OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

268141 dstar@a... 2019‑03‑20 unidentifiable spring caliper, steel and brass
Hey Porch.  Coming out of lurk mode to ask a question.  I have a caliper, or at
least I think that's what it is, that looks old and is made of brass and steel.
The caliper has a register that is made of brass with the rest of the tool being
steel.  It is pinned together with a small flat head screw and gets its "spring"
action from a section of a leg split and bent upward to act as a spring so that
when you squeeze the legs the caliper opens and the end of one leg points to the
register.  Hard to explain.  See pics here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/122649122@N.../albums/72157677299550057

There is something missing at the end of the pointing leg.  Probably a
screw/lock nut to hold the caliper at the reading?

On the back of the register is a hand written note in cursive (which my ten year
would consider a foreign language, but that's another story); "Each degree
represents 1/132 of an inch or 1/5 and 1/4 millimeters".

Anyone know what this is?

Jason
268144 Bill Ghio 2019‑03‑20 Re: unidentifiable spring caliper, steel and brass
I had one of those once and it was identified as an opticians tool for measuring
the thickness of eyeglass lenses.

Bill
268148 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2019‑03‑20 Re: unidentifiable spring caliper, steel and brass
And it would work on any material that was fairly hard, but the points can sink
into wood

Ed
268149 Peter McBride <peter_mcbride@b...> 2019‑03‑20 Re: unidentifiable spring caliper, steel and brass
That is a douzieme gauge, for jewellers and watchmakers. It is a French
measuring standard based on 12ths. It has passed into to disuse in my trade.
Here in AU I know a jeweller who still uses it and he called the 0-12 “numbers”
and so on up the scale.  The French call them “lines”. Various standard pieces
and dimensions used in construction of a ring, for instance, are made of those
thicknesses or diameters. Claws, band thicknesses, setting height etc. one
“number” is 0.188mm. It just happens that 2 through 12 times that thickness land
on some very appropriate dimensions of parts of jewellery. The use of mm has
pretty much replaced that standard but in my workshops for 40 plus years very,
very often we’ve said, a fraction over or under say 0.7mm or 1.0mm and looking
at the douzieme gauge we’d be on one of the ‘numbers’ or ‘lines’
Cheers,
Peter
268158 Chuck Taylor 2019‑03‑21 Re: unidentifiable spring caliper, steel and brass
Jason asked for help identifying a spring caliper:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/122649122@N.../albums/72157677299550057

I received a similar tool from Galootaclaus (with a little help from Curt
Seeliger) back in December 2016. I posted a picture on Galoot Image Central, but
alas it is no longer accessible. The spring mechanism on mine is more
conventional, but it functions the same.

Peter McBride pointed out that it is a specialized tool used by jewelers. I have
found that it is also useful in measuring the thickness of a saw plate.

Chuck Taylor
north of Seattle USA
268162 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2019‑03‑21 Re: unidentifiable spring caliper, steel and brass
On 2019-03-20 8:41 p.m., Chuck Taylor via OldTools wrote:
> I posted a picture on Galoot Image Central, but alas it is no longer
accessible.

Mmmm. Try this as a start: 
http://galootcentral.com/component/option%2ccom_copperminevis/Itemid%2c
2/index.html">http://galootcentral.com/component/option%2ccom_copperminevis/Item
id%2c2/index.html

Don

-- 
“Nature does not care for your opinion.” Robin Coope

A thermometer is not liberal or conservative. - Katharine Hayhoe

Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.
Thomas Paine

Being offended doesn't make you right.
268172 Chuck Taylor 2019‑03‑21 Re: unidentifiable spring caliper, steel and brass
> I posted a picture on Galoot Image Central, but alas it is no longer
accessible.


Don wrote:

=====
Mmmm. Try this as a start: 
http://galootcentral.com/component/option%2ccom_copperminevis/Itemid%2c
2/index.html">http://galootcentral.com/component/option%2ccom_copperminevis/Item
id%2c2/index.html
=====

I had gotten that far before, and to my gallery ("saltchuck") on page 5. The
thumbnail is visible, but clicking on the thumbnail leads to a 404 "File Not
Found".

At least that gave me the file name, and I found it on my local computer. I put
a copy with my 2018 Galootaclaus pictures here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5sk9cwgsfqs8z7b/Galootaclaus2016-2.jpg?dl=0

The caliper in question is the one on the top right.

Cheers,
Chuck Taylor
north of Seattle






-- 
“Nature does not care for your opinion.” Robin Coope

A thermometer is not liberal or conservative. - Katharine Hayhoe

Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.
Thomas Paine

Being offended doesn't make you right.

Recent Bios FAQ