Julius, I wouldn't get too excited, stylus and screw marked/rusty no guarantee it hasn't been round the block several times. Not necessarily ruinously expensive to purchase new.

Robert Butler

Edited By Robert Butler on 01/11/2022 22:34:17

Not Moore & Wright,Mercer or Mitutoyo

Robert Butler

Julius, where are you in the world?
Outside the UK by any chance?
I ask due to the spelling of Jeweled with one L rather than Jewelled; both are valid in the UK, but the latter is more usual for stuff produced in the UK, as opposed to produced for the UK market in the far east.
The logo on this one doesn't seem that well defined, so I wonder about the quality of the movement.
That said, it all depends on price and local availability.

There may be a small lever on the side, often black plastic, to reverse the direction of lever indication, push/pull; from my own experience with old ones, make sure it hasn't gone brittle with age or cutting fluid contamination.
They are hard to find replacements, and a bit of a pain to make.

Bill

I would not risk buying it based on looking at a photo, it's odds on that it will be faulty and the indicator needle will not return to zero, particularly if it's been unused for decades.

I must have a number of these obtained in mixed lots from auction and several don't return to zero every time, particularly if you release the pointer slowly. I tried using watchmakers oil on a couple of them but still they tend to stick just short of zero

Could be Morrisons.

Regards Ian.

The OP pic looks like standard Chinese fare. Not worth a great deal used as they are cheaper than chips to buy new off Aliexpress or eBay etc. That said, I have smaller-dialled DTI purchased from Aliexpress some years ago that cost $20 with a magnetic stand, and it is still working today. Good enough for home workshop use. It says "Mitutoyo" on the dial, but in a pig's ear it is.

Easier to say who it isn't! Not Baty, Brown and Sharpe, Dasqua, Interrapid, Mitutoyo, Moore & Wright, Sylva, or Tesa.

I suspect it's a Far Eastern DTI, likely but not necessarily Chinese, and made with whatever logo the retailer wants on the dial. This one looks like an M which hints at Mitutoyo or Moore & Wright, but isn't them. Could be a tool store, internet box shifter or supermarket. Some are better made than others, price new between £15 and £30-ish.

Not much point in my opinion worrying about brand or provenance because it's second-hand. Buying pre-loved gear, I suggest nothing matters apart from condition. Expensive tools aren't magically protected from wear and tear, abuse, and accidental damage.

The one pictured is very like my inexpensive lever DTI. It works OK, except every so often the needle jumps rather than moves slowly: the movement probably has a burr or there's some dirt inside. After 10 years use it would have to be considerably worse before I bothered to replace it, but it's the sort of minor fault that can be considerably annoying.

Would I buy it? Not sight unseen, but if I was able to test it for smooth operation and a consistent return, I might offer up to a tenner for it. Bear in mind new ones aren't expensive and that a complete dud can be returned.

As always much depends on how the instrument will be used. I need a basic comparator and don't mind having a few goes if the needle is sticky. Very different from a busy professional workshop requiring smooth reliability, calibration, different probes and clever functionality like data output and tolerance setting. Or someone who enjoys owning 'good tools' even if they don't work properly. It's a hobby…

Dave