LS STARRETT CO (and not a vise)

[Mintgrun]

Probably these Thread calipers, based on the wide tips. I imagine your tips don’t meet quite true, one is a bit higher than the other? (Or were they before you straightened them out?}

No, they weren't really offset when I found them. I could easily make them that way, if I knew how far off they needed to be. The curved portions did not match side to side, so I smoothed out the kinkier one. The steel is very malleable. The screw was a bit bent too. Thank you for the research. I never would have guessed that was what they were for. Here they are tucked away in the caliper drawer; containing mostly Starrett, with some Union and Goodell-Pratt mixed in.

 

[RTM]

I don’t know if they are supposed to be offset, they looked that way in the catalog sketch. Others I have seen have pointy skinny tips.

 

[Mintgrun]

These tips would need to be refined a bit, to be very accurate. It's cool they're called Fay Patent Calipers in the catalog you shared. They also show the "rapidly adjusting nut" he invented/patented.

US Patent: 334,764 - Rapidly Adjusting Nut for Calipers and Dividers

US patent 334,764 Rapidly Adjusting Nut for Calipers and Dividers was issued to Charles P. Fay of Springfield, MA. It was granted on 01/26/1886. Knight & brothers - patent attorneys

www.datamp.org

I just searched for his name in this thread and his center finder was shared back in posts 125 and 127.

 

[Mintgrun]

Just a little tiny pin vise, but it was fun to find in the bottom of the drill bit bin. It was brown when I found it.



edit-- Oops. I guess I am bending the (and not a vise) rule.

 

[MisterEd]

Starrett Solid-Rod Inside Micrometer Set

 

[d42jeep]

I cleaned up a couple of estate sale finds. The Starrett calipers have thick wings. I’m not sure why. I don’t know who made the second tool.
-Don

 

[RTM]

I think the Starrett are thread calipers, with the teeth slightly mis aligned, might be a #90.

Starrett Precision Tools : Catalog 26 : L. S. Starrett Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

292 p., illus., 17.4 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

The others are not a familiar shape.

 

[d42jeep]

Thanks. I wasn’t familiar with those.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I added the protractor head I found at Friday’s estate sale to a square I had on hand.
-Don

 

[Old Radar]

Picked these two mics up at an estate sale on Friday.
The Screw Thread Comparator is unusual (to me) in several ways.
1. I've not run across the Starrett name in all caps, sans serif font, before.
2. There is no indication of a model number anywhere, but I have to assume it is a No. 210.
3. It appears to be missing a locking ring despite not having one depicted in catalog art. (I'm well aware of the vagaries of catalog art)

The engraved serial number starts with USAC. Could this be a contraction of USAAC?
On the back side, to the right of the 1 INCH stamp, INSP is lightly scratched. A tool for the inspection branch is unsurprising.

I've included a screenshot of the listing in the 1927 Starrett Catalog No. 24. From the available catalogs on archive.org, the listing appears from 1927 to 1938, in almost identical form, including the price.

 

[Jr5]

My 2” Starrett double square

 

[RTM]

My 2” Starrett double square

That is a #14 pattern maker or diemakers square. Much more fun than a double square, which is a great tool too.

 

[Jr5]

That is a #14 pattern maker or diemakers square. Much more fun than a double square, which is a great tool too.

Ah thanks for the correction nice little piece

 

[Mintgrun]

I just ran across this video about pattern maker’s squares,

in which he shares a Lufkin example of this Starrett no. 453 and shows how they are used.

 

[RTM]

I just ran across this video about pattern maker’s squares,

in which he shares a Lufkin example of this Starrett no. 453 and shows how they are used.

Kinda hard to imagine an "out of square" square, isn't it?

Lufkin made a 138, the companion to the Starrett 453, both called Die Makers' Squares. I think the 14 is actually called a Double Square, now that I looked in a catalog. The difference is the 14 can't go off square.

 

[PSCo1867]

Starrett T-Squares, marked No. 163 (72" long), and No. 164 (66" long). These are just darn cool, and very ornate. The ID stampings are only on the straight edges. There are no identifying marks on the aluminum heads.

