Show your Starrett Tools or Competition!

[Jim Johnstone]

I think I am an anomaly, in that I am a tool and die maker, and I don't own a single starrett tool. I do really want a set of their tap handles though. something as simple as a tap handle, and somehow they just blow everyone else away.

 

[INSP380]

Here are some of mine. I keep these in my home shop, after all the 6S events at the shop, I'd hate to see them disappear or thought of as disposable. Most are duplicates of what I have in the shop.....

Steve

 

[INSP380]

Same....

 

[INSP380]

Protractor....

 

[INSP380]

Brown & Sharpe screwdrivers and my Starrett hammer

 

[davethorik]

Just picked this up today, Brown & Sharpe #622 surface gage, going to be a fun little project, in very poor shape. This is the biggest surface gage I've seen, it's bigger than the large Starrett or Lufkin. I have a Lufkin #520 gage as well that looks almost new, with gorgeous colour case hardened finish which of course don't have pics of.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

Just picked this up today, Brown & Sharpe #622 surface gage, going to be a fun little project, in very poor shape. This is the biggest surface gage I've seen, it's bigger than the large Starrett or Lufkin. I have a Lufkin #520 gage as well that looks almost new, with gorgeous colour case hardened finish which of course don't have pics of.

Nice. I want a nice old surface gage. My father in law's dad was a toolmaker and all his tools are buried in my father in laws garage. One of these days he will have his garage cleaned out and I will steal all the old tools if I have to lol.

 

[Boost Creep]

i recently got a bunch of stuff that was my grandfathers and posted pics in this thread.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=299989

 

[pauls_workshop]

Thanks guys for all the pics and discussion. This thread is going good now! Lots of beautiful tools! - Paul

 

[Advan]

Here's my small Starrett collection. My favorite is the t-handle tap wrench, which has my name proudly engraved below my Grandfathers... The long-style tap wrenches are actually Starrett replicas my dad made, but I figured I'd put them in the pic. I also have no idea where my square head is, but its buried somewhere in the shop

 

[davethorik]

Here's my small Starrett collection. My favorite is the t-handle tap wrench, which has my name proudly engraved below my Grandfathers... The long-style tap wrenches are actually Starrett replicas my dad made, but I figured I'd put them in the pic. I also have no idea where my square head is, but its buried somewhere in the shop

Advan, I'm a big fan of the Starrett button indicators, back plunger indicators, or perpendicular indicators, whatever you want to call them. I have 2 like yours, model 196. They are great for certain things.

I also have a model 650, the larger version, however it started sticking at about 8 months old, I opened the cap where the deep hole attachments screws on and a mangled spring fell out. Never treated it roughly, not sure how that happened.

I also have Lufkin and Federal indicators of this type, I like them a bit.

 

[davethorik]

In case you couldn't tell, I like Lufkin tools quite a bit. I find them to be just as high of quality as Starrett or B&S, and usually can be had for a lot less than Starrett on the used market. The problem is they've been out of production since the late 60s, so you have to wade through a lot of junk on the used market to find gems or hard to find items. It seems that most machinists took care of their tools, so finding nice stuff isn't terribly difficult.

This one was a little tough to find, a Lufkin CT1641V zero to 1" mic. Carbide faces, 10,000ths, ratchet cap, lock. In original box with papers and wrench. It shows light use but the carbide was recently lapped as they showed zero wear when I acquired them. Very accurate over their entire range. One of my favorite mics

 

[leg17]

Here's my small Starrett collection. My favorite is the t-handle tap wrench, which has my name proudly engraved below my Grandfathers... ]

Starrett T-handle tap wrenches are the best.
They just feel better and the replaceable collet is another plus.

The Starrett long handle tap wrenches are not as stout as many others, such as Greenfield.

NICE JOB by gramps on the tap wrenches.
Hang on to them.

 

[davethorik]

I thought about it and took a shot of all my extra machinist tools. Some are nice I just don't have a need. I had a lot more but I sold some last year to fund other projects. I mostly like buying used, older tools in new or very good shape. I will make exceptions like the B&S surface gage I posted earlier.

Brown & Sharpe #7743 magnetic surface gage
Lufkin 901AS master planer gage set in box with attachments. This thing is in such disgustingly good shape (mint) I had to buy another beater planer gage for actual use.
Lufkin .00025 dial indicator- new
Pratt & Whitney end measure mic in Starrett box
Pratt & Whitney 0-1" mic new in box with new P&W 6" scale
Starrett small rule set w/ holder
Starrett taper gage
Valco crimp height micrometer- new, B&S micrometer
Starrett 6" scale
Starrett no. 170 dial sheet gage in original finger joint slide top box
(No case) Lufkin 0-1" micrometer
JT Slocomb Speedmike- new
Starrett no. 223 paper gage micrometer, 0-11/32", finger ring, in orig box, almost unused
Starrett 6" no. 123 master vernier calipers, wood box- new
Lufkin 4-24" tubular i.d. micrometer- box marked US Navy
Scherr-Tumico *********** micrometer
Lufkin no. 515G depth micrometer, 0-3", base braduated on one side in 50ths inch
(On napkin) Goodell-Pratt no. 438 center gage, immaculate
Craftsman 6" vernier calipers made in Japan
Lufkin 6" spring dividers

 

[martin666]

I'm a Harley mechanic not a machinist, so I use these mostly for checking run out on various shafts in the engine and transmission. My magnetic bases, calipers and mics are Brown & Sharpe and Mitutoyo, but these are my favorites

 

[pauls_workshop]

In case you couldn't tell, I like Lufkin tools quite a bit. I find them to be just as high of quality as Starrett or B&S, and usually can be had for a lot less than Starrett on the used market. The problem is they've been out of production since the late 60s, so you have to wade through a lot of junk on the used market to find gems or hard to find items. It seems that most machinists took care of their tools, so finding nice stuff isn't terribly difficult.

