Thread: Interesting Mahr indicator

Joe I'm a couple thousand kms from my tools right now, but as I recall Mahr amde the dezimess, millimess and zentrimess indicators as well as the more conventional dial idicators which I own (after a truffle hunting session on ebay)

I don't think I have a dezimess so I cannot speak to the dial graduations, but I can ( when I get home) post a picture of the cable lifter which I have on one of my two Mahr old school indicators.

Maybe BT can beat me to it as I know that he has at least a pair of those lovely Mahr indicators.

( As an aside, I also have one Mitutoyo dial indicator which my tool friends think is fine, but they both comment: it's really nice, but it's not a Mahr.)

Greg

Joe,

I know GQ reckons these indicators are vestiges from yesteryear when machines were curvaceous and enticing and I know he likes them as much as I do for exactly the same reasons.
Mahr made the Zentimess 0.0005" ( 0.01mm) , the Compramess 0.0001" ( 0.005mm ), the Millimess 0.00005" ( 0.001mm ) and the Supramess 0.00002" (.5um). They also made these indicators in a way that made servicing extremely simple.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f65/ma...change-132563/

There was an old German instrument maker who ran a second hand bookshop near me years ago. We got to talking one day and he told me he used Rotring pens and stencils for marking and numbering the calibrations on instrument dials. One step up from your hand marked dial. My Millimess had some felt tipped marker markings on the dial face. I removed the marks along with the O with some citrus cleaner.

If you are interested in procuring a cable release, I'll take some photos and measurements.

BT

p.s. There is no mention of a Dezimess in my 1965 Mahr catalogue.

Thanks Bob.
I had a look at the thread for the cable remote release and compared it to the thread on an old Kodak I still have here - its the same. Old Carl Mahr was smart and didn't reinvent a common component that available everywhere.... I won't chase one, but will keep my eyes open for a cable shutter release.
I linked to your thread in my first post - but hadn't found it until after I cleaned and relubricated mine.... I should have searched first....
If I read the German company history properly, he first made the Zentimess in 1932. I don't know when production stopped, but some of their distributors still seem to have some in stock and quote around $200.
I found it interesting that they bought Federal in 1999 and Helios in 2006. Also interesting is that they don't say they manufacture in China, but have a SALES centre there! It seems they SELL to the Chinese..... They do have a manufacturing plant in Czechoslovakia in addition two in Germany.
The other clever thing is that the movement mechanism is disengaged from the point when it goes out of range - nothing gets forced in there.

I also found a comparator stand in one of my 'usefu'l boxes. It looks like a shop made one - possibly by an apprentice. It had a rusted up micrometer spindle mounted in it. But has a nicely scraped surface under a lot of dirt and grime. I'll clean it up and modify it to suit the Mahr mounting. Should look and work OK, now that I ask myself "how would Bob go about this?" each time I come across something like this....
Cheers,
Joe

Originally Posted by jhovel

I won;t chase one, but will keep my eyes open for a cable shutter release.

Hi Joe
I have one if you want it

Phil

Thank you for the offer Phil!
PM sent.

Joe

Thanks to Phil I got a usable comparator now!
That remote stylus lifter makes measurements very repeatable.
I already had a usable stand (an old apprentice piece saved from the bin at ADI in Bendigo by a friend a couple of decades ago).
It's now in the poolroom - um I mean in the metrology department



Joe

Very cool Joe. Great to see it being used for 'real' work.

Phil

Hi a friend of mine who i would describe as "a collector" asked me to take a look at a pallet of engineering "stuff" he acquired from ADI. they appear to have been used in the manufacturer of SLR's. and maybe large shells.
i grabed a piece or two.Just for good luck. There seemed to be a forest of the type of stands and dials in the pictures. manly Swiss ,German and from the citizen watch company. i have admired the style of the Mahr dials on a thread in this forum.
Its interesting this mixture of style and engineering.
the dials seem to have short travels.
Say 0.002" total travel.

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Well done but it seems you have tons of luck already lol
Great pick up

Phil

hi phil.
im not shore that i do have good luck. It was good of my mate to give me the play things but i think he thought i may be able to sell a few to cover his costs. im not shore ill ever use mine but really just liked the look of them.
there is plenty more cheap if any one is interested.

Aaron,

I'd love to get hold of a stand for my Mahrs. Being in Perth might make it tricky. How would I go about it?

Bob.

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Aaron,

I'd love to get hold of a stand for my Mahrs. Being in Perth might make it tricky. How would I go about it?

Bob.

Have seen a few go on Ebay a couple of weeks back & they do come up every so often, & do not go for a high price as no one seems to want them.
Apprentices once made them.
I had one with a hardened & ground & lapped base, with a Hauser Jig Ground 1" Dia hole into which was "press fitted" a hardened & ground upright post, which I did at Tech on the cylindrical Grinder.
Sadly, this was discarded,
I wish now, I still owned it.
Could use it often.
The lesson in this is acquire & hang on to all tools.
regards
Bruce

i took these photo with my phone
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I take it you are a coffee aficionado Aaron. It is interesting to see your Atomic hasn't blown up. What is the espresso machine?

BT