OldTools Archive

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265619 Erik Levin 2018‑04‑01 Brown and Sharpe 870 (circa 1905 to WW-I)
I stumbled onto yet another shiny tool. I have now entered collectorhood, I
think, with regard to surface gauges. My ID is by catalog picture and the date
is based on bracketing the patent (july 11, 1905) listed in the 1909 catalog,
and it not showing in 1916 (catalog 27).
I come to the gathered galoots not to bring this tool to the bench, per se, but
because it is missing a single thumbscrew for height adjustment, and I am
looking for a source before making one.
The thread is #8-40 machine. I can make it, but, surprisingly I don't have a die
for this (really... I have nearly all of the small die and tap sizes  I have
ever needed except the Stanley 9/32-20 and the B&S #7-40 for a planer gauge.
Even #14-20, and the Starrett 0.150-whatever that they still use on a number of
tools....) and, as the die is about $US45 to purchase so that is a last resort,
and single point threading a 1" long screw at this size is really annoying (I
have done it enough times that the thrill is gone), I thought I would throw this
to the porch for input.
Does anyone know of a source for #8-40 thumbscrews or thread rod?

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265620 Erik Levin 2018‑04‑01 Re: Brown and Sharpe 870 (circa 1905 to WW-I)
I should probably include the image links.... The screw goes in the empty
threaded hole visible in the first image at the top of the 'tower'.
https://postimg.org/image/vbidm5d17/
https://postimg.org/image/ik47fmvjf/
(Note that I am not certain of the ID as an 870, as it is not as large as an 870
should be, but I can find no other models with the same fine adjust setup in any
catalog I have access to. If there is a better ID, I'd  appreciate it)

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265713 Troy Livingston <horologist@w...> 2018‑04‑13 Re: Brown and Sharpe 870 (circa 1905 to WW-I)
Erik,

As a fellow hoarder of odd things thready, I checked my out of date tap 
and die list and found taps but no dies of the correct size. However I 
recently pick up a stash of such things and in a proper Galootish time 
frame have dug through and found a single 8-40 die. If you haven't given 
up and made one already I would be happy to put some threads on a bit of 
steel rod and send it your way. Then all you would have to do is fit the 
knurled knob.

Troy
Keeper of the only 1 1/2 - 56 tap and die set known.
265716 Erik Levin 2018‑04‑14 Re: Brown and Sharpe 870 (circa 1905 to WW-I)
Troy Livingston offered: 


>As a fellow hoarder of odd things thready, I checked my out of date tap
>and die list and found taps but no dies of the correct size. However I
 
>recently pick up a stash of such things and in a proper Galootish time
 
>frame have dug through and found a single 8-40 die. If you haven't given
>up and made one already I would be happy to put some threads on a bit of 
>steel rod and send it your way. Then all you would have to do is fit the
 
>knurled knob.


I never followed up on this thread as weather, work, and life have been keeping
me occupied for the last several weeks.


I got some input off list with a few leads, and went through the early B&S
catalogs, Machinery's 5th edition, a few other early handbooks-- I don't have a
world class collection, but I did load test the book case to 150lb/running foot
when I built it-- I found a best match that is odd, but plausible: Not #8-40,
unfortunately. I found a screw in another tool, tested it, and no go. The size
was more of a 7.6-40. I got really good measurements by heat softening a
dinosaur-based polymer and using the hole as a mold.

The thread seems to be a Cycle Engineers thread-- CEI, the original, pre-
adoption as a british standard, which is BSC and is different. I have not found
consistent information as to when the changes occurred, and the names seem to be
used inconsistently on the web, so I went with the numbers in Machinery's 5th
edition (P1027, pub 1914) and the best fit of 0.154-40.


No die being available, I single pointed the thread on a piece of rod and press
fit a knurled bronze head that looks a good match but will never be mistaken for
original.



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Recent Bios FAQ