Starret calipers suddenly off by 0.02"

[Cowbell]

Here's a new one on me. I've got a set of very nice Starret calipers. I was making some measurements today and I noticed I was seeing numbers real high - roughly 0.02" greater than expected. Upon closing the calipers, the needle doesn't even come close to the zero mark. It's off by nearly a full 1/5 of the dial - 0.02". If I reset the zero to there and compare measurements against my spare set of calipers, it appears to still be measuring lengths properly. But it's offset by that big chunk up front. Fingers of the calipers are perfectly clean.

I've never seen anything like this. What the heehaw might be going on here?

*edit* ach - now it looks like it won't even hold anything close to a zero. I almost feel a little clunking in there (might be my imagination).

Sigh. Anyone know if Starrett offers some kind of Craftsman-like warranty?

[miljnor]

i am not familiar with staret (its not my choice for calipers) but most of the well made calipers have a hole right behind the bezel to stick a tool into, that will move the gears apart for re-centering.

If you get a chip in the rack/gear it will sometimes jump a tooth which is usually about .020" conincidently.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by miljnor ....If you get a chip in the rack/gear it will sometimes jump a tooth which is usually about .020" conincidently.

This is likely what happened and also the little gearshaft got bent so now it goes clunk, clunk (very gently) and occasionally skips another tooth. The best you can do is sell them to a woodworker who will never notice the difference.

[Cowbell]

Yeah...sigh. Live and learn. I'm an amateur (and I do mean amateur) and I was running the mill all week in a....less than tidy workspace and amongst the 518 tools I dropped, the Starrett may have been among them. Darn school of hard knocks

[Geof]

Annoying thing is that the calipers have no alternate use once they are wrecked. Now a micrometer makes a darn fine C clamp!

[dertsap]

Originally Posted by Geof Annoying thing is that the calipers have no alternate use once they are wrecked. Now a micrometer makes a darn fine C clamp!

you can sharpen the tips and use them to pull out steel slivers from your hand

[keithorr]

My calipers never close down to .0000". I use a .500 -.0000,+.0002 registered pin to calibrate the jaws and reset the dial.

How do you make parts to fit the work of another shop if you rely on calipers out of the box?

[Steve@Reliance]

It all depends. Sometimes the shaft bends and sometimes not. I have reset my 12" Mitutoyo calipers so many times in the 15 years I've owned them I can't count. If your Starrett's are in otherwise good shape you can send them in to Starrett for repair and they will get them back to as new certified specs. for reasonable cost.

[SteveD]

You got some crud on the teeth & it skipped a gear or to. Clean it with a small brush. DO NOT blow it with air, it will blow the lens off of the dial (yes, I found that out the hard way)

I take .010" shim stock & cut it down so it is just wide enough to cover the teeth on the gear track & about .750" long on the thinner part (leave a little handle on it making it look like a funny looking L so you can grip it). Rest it on the track & run the over the shim to make it skip a gear or 2. You may have to this a couple times to get it right or you may have to play with the thickness of shim. When done put the shim in you case because it will happen again.

The tool should look a little like this
This end goes between the gear & track: ____XX This is the side you grip.

[Cruiser]

Re-setting callipers is easy ! there is a gib with two screws that must be loosened. then spray some alcohol or other solvent and with thumb securly holding bezel or lense blow all chips out of rack and from inside the mechanism. move caliper back and forth SLOWLY and feel for anymore grit in rack. when it moves smooth then reset needle as SteveD says. and retight gib and leave clean as oil will hold chips or you may just rotate dial to new zero point and lock down grub and live with it as is. using a standard for measure test is a good thing. I use mit's cause i don't like starett's. get another set and use these when it don't matter and good new set for when it does and keep them protected !

[Mike Mattera]

When was the lat time you cleaned it? I used to squirt Ronson Lighter fluid down the rack gear and move it up and down. Did this once every 2-4 weeks. Trick that I learned from an old timer in the shop.

Mike

[JPMach]

Originally Posted by Mike Mattera When was the lat time you cleaned it? I used to squirt Ronson Lighter fluid down the rack gear and move it up and down. Did this once every 2-4 weeks. Trick that I learned from an old timer in the shop. Mike

Not exactly an old trick as the cmm my old boss had specifically said in the instructions to clean the "grates" or scales with zippo fluid.

JP