Micrometers with no locking lever
- Thread starter stevenmi
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rlitman
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They're cheaper.
davethorik
Well-known member
They are usually just an extra cost option on micrometers. Most of the time, you don't even need one. They can break, or wear out.
mowkep
Well-known member
They are a very useful option to have. Rarely do they wear out.
I use it on a stand for inspection where I'm changing parts out in sequence. I use my locking ones when I measure parts on the machine because I can't always see the barrel to read it. I also use the locking ones when setting up bore gages.
matt_i
Well-known member
I think locking might be good for a go/no-go gage.
Ratcheting barrel is another "thingy" that can come on a mic. My mentor drilled into my head that the ratcheting barrel was not for a skilled hand's useage, it was for those who had no "feel".
Ratcheting barrel is another "thingy" that can come on a mic. My mentor drilled into my head that the ratcheting barrel was not for a skilled hand's useage, it was for those who had no "feel".
Wamsutta
Well-known member
He has a good point.
rlitman
Well-known member
About as good a point as saying that torque wrenches are for people who don’t have the feel.
Musicinabottle
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About as good a point as saying that torque wrenches are for people who don’t have the feel.
I like the ratcheting mechanism on mine. Seems like it would be the most accurate method of getting consistent results.
rlitman
Well-known member
Exactly. Though I prefer the spring clutch barrel wrap style.
Anyway, nobody has the feel to get as consistent results as either mechanism.
Musicinabottle
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When I say ratcheting, I mean that you can crank down to a point, and then it just clicks. I take it that this is ratcheting style?
davethorik
Well-known member
Yes, the type rlitman is talking about is commonly called a friction thimble...same premise, but no clicks.
rlitman
Well-known member
Yep, friction thimble. I couldn't remember the name.
Pretty much the same idea in the end, though no clicks and a mushy feel, but also the entire outside of the thimble slips, so you don't need to use another hand to support the mic (and I prefer to touch the mic as little as possible). It also doesn't get tighter with every click.
Mitutoyo explains the styles in this document:
https://www.mitutoyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2119-Product-Fund.pdf
While not all of the pros and cons are spelled out there, either can give excellent results when applied correctly and consistently. I can't say I've ever seen the "ratchet thimble" they describe.
ganymede
Well-known member
I always thought (incorrectly) that back in the day mics with no clamp ring were for toolmakers.
Checked an old catalog and you are right.
Here's a B&S model 10 and model 20. The model with no clamp was a buck cheaper .
View media item 81706
Musicinabottle
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Mine looks like the one on the bottom almost exactly. It's a B&S.
mowkep
Well-known member
I remember when I first started, old German owner of the company would say "It's not a Gdamn c clamp".
davethorik
Well-known member
Did you know it is possible to bear down on a micrometer so hard it bends the frame? I didn't until I saw the aftermath. The spindle and anvil went out of parallel, and it chipped the **** out of the carbide tips. Not to mention any internal damage to the threads that may have occurred. Oh and best for last- this was all done with a pair of 12" channellocks and the Mic clamped in a bench vise, with a gage block in the mic.
The gage block survived, but needed stoned and lapped to the point it was undersize .0002", scrap. Mic was toast. I think the lock knob may have survived the ordeal.
The story I heard, guy thought Mic was a friction thimble, but was actually a plain thimble. So he assumed the friction thimble was stuck or seized, and went to town on it, Channellock style.
Sigh.