Yes they are carbide tipped. I have 2 mitutoyo versions. They both have a carbide tip. Here is a pic. That said i & plenty of others use the calipers to scratch with.

Steve.

If scratching with callipers it's best to use a dedicate one with modified ends, grind the fixed one shorter and flatter so the scale remains parallel to the surface as tilting them so one leg is resting against the edge reduces the length being scribed.

Or you can pay for someone to do it for you 

Though I prefer the height gauge to odd legs or the occasional digital calliper.

Edited By JasonB on 31/08/2021 16:16:37

Wow, scribing lines? That really is old school.

I very rarely mark out now; mainly for sheet metal that will be filed/drilled by hand, and for the odd reference point to aid setting up a casting. I use a secondhand mechanical vernier height gauge and surface plate and very rarely odd legs; never used my vernier calipers. But then again I rarely use my calipers as I prefer micrometers.

Andrew

There are plenty of youtubers who are not shy about abusing their caliper, of course I would never dream of abusing a precision measuring tool for marking out but there is a bloke who looks remarkably like me who abuses my calipers. So far the points have not developed any obvious wear and I think it would be an easy job to stone any wear away, I am sure the frame and slide are not designed for this use either but if any problems do occur I shall drop this practice, buy a new one and put it down to experience. Many of our tools have useful alternative functions that often don’t do any real harm, scribers are excellent picks for some jobs and a quick touch up will soon restore the point. I would definitely not abuse someone else’s tools and I hope they won’t abuse mine.

Mike

……..Ooh er!….I think I must be the only bloke still marking out 'properly'…..

What does get me started is members of my clock club who use the vernier on work in the lathe and don't see a need to turn the lathe off first!

I did once see a vernia sticking out of someones thigh, although not from this to be fair……

I know it's kind of wrong, but…

Says it all, really. Do you use your micrometers as ‘G’ clamps? Cheap digi or vernier maybe, but not a proper Mitutoyo!

The scribed line can only be most precise with zero overlap on the casting edge, so might just as well use odd leg calipers to do the job (if a rough line) or a proper scribe.

You can buy verniers designed for scribing, I own some, they are made of stainless steel, have a roller on the movable jaw, and a replaceable scribe point the fixed end, I'm not allowed to put a link, but you can buy them for under £7 delivered.

Ti's up to you if you choose to use your Mitutoyo for scribing lines but for me I would use your old caliper and save your Mitutoyo and keep it pristine as much as possible.

I have a Mitu and a cheapie caliper but I don't tend to scribe with them. For marking out to get a feel for general positioning etc I just use a quality steel rule a small square and a sharp scriber. Where I need accuracy I use a height gauge (non digital) and angle plate, I know some say they hardly ever use theirs but I use mine a lot.

I suppose this is what can happen if you use them to scribe too much or take live measurements off rotating work, my Dad must have bought these 70 odd years ago but I don't know if they were new then or seconhand/surplus.

While on the subject of marking out I have had a dig into the back of a draw and this is how my equipment has evolved over the years, on the left a homemade scribing block from "unimat lathe projects" then an import one and finally an import height gauge.

And for marking along an edge this one again from the Unimat book which is similar to a carpenters marking gauge

I certainly used the Unimat items and even that old vernier calliper to build my 10V as schoolboy pocket money was limited and that will run simply by blowing into it. Most of the Stuart Beam would also have used them and I think they were superseeded during the Minnie build

There's a hint of bad fish whenever an expensive tool is misused without good reason! Adapting and overworking tools is OK after engaging brain for deliberate benefit, but spoiling tools due to laziness, ignorance or bad internet opinion is surely to be avoided.

Presumably people cough up serious money for Mitutoyo verniers because they need the tool's extra features. To me, it's odd to spend big dosh and then risk damaging an expensive tool when a decent digital vernier suitable for scribing and other rough work can be had for under a tenner. Unlike a Mitotoyo, inexpensive verniers are disposable – replace when damaged. It's what I do.

I mark out much less often than I used to. Getting more confident in myself, the DRO and the dials seems to have reduced the need for sanity check marking, though I still do it when accuracy is critical. I mostly use a scribe and spring calipers plus a cheapo vernier for marking out. I don't expect the same vernier to measure accurately and scratch steel.

Dave

I have to ask the question. Does it actually harm the calipers? The extreme end of the jaws is not actually involved in measurement and unless scribing actually creates a burr rather than rounding the corners I don't really understand how it can reduce accuracy. I don't tend to use my calipers as a scribe but purely because it feels wrong to use a tool for other than it's intended purpose and I have a vernier hight guage anyway.

Answers on a postcard please.

regards Martin