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• Vernier Caliper by MAUSER

Access Db Guy

Hot Rolled
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Location
Norfolk, VA
Greetings, All,

My father-in-law left me all his tools when he passed and I am just beginning to go through them.

Amongst his treasures was a 7" convertible vernier caliper. It can be either a standard vernier caliper OR a vernier height gage.

And it was made by MAUSER the German company. Best guess is sometime between the War of German Agression, Phase I and Phase II.

Its measures just in English, no metrics at all. It has a chart of decimal equivalents on the back (1/64 to 63/64ths). It has the MAUSER trademark at the top of the beam, on the height gage base, and on the back of the off-set scriber.

This is my first attempt at posting a picture (MAUSER) so if its not working, or too large, your patience would be appreciated and your skilled guidance on the proper way will be observed, and copied!

When you get to Photobucket, please click on the picture to enlarge. I also merged in some closeups of certain details pointed out by the Red arrows.

The back reads...
Made in Germany for
"George Scherr Co.
New York"

The quote marks are on the original.

Should I insure this item against theft? If so, any idea how much?

Thank you and My Regards,
Stan Db
 
Not at all trying to one-up you but I have a 9 inch one with similar markings but the slider on mine is two piece with a fine adjusting screw. It also seems to have longer legs as it would need to for a larger diameter capability. Mine is in a fitted case with blue velvet lining.
My assumption was always that Mauser wasn't allowed to make guns for awhile after WW I so they made whatever they could.
I have no idea of the value. It was my Father's and I don't know where he got it. Between us we have had it for 60 years.
 
John,

Thank you for validating that I figured out Photobucket correctly.

I think you are right about Mauser's precision instruments. I'd like to find a 'matching' micrometer (if they ever made one), gage blocks, etc.

My FIL told me that his foreman had retired in the Fall of 1935 but when Germany started WWII in September, 1939, his foreman called him and when my FIL visited, was given the caliper along with a long lecture about mistrusting the "Kaiser's Cadets" (Nazis?)

I find it interesting that your caliper is 9" while mine is 7" Normally I'd expect 6, 8, or some other multiple of 2.

Stan Db
 
I have a 6" model without the "George Scherr" markings. I thought the same thing about possible value until I checked previous sold items on Ebay. Mostly just an interesting tool as the value of a standard caliper is very low.

Yours however, probably bleeds into a whole 'nother category since it is convertible and you have all of the parts. Only one way to find out! :D -Mike
 
Stan Db --

Thanks for the description of your FIL's Mauser caliper and the photo. You probably know, but the George Scherr Company (long since merged with the Tubular Micrometer Company to form Scherr-Tumico) was a significant importer of precision mechanical and optical equipment from a number of European -- and later, Japanese -- makers.

One of the machinists at work has used a pair of Mauser dial calipers for probably 10 or 15 years, and he's been very happy with them. Interestingly, they were made in France, not Germany.

John
 
I have seen a number of Mauser calipers over the years. The best part is the connection to your family.... that is worth more than whatever these would bring on ebay. The model with the attachment for conversion is pretty neat.... do you have the case?

Thanks for posting and your picture works fine.
 
Mauser also made mic's.
Their are some pic's of both in the book;
"The Commercial Mauser 98' Sporting Rifle"
By Lester Womack.
IIRC, They also mention they were produced after WWI, when they were barred from arms production.

You'r pair might possible be made later with the (Made in Germany for "George Scherr Co.New York")
Markings.
I dont have the book in front of me right now, all my books are boxed up while I'm doing some painting in the house, but I dont remember any such "export" type markings on the examples in his book.

Cheers, YOOO VINNY
 
Additional details:

No case. Just handed down in an old cardboard box.

Inside/outside only, i.e., the main scale does not have the depth probe "finger."

Please note in the photo that the Mauser logo is also located in the center of the fixed jaw, turned 90º counterclockwise such that if you held the vernier up like a backwards "F" the logo would be read upright.

Also in the photo, the large dark object to the left of the fixed jaw is the "height" base. Mount the vernier in this base, apply the off-set scriber, and you've an effective height gage. I've done this and the alignment, square, and general fit of the base is very good although I'd use my dedicated 12" height gage for assured accuracy.

The fine adjusting screw is located in the vernier frame and not in a second frame as is often seen on modern verniers. It works just as well as the dual-frame fine adjusting screw on my other "standard" verniers.

