# Super rare mike



## Bill Gruby (May 13, 2013)

I hesitate to post this but you have to see this. I am bidding on it but feel free to if you wish. If you do bid it will take some serious money to win. Not because I am in there but because of what it is.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-1-INCH-MI...g=1125&rk=3&sd=221226597534&&autorefresh=true


 "Billy G"


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## brasssmanget (May 13, 2013)

Very interesting - I never knew such a thing existed, but I guess when you think about, why not? 

Good luck on the bidding.


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## Bill Gruby (May 13, 2013)

They are out there and when they appear at auction if the collectors find them it is not uncommon for them to hit 2 - 4 thousand dollars.

 "Billy G"


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## Bill C. (May 13, 2013)

brasssmanget said:


> Very interesting - I never knew such a thing existed, but I guess when you think about, why not?
> 
> Good luck on the bidding.



I agree never knew they made such a micrometer.


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## ScrapMetal (May 13, 2013)

I've heard of them but never seen one.  That's a beautiful piece of work.

Best of luck on the auction,

-Ron


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## 4GSR (May 13, 2013)

Wonder if I could put some 1/2" "stick on" numbers for easy reading.

Don't worry, I have no intentions of bidding on it!

If you win bid on it, please share pictures with us.


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## Bill Gruby (May 14, 2013)

Under 1 hour and it's holding fast. This one scares me cause it's almost sniping time. They won't get it cheap. :lmao:

 "Billy G"


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## Harvey Melvin Richards (May 14, 2013)

Bill Gruby said:


> Under 1 hour and it's holding fast. This one scares me cause it's almost sniping time. They won't get it cheap. :lmao:
> 
> "Billy G"



It looks like "they" got it cheap. Was that you?


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## Analias (May 14, 2013)

Did you get it Bill?  I see the auction ended and at only ~$78 USD.


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## Bill Gruby (May 14, 2013)

I have waited for 25 years to say this. I own a Braille Micrometer. I have wanted one of these for my collection ever since I saw my first one at auction. That one fetched a whopping 5,300 dollars.

 "Billy G" :winner:


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## Harvey Melvin Richards (May 14, 2013)

Bill Gruby said:


> I have waited for 25 years to say this. I own a Braille Micrometer. I have wanted one of these for my collection ever since I saw my first one at auction. That one fetched a whopping 5,300 dollars.
> 
> "Billy G" :winner:



Congratulation on the win and on dealing with your obsessions.


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## Analias (May 14, 2013)

Woot!  Congrats Bill on your win.  Well worth bragging over.  

I'll let someone else give you the customary salute for such a find.  I never feel comfortable saying that to anyone.


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## Bill Gruby (May 14, 2013)

Thank you Harvey and Analias. Over the years no less than 9 of these mikes have eluded my grasp. They were always high enough to be out of reach. I had almost givin up hope till I saw this one. Now it's in the history books. The hunt is over. When it arrives I will post plenty of pictures.

 "Billy G"


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## stupoty (May 14, 2013)

Glad it went to somone who apriciates it, i saw that earlyer today and had an urge to bid but had to hold back as i thought it would end up in a draw (or being used in the workshop when i couldnt find another one) might have saved on new glasses ;-)

seriosly though good a colector got somthing they like rather than the pro re-seller that hoover up all the bargins , :jester:

stuart


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## road (May 14, 2013)

that thing is Soo cool . nice collectors piece ! 

I wonder if it comes with any kind of manual ...    lol !
Congrats.


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## ScrapMetal (May 14, 2013)

Woo hoo!!!  I'm expecting to see plenty of detailed pics of that when it's finally in your hands.

Congrats!

-Ron


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## Ben (May 14, 2013)

Please post pics. That thing is pretty damn cool!


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## BRIAN (May 15, 2013)

Congrats, Cant think of a better home for a wonderful tool.

Brian.


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## Bill Gruby (May 15, 2013)

It seems strange this morning that a 25 year quest is over. While searching for this mike it has taken me to many places and made many new friends. It's kind of empty now, guess I'll have to start a new quest. Any ideas?

 "Billy G"


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## mattinker (May 15, 2013)

A 1" to 2" Braille mike?!!

