Bought four broken indicators, brought them back to life
Posted Feb 2, 2020, 3:29 PM UTC
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So you just fixed their white balance?
jk, nice job.
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Highly advanced Kelvin technology. 😁
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any tips for sourcing new lenses?
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watch glasses.
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Starrett sells replacement lenses, you can also find a few suppliers that sell watch lenses like mentioned above. I have been wanting to find an actual crystal lens I could fit on my lathe bed indicator to avoid swarf melting the lenses. You can also make new lenses with some thin sheet lexan or poly, but they won't be formed. If you have access to a vacuum forming machine (or build one, see Adam savage's video) you can form a new lens pretty easy using the same method, just place the material over a ring the proper diameter and increase vacuum depending on how much bulb you want. With a thin enough lens material you might even be able to pull it off in an even with just gravity. I've considered making 30 or so and selling the rest for a few popular sizes.
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Nice.
Question; did you need to mess with the springs inside, and if so have you checked their accuracy? Just curious.
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Yes, accuracy was good on all. As long as you have the main drive gear at the correct point in the rack and both needles reading zero you shouldn't have any accuracy issues. Ideally you want the needle to rest at zero, but that's not always possible. The spring sets the pressure. Usually best to use manufacturer springs as they are calibrated to provide relatively easy tension across the travel, which is important for accurate measurements. The springs are really what separate cheap indicators from expensive ones. A Starrett or Mitutuyo will start at 2oz and end at 3oz, where a cheap hf indicator will start at 2oz and end at 6oz.
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That's cool knowledge. Thanks for sharing!!
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I got my self alot of indicators that are jammed, someday i might try to fix them
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First just clean them without taking them apart. If that doesn't work take the backs off and flush them out. I use starting ether. Don't use acetone: it will attack the plastic lense and probably the paint on the face. Don't use WD40 either. 90% of the time all that is wrong is dirt and grease.
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The best solvent I've found is just paint thinner. Apply it fairly lightly, wipe it away, then a light oil.
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Or bent axles. I use whitespirit for cleaning
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Excellent! Love to see tools brought back to life.
I got a B&S dial indicator in a box of stuff. Hands were loose and not smooth. Left it for months, afraid to open
Finally did, learned a lot and ended up with a piece out of normal hobbiest reach
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If love to get a B&S indicator, haven't been able to find one yet. I did restore a B&S dial caliper a few weeks back and simultaneously dropped my Mitutuyo digital calipers in my coolant tray, so they're getting a lot of use now, hah.
I ran across an old machine shop that closed in the early 2000's and the building was bought by a guy who didn't know anything about the equipment. Bought nearly everything so far, haha. Along with these indicators I got a full set of Starrett micrometers in pretty rough shape. Once I get my lathe rebuilt I plan on stripping all of them and power coating them in a nice crinkle black.
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dropped my Mitutuyo digital calipers in my coolant tray
Those can often be cleaned successfully.
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Thanks for the silver u/NickHemingway !
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Do you have a source for pointers?
You can usually get starrett needles but outside of plundering other indicators you're usually sol.
Too bad. I have a nice Browne & Sharp that works fine except that the needle is missing.
Actually, it's somewhere here in my office. I was reassembling it after cleaning and slipped while reinstalling the needle. Sprong! I've made several attempts at fabricating a needle but I can't get one to stay on and not slip.
You might consider looking into small clock hands, I'm sure the shaft diameter is a universal size. They make thousands of sizes. Also, fuel gauges in cars are probably nearly the same size.
I've done some searching. A bit frustrating: there are millions of choices, most of them inadequately specified, sold only by the gross, or both. I may try again.
Thanks for the tip about fuel gauges. Busted pressure gauges are another source I hadn't thought of.
Just look up msc, they literally have everything