You can get mini micrometers from MSC Industrial Supply Ltd. (UK) . The manufacturer is SPI and they are good quality & presented in little wooden boxes. Price is around £19 each.

SPI no. 13-790-1 MSC no. SPU-13790K 0-0.6" 0.001" divs.

SPI no. 13-604-4 MSC no. SPU-13606B 0-15mm 0.01mm divs.

With regard to the item being made in Manchester and then marked up as "foreign"; perhaps the original owner was a Yorkshireman.

Stewart Hart

Thanks for the further information. Having only a faint recollection of the Robblak name, it never occurred to me that they might not be the makers but it's certainly not a name I associate with mics. The position of the engraving looks right for the maker so could it have been over-written? That seems unlikely, which perhaps leaves the identity of the maker a bit in doubt. That said, there were at one time a great many tools on the market which were simply labelled "Foreign" but I can't call to mind the background to this practice.

Anything you measure with it will never know the difference!

I hope I'm not retreading old ground but if you are interested in micrometers check out the COFES micrometer website- a very fine collection which is well documented.

jonathan heppel:

Thanks for the COFES reference; albeit "incomplete" it seems significant that it does *not* include Robblak in the list of makers.

Stewart Hart:

Sounds convincing. If this was before American entered the war was the "foreign" label adopted to maintain the appearance of neutrality? You need more than guns to wage war. I gather that paper and rubber were also vital.

A rather belated addition to this thread – I read Stuart's original post with interest and it also triggered a memory of a tiny micrometer that I had when I first started model engineering and long since superceded by more modern and larger models.

This appears to have no markings on it at all, of brass or perhaps gunmetal construction. It appears to be an extrusion from some angles and also suggests being hand finished – there is a curious flat under the frame threaded section for instance.

Once I found it again, I cleaned it and dropped it into the ultrasonic tank for a final clean followed by a drop of clock oil to lubricate the thread (stand by to be told that this is the last thing to use!). The anvils are pitted but clean and it still zeros at close. However it is not so good at the other end of the scale, measuring a nominal 10mm shaft it reads 10.03 whereas my digital mike shows 9.99. At mid point the error is halved so it appears to be linear. BTW, I have never adjusted it so I cannot be held responsible for the chewed up adjuster screw head.

Working on the idea that it may be hand made makes me wonder if the measurement error is also caused by inaccuracies in marking out or the quality of the screw threads.

Anyway, it will be returned to my measuring tools box in a much tidier state than it left!

Simon

Simon I have an almost identical one but made of steel and it is metric I also have a 1/4 inch Brown and Sharpe

Is it just me or do other people find that quality, old, well used tool feel right when you use them? Whereas new tools feel that they need ' working in ' I have several old hammers , an old hacksaw and a couple of old files that almost seem to work themselves

Roy