Regards, Matthew


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## fastback (May 15, 2013)

I am another one that did not know they made anything like that.  Makes you wonder what type of work they were used for.  I would also guess a person needed a very sensitive feel.


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## RandyM (May 15, 2013)

I would like to add my congratulations as well Bill. But, what has me REALLY intrigued is the type of person that would have used it. I would have never imagined a blind machinist. Do you suppose he had special mods to his machines as well? Fascinating.


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## Tony Wells (May 15, 2013)

Might have been an inspector during wartime, not a machinist. Could be that they weren't totally blind, and this is just an aid to poor vision.


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## Bill Gruby (May 15, 2013)

Pratt used then in their inspection dept. years ago. It was set by a sighted person and then used by the blind inspector. It didn't work out well, so the program was dropped. This is second hand info so I cannot verify its merit. It sounds reasonable. Wartime sounds right as these mikes were manufactured between 1944-54.

 "Billy G"


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## toag (May 15, 2013)

that is so cool!
we need pics when it gets in


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## Bill Gruby (May 19, 2013)

Check this out. I would be wary of it though. Seller says the Thimble is an alloy. The originals were all stainless steel.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Moore-and-W...-01-Rare-unusual-engineers-tool-/151046486447

 "Billy G"


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## Tony Wells (May 19, 2013)

They have 8 available, so no shortage there. Price seems plenty reasonable. I suppose the choice of an alloy was a weight saving measure. Going to get one of those too, Bill?


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## Bill Gruby (May 19, 2013)

No, they are not originals. Originals are all Stainless Steel. Researching the mike over the years I have seen no mention of an alloy thimble at any time. This is why I said I would be a little skeptical of them. I have turned this type down before. At no time do I say they are not the real deal, I have just never heard of it being done. I asked the seller to give me the serial numbers, lets see what he has to say. I have all the serial numbers in a log book.

 "Billy G"


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## Tony Wells (May 19, 2013)

Yeah, have to wonder how someone has 8 of them at one time.


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## Bill Gruby (May 19, 2013)

I will find out if they are the real deal after he gives me those numbers. Serial numbers run like this AXXX/XX the first three are the number the second two are the year made. The second two can only be 44-45-46-47-48-49-50-51-52-53 or 54. That's the only years they were made.

 "Billy G"


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## Tony Wells (May 19, 2013)

Not being a mic collector, I won't be buying one, but I am curious about them. Keep us posted, there may be others here who would love to add them to their collections.

About the oddest mics I have is a couple of ultrasonic thickness mics.


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## ScrapMetal (May 19, 2013)

You really have to wonder what the story is there.  It's "really rare" but he has eight of them and they are not made from what the known originals are made of.  Possibly someone making repos to take advantage of the less knowledgeable collector?

Curious,

-Ron


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## Bill Gruby (May 20, 2013)

Something is wrong. These mikes were produced between 1944-54. That means the highest the last two numbers of the serial number can only go as high as 54. The seller gave me three of his serial numbers. A554/66, A557/66 and A660/69. All my info tells me this is incorrect.

I am reporting this one to ebay, let them handle it.

 "Billy G"


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## Tony Wells (May 20, 2013)

You'd think that anyone capable of building knockoffs would know that the S/N's had to be in a certain range. Would be interesting to follow the rest of the story.


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## Farmer Dodds (May 22, 2013)

It's to bad people try to take advantage of unsuspecting buyers.  I did not know these existed until now.  A very nice find.  Now you will have to learn to read braille !


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## tekfab (May 24, 2013)

Well i have one of those, not the "stainless" drum type but the alloy drum ones. Going by Bill's information mine is a 1964 (456/64) ? I'm not a collector so i have NO credible information on these mic's. What i do have in front of me is a braille micrometer, its condition is what you'd expect for something made in 1964. If someone had gone to the trouble of making "knock-offs" they would certainly not be selling them for £35 each ? I haven't stripped it down but even the work involved in the gearing of the three tumblers must be quite something, for £35 ? No, in my opinion Bill's information may be right but may apply to the "stainless steel" drum ones. I suspect that the alloy ones were made by some company, not necessarily by M & W but perhaps some other company  ? I'm not interested enough to become a detective but perhaps Bill could help.
Actually if Bill has a drawing showing the mechanism i think it would be very interesting, i don't feel confident enough to strip this one. 
Anyway if i can help just shout ! if needed i can take some pictures of my one so you can "verify" details.

