Good word on old micrometers?

[Creativechipper]

A lot of you on here suggest some quality older tooling. Thanks for pointing me in that direction, I love quality hand tools. Just that nice tight feeling in the hand of quality and solidness= goodness..lol Plus the fact almost everything is made in China now a days. It's nice to have a tool made in the USA or somewhere like Switzerland or Germany, Japan, Poland, England, etc
Pride of making the tool transfers to pride in ownership of the item.

So I went out on a limb and couldn't resist a set of 0-3" mismatched micrometers: 0-1" Mitutoyo 103-259
1-2" Slocomb
2-3" Craftsman
I figured I couldn't go wrong for 26$ shipped vs spending 40$ each on them.

The 0-1" has a lever to flip but it does not seem to actuate any features.

I am completely new to this tooling so if you can share some features, tips, tricks to using or any history or stories about using your Mic's, much appreciated!!

 

[P. Waller]

The lever is a spindle lock, these will fail over time if used hard. They are most useful for setting other tools such a bore gauges and measuring parts that are out of the line of sight.
The size of the lines and number engraving will tell you if a tool is well made or not, the difference between a $9.95 mic and a Mitutoyo or Starrett tool will be obvious.

 

[benmychree]

When I look for a mike, I look at e bay, and CLOSELY look at the pictures; look to see if the frame is all scratched up, or with painted frames, the paint being worn off, and evidence of rust ------ do not buy! There are literally hundreds to choose from that look good, and are likely good, and stick to the good known brands, like Starrett, B&S, Tumico, and other known American well known brands, and although not my cup of tea, Mitutoyo is good too, I used their dial calipers for many years. There are too many good (used) tools out there to be forced to buy cheap Chinese crap.
Mikes last a very long time in daily use, used carefully; I've been using my Starrett mikes since the mid 1960s, and they are still accurate.

 

[Creativechipper]

So far so good, they turn nice and smooth, the faces are nice too.
I took my digital slide micrometer to them at given lengths and it matches up very well.
I really like the way they feel and actuate very nice.
If only a little skill of the previous operators that held them could rub off on me.

 

[MSBriggs]

Its good to get micrometer standards or gauge blocks to check and possibly adjust the zero of the larger size micrometers.

 

[TakeDeadAim]

There is usually a decent supply of Starrett No 230 or 231 satin chrome mics in 0-1" and 1-2" on Ebay. If the frames are not all banged up they dont rust. If they look clean they are of a quality that makes them a multiple generation tool.



'

 

[Creativechipper]

Is there an easy way to get the lock lever on the small Mitutoyo to work?
I found the friction lock on the Craftsman and it works.

I am thinking a live center should be next as I picked up a drill chuck.
What to look for in a quality live center?