearing.

I keep some antirust paper sprayed with WD40 in the drawer with this type of machinist equipment.

k

 

[weenieroaster]

What about using carb cleaner for cleaning delicate things?

 

[mga]

Sorry MGA, what I use it for most recently was was to check play in a Mercedes ball joint. Are you talking about just using rubbing alcohol, like what people have in medicine cabinets? Seems like that would evaporate, but since you have used it with good results, I dont know if I should try that or 3 in 1. I have both.

the alcohol evaporates without leaving a residue. that's what makes it a nice cleaner for things like that.

the 3-in-1 should be OK, just don't use alot...a drop is all it takes.

i gotta say...checking the ball joints with an indicator is rather impressive...lol i use to check my rotor run-out on my corvette when i owned one.

 

[pelhamjeff]

I guess the last time I used it before the ball joints was to check crankshaft thrust on a karmann ghia. Before that, I worked at a shop where it was useful for checking differential ring gear backlash.

 

[mga]

I guess the last time I used it before the ball joints was to check crankshaft thrust on a karmann ghia. Before that, I worked at a shop where it was useful for checking differential ring gear backlash.

the old karmann ghias.....nice car....many didn't know this about them:

Instead of fenders bolted and pre-welded together, as with the Beetle, body panels were butt-welded and hand-shaped and smoothed with English Pewter in a time-consuming and expensive process. At the time the Ghia was built, only the manufacturers of the finest cars took similar care.

 

[Vincent]

Keep it clean and nearly dry

Hy my expiriece is: when you clean the in and outgoing
mesuring shaft with mild Alcohol in german we say Spiritus then the blocking dirt particles go away. With a spray- bottle you can wash out the ckockmachinery. after that you can aplicate with the top of a needle very less acidfree
clock oil on the bearings. not on the teeth of the gears.
I would not disassamble the clockmechanism only wasch.
cheers vincent

 

[mga]

Hy my expiriece is: when you clean the in and outgoing
mesuring shaft with mild Alcohol in german we say Spiritus then the blocking dirt particles go away. With a spray- bottle you can wash out the ckockmachinery. after that you can aplicate with the top of a needle very less acidfree
clock oil on the bearings. not on the teeth of the gears.
I would not disassamble the clockmechanism only wasch.
cheers vincent

excellent advice.

 

[machinistbcb]

Buy a new cheapo dial indicator for $9.99 from harbor freight tools. It will last you forever for ocasionoly use, and they are acurate within .001. Which is plenty close for checking out a ball joint, Mercedes or not.

 

[Old_School_Nut]

Buy a new cheapo dial indicator for $9.99 from harbor freight tools. It will last you forever for occasionally use, and they are accurate within .001. Which is plenty close for checking out a ball joint, Mercedes or not.

hello fellow machinist!
of the 2 indicators I have seen used from Harbor Freight both gave incorrect readings when checked against other and better known indicators. the tip off to this was the fact that the readings were not repeatable. which brought out a starret and a mitutoyo which confirmed our suspicions..... not only were they not repeatable, but .020 on the indicator was (as example) .026... it should be noted that the instrument is graduated in ".001" but maybe not accurate to a measurement that fine, especially across its entire range.......

I would rather save my money and spend 100 dollars on a good indicator before you see me buy 10 cheepo indicators to get a cheaply made one that actually reads correctly, for the time being. The damage done from a bad indicator in more cases than not, would easily pay for a nice indicator.....

just my experience and 2 cents

-Leo-

 

[aandabooks]

There are only two brands of gauging tools we use. If it doesn't say Brown & Sharp or Starrett, it doesn't have a place in our shop. We run tolerances as tight as +/- .0002 on wrist pin bores and a few other bores in the oil-less line. Mitutoyo is a good brand though. Definately in the top three and light years ahead of anything your going to get at Harbor Freight.

 

[pelhamjeff]

I would rather save my money and spend 100 dollars on a good indicator before you see me buy 10 cheepo indicators to get a cheaply made one that actually reads correctly, for the time being. The damage done from a bad indicator in more cases than not, would easily pay for a nice indicator.....

I agree with that. A cheapo indicator would be OK for any of my endeavors, but who knows what I'll be checking runout on 5 years from now. More importantly, China is going to whip our ass in the next 10 years, and I don't want any of the blame on me. Buying the Mitutoyu and sending money to Japan didn't (and still doesn't) worry me as much. Grand dad would take issue with me though.

 

[pelhamjeff]

Instead of fenders bolted and pre-welded together, as with the Beetle, body panels were butt-welded and hand-shaped and smoothed with English Pewter in a time-consuming and expensive process. At the time the Ghia was built, only the manufacturers of the finest cars took similar care.

Thats interesting. My wife's grandfather had one that he was proud of. He had been told that when the beetle engines were test run at the factory, the ones that ran especially smooth got tagged for use in karmann ghias. I never disputed that, but I never bought it.

 

[weenieroaster]

I agree with that. A cheapo indicator would be OK for any of my endeavors, but who knows what I'll be checking runout on 5 years from now. More importantly, China is going to whip our ass in the next 10 years, and I don't want any of the blame on me. Buying the Mitutoyu and sending money to Japan didn't (and still doesn't) worry me as much. Grand dad would take issue with me though.

It's usually much more enjoyable to use a good measuring tool, compared to a cheapo. The feel of precision is nice. The slide on a good dial indicator moves along very nicely after it gets broke in a bit...gives a warm and fuzzy feeling, in addition to providing accurate measurements.

Why should you worry at all about sending money to Japan??? We are mostly here just like you guys there, trying to earn a reasonable living by working hard and doing the best we can at our chosen professions, and also, often with family to support during this very tough economy. Does that sound so unfamiliar? Join the world, or at least the free world, and Granddad should maybe learn to get over it too, if he still can.

 

[pelhamjeff]

Grand dad never got over it because he lost his only brother on the Oklahoma. It doesnt bother me to send money to Japan because I am several generations removed frow the WW2 generation and because, to my knowledge, Japan is not a threat to us in the military sense. But America will never forget Pearl Harbor.

 

[weenieroaster]

Don't worry about Japan being a military threat to the states. Most people here are still concerned with the country being a military threat to itself.

The Vietnamese will never forget the My Lai Massacre. War is hell for everyone involved, whenever and wherever.