Mike Young


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## Bill Gruby (May 24, 2013)

I contacted the Bowers Group who now own Moore and Wright. This is straight fro the horses mouth. 

The Braille Mike was made all the way to 1969, only the Stainless Steel version was stopped in 1954. Mike you have indeed got a Moore and Wright Braille Mike. They stopped the SS version because of costs involved. They just became too expensive to produce for profit.

 I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong. It was a pleasant journey to get this extra info. Thank you all.

 Mike, they are going to post the info to me to take these things apart. I will gladly share it here.

 "Billy G"


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## tekfab (May 24, 2013)

Wow Bill as my wife would say "that was quick"  LOL ! Thats great, as i said i'm not a collector but interested. I am curious of its "workings" but while dis-assembling it would be easy i'm not sure about re- assembling it ! so any help would be most appreciated as i'm sure a clean and lubrication wouldn't do it any harm.
Out of curiosity how would you say this new information affects the desirability ( ? ) of a braille micrometer from a collectors point of view ?
Regards

Mike Young


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## Bill Gruby (May 24, 2013)

The desirability will always be there. With the new ones showing up you can bet the price of the SS models will go sky high. I will however buy one of the others in light of the new info. OK, it's official, I own an original. My hands are still shaking.

 "Billy G"


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## Kevin45 (May 27, 2013)

RandyM said:


> I would like to add my congratulations as well Bill. But, what has me REALLY intrigued is the type of person that would have used it. I would have never imagined a blind machinist. Do you suppose he had special mods to his machines as well? Fascinating.



It surprising what trades a blind person get's into. I have a real good friend that I first met when I was 16. He was born premature and when in the incubator, the nurse back then turn up the oxygen too high resulting in him going blind. Later on he had both eyeballs removed due to them watering on a constant basis. I was at a test track one day and I thought I saw a person that resembled him. He walked over to a pop machine and got a can of pop. I looked and sure enough it was my buddy. I asked him what he was doing over there at the test facility and he told me that he had been working there for a few years. Of all things, he was their transmission specialist, working on rebuilding transmissions.

A few years later I ran into him again and he told me that he was now the head person over the tool and parts room. Way back in my teen years, when CB's were the big thing, he was very well known among the HAM Radio and CB crowd for building Linears and repairing and building CB radios.  He also played in a band, playing the keyboard and also played a guitar. He is a truly amazing individual that never let a handicap get him down or stop him from doing anything.


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## tekfab (Jun 14, 2013)

On one hand . . . . . 






But on the other hand . . . .


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## Bill Gruby (Jun 14, 2013)

Thanks for showing those. There is also a Braille Protractor from Moore and Wright.

 "Billy G"


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## KBeitz (Aug 11, 2018)

Something you just don't see everyday...


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## Brian Hutchings (Aug 11, 2018)

I found his thread very interesting because, many years ago I was Chief Inspector at a company making aircraft components aand was offered a blind inspector for my department. I must admit that I was very dubious  but decided that I had nothing to lose by giving him a chance.
A government department bought all the equipment needed so it didn't cost the company anything.
This inspector was magic! he could feel when things were wrong as well as measure them with is Braille equipment. All I had to do was make sure that components were where he could reach them and get the good and rejected components on to their next destinations.
Brian


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## BaronJ (Aug 11, 2018)

Hi Guys,

I would be very suspicious of them !  Its not unknown for someone to fake rare high value items.  To have one OK, but nine, no way.

Congratulations on your purchase.  
I've learned something here today.   Thanks.


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## MrWhoopee (Nov 21, 2018)

KBeitz the Necroposter strikes again!


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## KBeitz (Nov 25, 2018)

Check it out....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-STARR...h=item1cc001f17c:g:oDQAAOSw9m5b5hYf:rk:1:pf:0


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