digital caliper care & maintenance

[jgelack]

Hi, I recently purchased a Mitutoyo digital caliper and was wondering if you guys could offer some suggestions about how to care for it after use. I'd appreciate any advice you guys could give!

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Just make sure you keep it free of grit and shut it off after use. There's not much else to do. Most of the car should be taken when using the tool.

 

[mark-NJ]

^^^^

This!

If ever there was a tool that needed to live in it's plastic case...or in a dedicated drawer that's kept closed...it's a caliper. One little speck of bench debris in the linear rack gear and you can have issues.

 

[jgelack]

I have a couple of questions. Is it best to store the caliper with the jaws slightly opened or closed? Should I remove the battery after use? Should I wipe the caliper with a light coating of oil before storage to help prevent rust? Any thoughts?

 

[rlitman]

^^^^

This!

If ever there was a tool that needed to live in it's plastic case...or in a dedicated drawer that's kept closed...it's a caliper. One little speck of bench debris in the linear rack gear and you can have issues.

Digital calipers don't have a rack or gears. Just wipe it clean with a soft cloth and store it in its case. And DON'T EVER DROP IT!

 

[macgee]

+1 on what Suzuki said and will add that slightly rubbing your finger over the jaws to remove any residue or small grime before using. It can effect measurement by a .001+" and prevents any small damage to the jaws from small metal fragments on them when closing/measuring. I also clean jaws with rubbing alcohol regularly or after heavy use. You'll notice the difference when zeroing it out, calipers are stainless and harder to rust than other metrology tools.

Keeping them in a clean, uncluttered drawer with felt or rubber lining is a very good idea, just make it doesn't share it with any other heavy items and make sure it doesn't slide around inside the drawer when opening and closing.

Closing the jaws every time after using them is a bad habit, it can wear it out quicker; a better habit is to not closing them all the way every time and have a light touch when using them but you need to be conscious of checking zero before using them.

 

[dkroth]

Big Clive goes inside a cheap eBay digital caliper:

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[AZ Pete]

I take the battery out of mine while stored in its case. May not be necessary, but why take a chance of finding that you have a slight draw or a leaky battery.

 

[toolchaser]

The name brand calipers are very good at shutting off after a specific time period, with no parasitic draw. My Brown&Sharpe digital has had the same battery in it for at least 3 years. The only advice I can add is keep coolant away from it.

 

[astroracer]

I bought a Mitutoyo Digital Caliper in '91 or '92. I am still using it. I keep it clean, change the battery when it starts throwing errors and use it nearly every day. It lives on the bench, right next to the lathe. It has never been stored in it's case or in a climate controlled drawer. There is nothing you need to do other then keep it clean and change the battery when it comes due.
Mark

 

[Ign]

I've got three 6" Mits in the shop. They all sit face down when not in use but that's it. I do NOTHING else to them but change the batts when they warn me.

If it gives you warm fuzzies to feel like you're doing some maintenance regimen than go for it, but these are basically just handheld DRO scales (not glass scales of course) and are, for all practical purposes , intended to be maintenance free.

I have a 6" that I managed to slightly "taco" when feeding up my power knee and I caught it somewhere under the spindle. Sprung it back and it's FINE

My 12" Mits take TWO batts and for reasons I don't understand they drain the batteries if not in use. So I remove those batteries when I'm not using my 12" version. But my 6" do not drain the batts (although I went solar for one of them and THAT is amazing-- no maintenance AND no batteries to replace, ever)

 

[bobcatdan]

Pretty much don't use it as hammer and it will br fine.

 

[Mas78]

As others say try to keep it clean is the best thing.
When it gets dirty clean it with a rag with a little denatured alcohol on it.
Lens wipes work but not as well.

If the day comes that you need to clean behind the display use a #1 Phillips screwdriver and gently drag it on the back where the sticker is.
You'll find four screws there. When the screwdriver can push into a recess just poke through the sticker.
The 6" version doesn't have shims so you won't mess it up beyond four holes in the sticker.

 

[ttpete]

I use a #357 battery in mine. It's a silver oxide watch battery. An LR44 is an alkaline battery. The 357 won't leak as an alkaline can, and it has a longer life.

 

[rsanter]

I have a couple of questions. Is it best to store the caliper with the jaws slightly opened or closed? Should I remove the battery after use? Should I wipe the caliper with a light coating of oil before storage to help prevent rust? Any thoughts?

My 6" calipers I leave the batteries in as they get used the most.
The larger ones that get used occasionally I remove the batteries

 

[KBigg]

My 6” live on my belt in a sheath i 3D printed. When i clock out they get put on my tool cart. When the need cleaned i wipe them down with some WD40 on a red rag. They look like they've been through war after a solid 5 years of daily use (mainly from the plastic sheath), been dropped a few times, but they’re just as accurate and reliable as the day i bought them. I have a 8” and 12” set as well but they live in their cases with the lids cut off in my measuring drawer.

 

[engineer2]

The older ones would draw power to remember where Zero was, even when shut off. They would eat batteries while in storage. I imagine the newer ones write it to non-volatile memory, so off-state battery draw shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Rabid Badger]

There is no reason to remove the battery when not in use. Mitutoyos have negligible power use when off.

It doesn't damage the calipers if they're stored with the jaws closed.

You do not need to wipe them down with oil, they are made of stainless steel.

The best way to clean the jaws is to close them on a piece of clean paper and pull the paper out.

Always store them in their case.

 

[rsanter]

There is no reason to remove the battery when not in use. Mitutoyos have negligible power use when off.

