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Old-ish rusty instruments in big parts buy - Serviceable or Junk?

HudsonMC

Plastic
Joined
Jun 9, 2017
I bought a lathe, the first I will have run since college, that needs some TLC before it's usable. I'm in the process of refurbishing it, but while parts soaking in the stripping tank or paint is drying, I've turned my attention to the pile of instruments I got as well. I'm much more comfortable taking apart the lathe than I am these instruments, so I'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction. I think there are some really good pieces here, if I could get them in tip-top shape again, is possible.

Forgive me if some of these questions seem stupid, but I just really don't want to accidentally break any of these sensitive little guys. Bear with me!

I suppose I'll go through the known problems first. I think you can click on the images for larger versions.

First off, this smaller mitituyo caliper:
IMG_1297.jpg
It feels a little crunchy, but more importantly, the face of the dial doesn't move with the knurled ring around the dial. Are fake mitituyos a thing? The dial face locking screw barely holds the face, and the slide locking screw is very tight. Otherwise, the thing looks great. What's the best way to approach disassmebling the dial?

Next is this depth mic:
IMG_1299.jpgIMG_1298.jpg
This needs some cleanup as well, but what I'm really worried about is a small amount of axial play. Are these things adjustable for backlash?

Here is a Blake co-ax indicator:
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Seems like a neat little tool, but it's frozen solid. is there oil or solvent I could soak these in to free them up and clean them without harming the internals? After doing a bit of research, I'm worried the brass bushings may need some honing.

And I think I reached the attachment limit. Stay tuned for part 2...
 
A little 1" Brown and Sharpe outside mic:
IMG_1304.jpg
This one isn't too bad, but the locking ring doesn't work (just spins and spins) and I can't get it to zero properly under the ratchet pressure. May need some internal cleanup as well. The locking mechanism isn't super important, I suppose, but it would be nice to get it working.

Here are some standards of some kind:
IMG_1303.jpgIMG_1302.jpg
I'm honestly not sure what these are used for. Micrometer standards? Some of the shafts are a bit rusty, and the smallest one even has a bit of rust on the anvil. What exactly are these used for, and is the rust anything I should be worried about?

There are a couple of indicators, one of which looks just terrible, but appears to be working, and another which is missing the glass. Are these worth even keeping? If they can be cleaned, it would be nice to replace the face and use them.
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Part three incoming...
 
Sorry guys, I know this is getting long winded.

Last bits I was concerned about were this collection of outside mics:
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All are a bit rusty and some are a bit sticky. Again, same story, if there is a safe way of cleaning the internals of these, I'm all ears.

So, a bunch of stuff! Thanks for reading! I don't know enough to know if any of this is worth rehabbing. Hopefully you guys can share some wisdom. Thanks!

Bonus, if you're bored already, no need to read past this line. Along with all that, it also came with a large 18" mitituyo dial caliper, a collection of random HSS blanks/tools, a Lufkin ruler, a starret ruler, and some other random stuff that all appears to be in good shape, or at least servicable.
IMG_1296.jpgIMG_1306.jpgIMG_1311.jpg
 
The mikes don't really have internals, it's just a 40tpi thread.

The locking ring is kinda a slit nut looking thing that uses a little hardened dowel to expand the ring and lock the spindle. That's a bad explanation, but it's a very simple mechanisms, pretty fiddly putting it back in the mike though.

The dials indicators and the coaxial indicator will be a lot more fiddly, I've never been inside one.

And even though it looks like brass, it's not, it's bronze. Some may have jeweled mechanisms like a watch.
 
The Mitutoyo dial calipers - probably just some chips or other crap caught up in the rack. Some alcohol and a toothbrush can get most of that out. Imbedded stuff may require careful use of a dental pick and magnifying glass. I think most fake Mitutoyo calipers have been the digital, rather than dial stuff. If you can run the moving jaw back and forth, and it returns to zero each time, you should be okay. If it's a few thousandths off either way, but it repeats, just rotate the bezel until the "0" lines up. If it's a 1/4 revolution off, it may have jumped a tooth on the rack. Depending on the model, it may be possible to reset the "0" to the "12 o'clock" position.
 
Here is a Blake co-ax indicator:

Seems like a neat little tool, but it's frozen solid. is there oil or solvent I could soak these in to free them up and clean them without harming the internals? After doing a bit of research, I'm worried the brass bushings may need some honing.
They probably do. Mine was in perfect condition but wouldn't move on it's own. Gently get it apart, and hone or lap the bushings and put it back together. I think they swell up in storage.
 
The locking ring is kinda a slit nut looking thing that uses a little hardened dowel to expand the ring and lock the spindle. That's a bad explanation, but it's a very simple mechanisms, pretty fiddly putting it back in the mike though.

Ah, gotchya. Got the mic apart and studied this part. It looks like the pawl in the ID of the locking ring is stripped, or at least worn to the point it won't engage. Stinks, but like I said, not a huge deal.

Thanks for all the help, guys!
 








 
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