This one was a little tough to find, a Lufkin CT1641V zero to 1" mic. Carbide faces, 10,000ths, ratchet cap, lock. In original box with papers and wrench. It shows light use but the carbide was recently lapped as they showed zero wear when I acquired them. Very accurate over their entire range. One of my favorite mics

10,000ths, that is alot of 10ths Dave!

We should do a poll and see how many GJers know what a 10th actually is with the right number of decimals in place! - Paul

 

[krc328ic]

a crappy cell phone pic of some of mine. there's other items like rulers and squares but this is the most of it.

 

[rshadd]

Starrett Automatic Center Punch

Freebies...

Wall Chart..

 

[INSP380]

My level....

Steve

 

[davethorik]

Here's my find for today, Starrett no. 671 attachment for a dial indicator, with a 90° and 180° probe, in original box. Looks unused. $5 at the local gun show.

Kind of off topic but I've gotten some screaming deals at gun shows on machinist tools. There are usually 1-2 booths that have them, sometimes tools will just be scattered all over the show. I bought a 91B and 91D bar - type tap handles for $20/each. 6" scale with drill sharpening gage attachment for $5. The B&S magnetic surface gage pictured above was $20, from the same guy a Starrett/Webber gage block stone (white hard arkansas) for $1.

 

[pauls_workshop]

Guys, another question for the experts. My Starretts or B&S of Lufkin are generally of the vintage type, imperfect, with rule stains, darkening, etc. I don't have any new really. Some are really hard to actually read the measurements off the scales. What are the best ways to clean up and then protect these tools and make usable again. Could either try to make the scales light color again by sanding a bit, then darkening just the cross lines to see them? Or the alternate, leave the scales dark color, but lighten just the marking lines to read? School me! A few of mine have a touch of rust to them also. Generally, I clean up tools in purple power first, then run through some deruster, but that leaves them darker than ever. What do the experts do? - Paul

 

[larry_g]

I clean most of the old tools with Hoppes #9 for guns. It removes the grime and oils from the piece. Then if stains remain I use some 2000-3000 grit polishing paper to lighten them up some. I do not try to bring back a factory finish if some corrosion has pitted the surface.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Yv.]

Great thread everyone.

 

[jumpstart]

Has anyone here worked for Starrett or familiar with their manufacturing?

Do they still manufacture tools in Athol, MA like they've been doing for over a century.

I know there's been criticism over some of their Chinese tools but I thought they still do quite a bit here in the USA.

Still do manufacturing in Athol MA and I believe Mt Airy, NC. I've got friends that have worked at both locations over the years. The Athol location is only about 10 minutes from me. Funny, I only have one tool from them.

 

[INSP380]

I've actually been wiping them ( scales ) with Starretts surface plate cleaner and then a light wipe with a rag coated in PB air tool coditioner. Works for me. I then store my 36" & 24" blades in a plastic Tig filler wire tube. My 12" and 6" stay in my Kennedy 520. The tig tube prevents all the shop dust, metal and dirt from setteling on my scales, also helps my heads from getting gunked up. They cost way too much not to be careful.

Steve

 

[pauls_workshop]

I clean most of the old tools with Hoppes #9 for guns. It removes the grime and oils from the piece. Then if stains remain I use some 2000-3000 grit polishing paper to lighten them up some. I do not try to bring back a factory finish if some corrosion has pitted the surface.

lg
no neat sig line

Thanks Larry. I'm not a gun type, so don't know about the Hoppes #9. I'll read up on that. So you don't do anything about the lines on the scale then, just do the above? I'm worried too that too much polishing will make reading the lines worse than ever. I'm not looking for perfect, just fully functional and readable easily. - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

I've actually been wiping them ( scales ) with Starretts surface plate cleaner and then a light wipe with a rag coated in PB air tool coditioner. Works for me. I then store my 36" & 24" blades in a plastic Tig filler wire tube. My 12" and 6" stay in my Kennedy 520. The tig tube prevents all the shop dust, metal and dirt from setteling on my scales, also helps my heads from getting gunked up. They cost way too much not to be careful.

Steve

INSP, is that mainly for newer ones? Not badly darkened or stained or rusty already? - Paul

 

[INSP380]

Yikes, sorry for missing this......all my scales are at least 30-40 years old. They look day one because I take care of them. I still wipe them down and store them in the TIG filler rod box. Used all day, every day!

Steve

 

[trytochaseme]

Here's a bunch of my mituotyo stuff and my Blake Co Ax

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[byacey]

I use my automatic center punch everyday, as well as the 12" combination square with the cast head, bought both of them new.
I later bought a used center finding head and protractor head that see occasional use.

 

[Jdc3735]

This is my set of Starrett tools. The combination square belonged to my Great-Grandfather. He was a pattern maker in the first half of the 20th century so these are likely around a hundred years old. They work as well today as they did when new I’m sure.