 

[beatcad]

How did I never see this thread? I've a ton of Starrett. Mostly older than myself(1969).
Data book is 1941

 

[beatcad]

Catalog is 1938.

 

[beatcad]

One of my favorite mics

 

[beatcad]

Still. The tip of the iceberg. I've been looking for this stuff for 15 to 20 years

 

[beatcad]

This whole drawer is Starrett

 

[Patrickm82]

How did I never see this thread? I've a ton of Starrett. Mostly older than myself(1969).
Data book is 1941

I am wondering the same thing. I’ll have to post some stuff tomorrow.

 

[Mintgrun]

I bought a small stash of Starrett stuff yesterday. It may not be old enough to qualify as vintage, but I'm sure they were making all of these tools back then. The date on the back of the little catalog is 1977, so they may be older than they look.



Luckily, I am old enough to qualify for Tuesday's senior discount day.
(55 year old cut off).
I usually drag home rusty junk, so it was fun to find some clean tools.
Tom

 

[WisJim]

Here's some of my nicer Starrett stuff. All from sales or auctions except the 1" micrometer, which was a Christmas gift from my dad back in the 1970s.

 

[Beerhippie]

My Starrett collection:



Wait--that's all I have?

As for "vintage", it's older than some of the folks here.... Bought at least thirty years ago (IIRC).

 

[d42jeep]

I found a pretty nice C604R 6” rule at an estate sale on Friday. It got added to the rule drawer of the Gerstner box.
-Don

 

[genog]

Some machinest tools have been turning up lately
I bought a few sets of calipers
....and this very cool ole Starrett level

 

[d42jeep]

That top one is really cool.
I found a couple of Starrett rules at today’s Mill Valley estate sale. One was a slightly rusty 12” 604R lightly engraved “College of Marin”
It cleaned right up with a little fine steel wool.


The other rule was an early LSS marked one from a square.
I polished it up and added a spare head.
-Don

 

[steel 35]

I have a few that have been shown, and one that I have not seen;
This is a area, I have very little experience polishing

 

[Beerhippie]

I picked this one today:



24" Patternmaker's(?) rule.



The reason I think it's a patternmaker's rule:



It measures 24 1/4" OAL, so not really of much use to me in the shop--which is what I bought it for. Oh, well, $10 ventured for another wall-hanger.

It's getting the scrubbing-bubbles treatment right now. I had to build a special electrolysis vat for long metal rules:

 

[RTM]

Don’t leave that laying around where it might get used.

 

[Beerhippie]

Don’t leave that laying around where it might get used.

The rule? Does it have particular value? Sorry--I'm a vintage Starrett newbie.

 

[Beerhippie]

Checking Ebay, there's a BIN of the same rule as mine but in much better condition for $22. I'm not too worried about using it.

Suddenly occurs to me you're thinking someone else will use to, like measure with! Yeah, not desirable!

 

[Beerhippie]

Now that I know it's called a "Shrink Rule", I'm learning a bit!

 

[leg17]

Had fun with those with the new guys in the shop.

 

[Beerhippie]

Had fun with those with the new guys in the shop.

Of course, that idea had also occurred to me! Teach 'em to borrow a tool without asking!

 

[macgee]

It's been a wee minute or two but I don't think I ever posted these pics of some of my Starrett:

 

[RTM]

It's been a wee minute or two

Welcome back, looks like you’ve moved uphill a bit too.

 

[d42jeep]

I found this kind of rusty square on Saturday. Even though it was missing the scratch awl I was unable to leave it behind. I tried to remove most of the rust but leave it not looking restored. As found.
Cleaned up.

-Don

 

[d42jeep]

I’m not sure what to make of this caliper I found at a garage sale yesterday. It is marked “YANKEE” and PATENTED JUNE 2, 1885. The date was hard to make out until I cleaned it up. I assumed with the Yankee name that it was made by North Bros but the Patent was assigned to Starrett.
-Don