It doesn't damage the calipers if they're stored with the jaws closed.

You do not need to wipe them down with oil, they are made of stainless steel.

The best way to clean the jaws is to close them on a piece of clean paper and pull the paper out.

Always store them in their case.

I remove the batteries of the ones that I don't use often, not to save the battery but to save the caliper from a battery leaking

 

[pizza]

Should I wipe the caliper with a light coating of oil before storage to help prevent rust? Any thoughts?

yes, but it probably depends on your calipers. did you RTFM?

my manual says to oil it to prevent rust.
i have this mitutoyo

https://www.zoro.com/mitutoyo-absolute-digital-caliper-0-to-8-500-197-30/i/G0686436/

i didn't oil it, and i eventually got a hint of surface rust. most of it wiped away with some vigorous rubbing with an oiled paper towel. now i keep it lightly oiled, and i have no problems.

 

[HenryAZ]

I keep mine clean, stored in its plastic case, in a tool drawer. Before putting it away, I wipe the jaws with a clean cloth, close them to ensure they read zero, then back them off very slightly.

 

[Dave455]

1) Don’t drop it. Keep it in it’s case when not being used.

2) Don’t get dust or grit in it, or even near it. If you forget this, and do get anything on it, don’t try to use it. Wipe it off first, better still blow it off with an airline.

3) Buy a conventional caliper that you can use in dirty environments, or if you need something rugged. This preserves the electronic one!

 

[rlitman]

1) Don’t drop it. Keep it in it’s case when not being used.

2) Don’t get dust or grit in it, or even near it. If you forget this, and do get anything on it, don’t try to use it. Wipe it off first, better still blow it off with an airline.

3) Buy a conventional caliper that you can use in dirty environments, or if you need something rugged. This preserves the electronic one!

1) I did say "don't drop it" in all caps above. I'll add to that that digital calipers are surprisingly drop resistant. They're WAY more rugged than mechanical calipers. Really, their weakness to dropping is the knife edge on the inside jaws. Everything else tends to survive.

As for 2 and 3, I I would suggest the opposite. A digital caliper will always survive better around grit and dirt than a dial caliper. About the only thing that will stand up better is a vernier, but how many among us would prefer to use a vernier?

 

[Dave455]

1) I did say "don't drop it" in all caps above. I'll add to that that digital calipers are surprisingly drop resistant. They're WAY more rugged than mechanical calipers. Really, their weakness to dropping is the knife edge on the inside jaws. Everything else tends to survive.

As for 2 and 3, I I would suggest the opposite. A digital caliper will always survive better around grit and dirt than a dial caliper. About the only thing that will stand up better is a vernier, but how many among us would prefer to use a vernier?

Well, it’s so important it’s worth saying twice!

I wasn’t particularly comparing a digital caliper to a dial caliper. I happen to prefer a dial caliper myself, I find them long lasting and reliable, provided you look after them, but they are not for everybody.

Whichever you choose, I do advise a conventional vernier as well, or even just a “gauge” with a plain scale. Starrett used to offer some nice ones, and they’re great if you just need to measure a drill bit to the nearest 1/64 or suchlike.

And dial or electronic, it’s definitely worth keeping it clean. I’ve seen quite a few dead electronic calipers, and while you can’t always tell if ones been dropped, you can sometimes feel grit, or damage from grit!

 

[dkroth]

nnnnnnnnn








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[Rabid Badger]

I remove the batteries of the ones that I don't use often, not to save the battery but to save the caliper from a battery leaking

I have yet to see an Energizer SR44 battery leak.

 

[visionguru]

Hi, I recently purchased a Mitutoyo digital caliper and was wondering if you guys could offer some suggestions about how to care for it after use. I'd appreciate any advice you guys could give!

Keep it clean, away from moisture, and handle with care. Nothing else is needed.

I bought this from Harbor Freight almost 20 years ago, for $10. Used quite a bit for everything, still works the same as new. Not sure what's the advantage of a Mitutoyo.

 

[Citation]

In general nothing needs to be done. The generic calipers I had about 15 years back did eat the battery when stored. Effectively "off" was just something that turned the display off.

I've never seen this with name brand calipers (Mitutoyo, TESA, iGaging, Sterrett). I'm not sure if this has been addressed in some of the cheaper designs. The answer is simply turn off the measurement part when the display is off. TESA does this as the calipers reset zero every time they are turned on. Many calipers address this issue by simply using CR3032 batteries that last a lot longer with the same "off" power consumption.

 

[jgelack]

Thank you everyone for all the great advice!

 

[knobby]

In general nothing needs to be done. The generic calipers I had about 15 years back did eat the battery when stored. Effectively "off" was just something that turned the display off.

I've never seen this with name brand calipers (Mitutoyo, TESA, iGaging, Sterrett). I'm not sure if this has been addressed in some of the cheaper designs. The answer is simply turn off the measurement part when the display is off. TESA does this as the calipers reset zero every time they are turned on. Many calipers address this issue by simply using CR3032 batteries that last a lot longer with the same "off" power consumption.

The absolute encoder bit that miti is talking about in their literature stops battery drain when the caliper is off among other things unlike the generic calipers that never actually completely power off if a battery is in.

 

[Flared Base]

I use a #357 battery in mine. It's a silver oxide watch battery. An LR44 is an alkaline battery. The 357 won't leak as an alkaline can, and it has a longer life.

I just went through researching the differences between sr 44, sr 44w, lr 44, 303, 304...and ended up with the same conclusion as you, the 357.