# Replacing Carbide Scribe On Height Gauge



## Matthew Gregory (May 3, 2015)

I have a Mitutoyo 0-10" vernier height gauge, and it's one of my most-often used tools. I purchased it used from eBay, and it has served me dutifully. I cannot find a model number on it anywhere, which strikes me as odd...

Regardless, I think it must have taken a spill, as one corner of the carbide scribe has a chip in it, rendering that side useless. Granted, the other side is still fine, so it's not a total loss, but I like things being 'right', if you know what I mean. Searching high and low, I've found that the current crop of height gauge replacement scribes have one model that's _really _close to the original dimensions, with the height of it being .020" shy of the original. It's my assumption that this will work for me, I'll merely need to reset the post to zero with the new scribe height. Is there any better method of doing this other than assembling the two, loosening the post clamp screw, moving it to zero, and tightening it again? I'm assuming clamping the base and the scribe to the surface plate will help me keep things square, as it will minimize variables with things being able to move about willy-nilly...

Other than doing this and checking against standards, are there any other things I need to look out for?

Thanks in advance,

Matt


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## EmilioG (May 3, 2015)

They sell scribers and clamps on ebay all the time.  Write to the sellers and ask for dimensions on any that
look right.  Have you written to Mitutoyo? They are very helpful and may have an NOS scriber. Send them a photo
of your gage.


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## darkzero (May 3, 2015)

How bad is the chip in the carbide? Can you post a pic? The tips can be reconditioned by grinding the top angle to give you a fresh edge. Do not grind the bottom. Original scribes are expensive unless you wait patiently for a compatible one to pop up on ebay.

I wanted an extra scibe for my Mitu height gage. My scribe is an extended reach scribe, in the rare occassions I do see them pop up on ebay they go for $100. I only paid $75 for the entire unit that was in brand new condition, still had the wax protector on the scribe, so I can't justify that purchase, not yet anyway.

Another thing to consider is Starrett makes a round nose scribe which is pretty nice so you aren't limited to just 2 corners. If you can adapt that to yours I would consider getting that if you end up having to buy new.


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## Tony Wells (May 3, 2015)

I also am for dressing the top. Have done that to a few over the years. Post a pic of the height gage and I'll go through my parts book. I have a 3" ring binder from Mit showing all their stuff. Not all of the new stuff, I'm sure, but all the older items should be there. I can probably provide the OEM part number for the scribe foot if you need it. And the model number for the height gage probably as well.


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## Matthew Gregory (May 5, 2015)

Thanks for the replies gang! I took Emilio's advice and contacted Mitutoyo. This customer service was excellent. Turns out I have an older 506 series model, and it uses the current scribe that's available for a handful of models. The disparity in measurement is NOT an issue, as the part is *not* an inch, it's actually 25mm, so when I measured it @ .020" off, I was partially right - it's actually .016" off, which explains the .4mm disparity. Not sure why it's listed in their lit as an inch, but there ha go. My .020" measurement was likely .004" off due to my own error in clamping with my caliper, as the scribe is proud of the rest of the foot, and it probably canted a bit as I compressed the caliper.

I'm afraid there's no hope in regrinding the carbide, as the corner is chipped from the bottom - I'd have to remove close to .030" just to work the chip out. It's really not a killer, as the other corner of the scribe is perfect. I'll order a replacement scribe, anyway, as I like things to be right, and with my luck I'll invariably need to use that corner for some fool reason if I don't get it swapped.


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## gene-pavlovsky (Jun 20, 2019)

Resurrecting an old post. I have a similar problem, I got a second-hand Mitutoyo dial height gauge (model 192-130, 300 mm), and the scriber has a nick in the middle. I've noticed that the tip is sharpened with a micro bevel, the nick is about as deep as the width of that micro bevel.
I have several diamond sharpening stones (include extra coarse one), would that work for grinding the top angle? Should I attempt to grind at the micro bevel angle, effectively making the micro bevel into a wider "macro" bevel, or should I grind the original bevel first until the nick is gone (that would be much more work on the stones), and then add a new micro bevel?
Thanks


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## Toolmaker51 (Jul 4, 2019)

Those so inclined can make an accurate scribe but several means. 0-1 or W-1 tool steel flat stock can be roughed on an a bandsaw milled to about +.003 all around, heat treated, and finish ground. Not much different than how it would be made commercially. If one desires carbide tipped, mill that recess in before heat treat, silver solder/ braze in before grinding. Not much different than how tool bits are made.


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