I am stepping out on a limb here but I think the various parts may have been produced in different areas of the factory or different buildings. Note that the Mauser logo on the off-set scriber has "Germany" underneath the logo while the Mauser logos on the base and on the fixed jaw lack the country of origin.

My regards to all.

Stan Db
 
With the risk of getting flamed, I think the Mauser brand of calipers are pretty common. I used to have a pair and I think I saw them still for sale in the catalogs not long ago.
 
" produced in different areas of the factory or different buildings".... also could be produced at different times..... maybe your father in law or the dealer that sold them did not get all of the parts at the same time....... just like you could have a Starrett indicator from 1920 and a holder for it from 1960...... both made by the same folks (as in company) but with different trademarks. Whether common or not, the fact they are from your family makes them special.
 
My Father-in-law's son is mad at his Dad, even after my FIL died, because I received all the machinest tools. He has no use for any of them, and, by my personal observation, uses heavy screw drivers as a pry bar (opening paint cans, etc.) and a monkey wrench as a hammer. He got the general household tools (circular saw, soldering iron, etc.)

One of the reasons we (FIL & I) got along well was our shared experiences even though all I had was a 3-year apprentiship and a few minor jobs over 40 years ago. That, and respecting his daughter while we were courting.

I've told the son that his chance of me giving him Dad's precision tools (that I know he'll just pawn like he did with the saw) is about the same as the odds of me turning into a screaming, liberal socialist or of PeTA publishing a book entitled: Management of Herds & Flocks for Maximum Profit

Stan Db
 
Mauser Calipers is now part of the TESA Co. they are manufactored in France.
 
Look up Brown & Sharpe, That leads to Hexagon Metrology, Which is a Swedish Conglomerate. Tesa and Lietz are part of it, Pierre Rolle France and Switerland, through Tesa, That leads to Etalon. and when you finally think you have it sorted out, it begins to look like Hexagon has the Micrometer market sewed up, minus Starrett and the multiple named P D R Chinese offerings to the U.S. Market.Hexagon naturally has a plant there. Mauser metrology was turned over to Tesa/Etalon ,by order of The conglomerate owner of most of the surviving or restarted German Munitions factories, as it didn't fit in,. Tesa had been making the micrometer line for years. The
parts on my Mauser 2-3" are virtually interchangeable with the Tesa. I got into all of this when trying to figure out what brand of thread mikes to get. It looked from pictures like the Browne and Sharpe was identical to the Tesa.
Clerks at tool suppliers selling both had never tried to use the vee's & anvils for B &S in a Tesa, and the factories didn't answer e-mail. They are the same. Polish Vis isn't but the Chinese thread mike appears to be a knock- off.
The Caliper of familiar style because it was popular in U S Before WW-II was simply Mauser as in," can I borry yer Mauser?" During WW-II a company in Calif. Made a knock -off which was almost as good- Photoetched graduations and sometimes they were a tad shy of the actual measure. When the French were ordered to get with the program and totally destroy all the Mauser Buildings in Oberndorf the surviving employs of the various divisions Glombed on to the inventory of parts stored since 1939 and that was the beginning of the restart. The Measuring instruments had been transferred down river about 1934 and that is where they restarted, but beyond the calipers for a while the rest of the instruments -micrometers and similar were made in Switzerland, at first through Pierre Rolle. All of this just to find out what to bid on e-bay. Yes, I got the B& S, and had to buy a 1-2 also to get the full set of Anvils, both like N.I.B. and at the time for about 25% of full bore. They are excellent, easy to use and though read in inch,
translate with a nuimber cruncher to the damned Metric "D" Tolerance system, where you find that you are better off getting U S Made Metric taps in the "G system . The merchants sell about .0035" oversize in the area of 7 m/m and, you might as well give up. Yes, I printed out the very handy explanation and tables provided by Kenna Metal.
Anybody got a thread grinder for taps out there??. I need some M-7 by .75 but instead of D-5
I need minus D-5.
Tom Burgess
Kalispell, MT
 
Vernier Caliper by Mauser

Hello, I know that this is an old thread, but it popped up while I was researching a Mauser Vernier Caliper. What I have here is 8-1/8" long overall. with a scale that reads from 0-6", and from 0-10cm. There are also conversion scales on the back. I believe this can also be used as a Depth Gage. All of the lettering is in German. Pre WWII? Thanks, Lou
 

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