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Tool Caliper with broken screw

Tool
Susquatch

Susquatch

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Part of a local buy and sell group haul of old tools I got. It's quite tiny. Anybody know how that broken screw is retained in the arm? There is no sign of pins or anything. It is designed to pivot as the angle changes which gives the impression of a ball and socket. There is also a relief in the arm to accommodate a tight angle.

I tried pushing it in and turning it. No joy.

I can replace the screw but I need to get the stub out first and then put the new one in.
 
I have a couple very like that, there is a small pin holding the screw in the arm on those ones, very hard to see in 1 set. A slight clean up of the leg may reveal one. May not want to remove finish? though.
 
Bandit said:
I have a couple very like that, there is a small pin holding the screw in the arm on those ones, very hard to see in 1 set. A slight clean up of the leg may reveal one. May not want to remove finish? though.
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I am not afraid of ruining the finish at all. It could use some polishing. Besides, even though it's a cute little bugger, it's worthless as is.

I'll take a closer look.
 
Nope, no pin.

But in cleaning it up and polishing it, I discovered that is a Starrett! WoooooHooooo!

I think @thestelster is still in the lead at 52 Starrett tools, but I just got one tool closer!

thestelster

Thread 'Starrett Stuff'

I picked up some used Starrett goodies today. As well as a Mitutoyo small hole gauge, mint. And probably one of the first indicators, before DI's, and DTI's. This one is by Ideal Tool Company.
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Now I have to fix it! Including the spring it is just 2.75" long.
 
fixerup said:
If there is no pin, could it be soldered in place?
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I don't know how you would do that. There are no signs of anything other than steel there.

I think I'm going to keep hoping for an answer for a while, but failing one I'm thinking to drill it out from the back side, remove it, and install a through screw with a ball nut on the backside.
 
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I got to thinking and realized that I have a set of those as well..... Mine almost look and feel like maybe that area was left a little bit fat and the screw end was swedged into place and cleaned up.
I am probably wrong though.... But I don't see a pin in mine either, and I think the end is more T shaped rather than a ball, as it can't rotate.
 
It seems that there are only a few possibilities. It really has to be either a pin or a ball.

Can you show a picture from the outside of where the broken end is?
 
My money is on a pin, peened over, and blended in. Either that, or magic.

See if a pencil, or some other marking object rubbed across the area will reveal a witness line. Sometimes there might be a faint line, but it is possible to blend them in and make them pretty impossible to tell.
 
Just had a look at mine that I inherited from my father. Same little Starrett which shares the case he made with a Moore & Wright 1” and an unidentified 2” mic.

I can see what looks like a pin in there but I can’t see how they got it in there or whether it’s integral to the screw. It could be pressed into the leg but I can’t see any witness or plug in the leg. Maybe something like a watch band retainer but ‘way smaller??

If they were being very clever they could have drilled down the leg from the top then fitted a plug with a feature to retain the screw cross pin but again I don’t see any witness marks.

You have to appreciate the skill of “the old guys” who did this kind of work before all the modern technology came along!

D :cool:
 
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Just had a thought, @Susquatch can you make a new screw with a sleeve end (female) and fit it over the broken end of the screw? You might lose a little travel but you wouldn’t have to mess with getting the pivot end of the screw out of the leg.

You could join the sleeve to the old screw with one of the Loctite bushing retaining compounds. There certainly wouldn’t be much loading on the joint.

You might be able to join the two halves of the existing screw with a bushing too. Maybe a nice shiny brass sleeve that shows that machinists can fix things elegantly. ;)

D :cool:
 
140mower said:
Mine almost look and feel like maybe that area was left a little bit fat and the screw end was swedged into place and cleaned up.
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Yep, that looks exactly like mine. I measured the area. It isn't any different there than elsewhere. Swaging occurred to me too.

You are right. It has to be a pin or a T, cuz it won't rotate. I had thought if I pushed it in and then rotated, a T might come out. No joy.

Tecnico said:
I can see what looks like a pin in there but I can’t see how they got it in there or whether it’s integral to the screw.
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Your eyes are waaaay better than mine. Even with a magnifier, I can't see in there.

Tecnico said:
It could be pressed into the leg but I can’t see any witness or plug in the leg. Maybe something like a watch band retainer but ‘way smaller??
Click to expand...

Me either. Neither did @140mower.

It's a pretty loose pivot. Definitely magic.
 
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