Repairing Dial Indicators - Diagnosing, Fixing, and How They Work!

This episode on Blondihacks, I’m diagnosing and fixing an old dial indicator! Exclusive videos, drawings, models & plans available on Patreon!
/ quinndunki
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[@JohnFleshman]

The Lock picking Lawyer intro was excellent!

[@AnthonyHandcock]

It was but what sort of tool restoration video doesn't have a sandblaster being turned on with a headbutt?

[@stanervin6108]

@@AnthonyHandcock Or an overnight soaking in a vat of Evaporust?

[@AnthonyHandcock]

Not even a hint of a "I make new one" either.

[@mcsmith82]

You had me at, “…and what I have for you today is…”. :). Wow the technical nerd-end of the KZbin internet is small and quality!

[@IBWatchinUrVids]

I find it interesting that machinists, or even enthusiasts tend to have similar interests. Anything mechanical, anything electric, I'm in.

[@Flightdevildoc]

Wow, what an excellent video instruction. I am a retired military vet and started woodworking as a hobby, and love it. My Dad’s was a mechanical and civil engineer besides an avid woodworker and electrician, unfortunately, passed away 2 years ago, but on the bright side, I am so happy (like a kid in Christmas) that he left me so many tools with his engraved initials, so he is still with me. Some of the tools or accessories, I didn’t know what the heck there were for and one of them is a Vintage Sheer-Tumid Dial Indicator, in good condition, except, noticed dial was slightly sticky so your video gave me the confidence to take it apart, clean the plastic cover as well as the small rusted screws and dial works well and looks good. I am going to use it to calibrate my table saw blade and fence for the first time this week. Later on plan to disassemble it like you did as I saw some light rust creeping in. Again, thank you so much for your video. New Subscriber. Like the comment: “use your hands until they get tired” 😂 Keep those video coming. 😊

[@JamesPotts]

That into earned an immediate "like."

[@BeenThrDunThat]

Loved the LPL reference too

[@splackism]

LPL!!!

[@dobrzpe]

same! even before the intro.

[@ElliotNesterman]

OMG! How did Quinn know I'm wearing a shirt? I'm freakin' out here, Man!

[@crichtonbruce4329]

I was changing my shirt... What could this possibly mean?? I'll check with my local Wizard.

[@amanofmanyparts9120]

At least she didn't mention my dressing gown ... The one I've worn for 3 days consecutively!

[@stanervin6108]

@@crichtonbruce4329 👕🧙‍♂️

[@richardnelson4704]

I wasnt wearing my shirt.

[@zodak9999b]

That Novus #2 polish is miracle level stuff. I used to use it to make scratched CDs playable back in the day.

[@joels7605]

I have Novus #1, #2 and #3. They're great, but DON'T use them on polycarbonate. I've had polycarbonate components explode (high stressed, in tension) because they came in contact with Novus. There's a little note on the back of the bottle about how it's not compatible with polycarbonate. They weren't kidding.

[@Milkmans_Son]

@@joels7605 Whut? Half the stuff they have on their suggested uses list are polycarbonate, the first being cd's and dvd's, the second being auto headlamps, etc etc.

[@joels7605]

@@Milkmans_Son Right from the label printed on the back of the bottle: "Removes heavy scratches and abrasions from most acrylic surfaces. Contains abrasives, not for use on eyeglasses, polycarbonate, or coated plastics." I didn't read the label and destroyed about $1000 worth of oceanographic equipment. We did break tests on polycarbonate after the failure. We tried exposing samples of polycarbonate to a number of different contaminates and oils, one of which was Novus. Novus was the only sample that destroyed the polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is normally extremely flexible and has high mechanical toughness. Novus soaks into the polycarbonate and makes it shatter like acrylic under low stress.

[@BM-jy6cb]

11:55 was tense - I was anticipating the o-ring snapping back under the pointer and bending it up. Also would the slightest smear of silicone grease on the o-ring (after fitting) make it feel smoother?

[@benjaminbutton50]

Just love this woman describes everything so clearly makes me feel more confident to tackle tasks,thank you so much,don't ever give up.

[@KevinWoodsWorkshop]

I didn’t realise there were so many parts in an indicator, you demonstrated some great skills in fixing that.

[@lesmaybury793]

A steady hand helps so best tackled sober.

[@componenx]

@@TheEvertw Yeah, a cheap .001" indicator might have almost nothing inside, especially if it lacks a "turns" dial.

[@KevinWoodsWorkshop]

That's why tenths clocks are expensive.

[@sungear]

Many youtubers should learn from this presentation. Voice over narration and no rock music.

[@2STROKESTUFFING]

We seem to watch all the same stuff so I've got to ask - are you watching my stuff too Quinn? Did you steal the "hacksaw builds character" from me, or did I steal it from you? These are important questions. Very important. Veryvery.

[@2STROKESTUFFING]

Or did we both come up with it? The plot thickens.

[@lesmaybury793]

Does Quinn play a guitar and sing? Now that would be spooky. 😁.

[@espenschjelderup426]

Jeg abonnerer på kanalen din. Så at du plutselig kommenterer her? Og en referanse til LPL som jeg også følger 🤔 Jeg aner en konspirasjon her😁

[@2STROKESTUFFING]

@@lesmaybury793 spooky indeed.

[@2STROKESTUFFING]

@@espenschjelderup426 Ugler i mosen😁

[@nicholashacking381]

I've always avoided the eBay indicators listed as "for parts / not working" because I assumed that restoration was beyond me. Now, I feel that I might have a fighting chance... but, so does the rest of the Internet, thanks to this, so the price of them is going to soar. Never mind, I still love your channel and the LPL reference made me smile.

[@philipquinlan1045]

Wonderful to see the internal mechanism of these indicator tools. Thank you for sharing and explaining how they operate. Really enjoyed that.

[@outsidescrewball]

Great discussion/demonstration/repair

[@dass1333]

Great job at keeping all the sproing on the inside. Kind of like keeping the magic smoke in electronics.

[@machinistmikethetinkerer4827]

as a pocketwatch repair hobbyist, I approve this message. I saw your magnifying visors you had on. to the rest of your subbers, trust me-you'll need them! Nice work!

[@DenysSene]

but is the machine oil ok? Isn't that to thick for such a sensitive mechanism?

[@mikes1345]

Heck, I need the visor magnification to read my med labels!

[@omniryx1]

@@DenysSene Machine oil is not the ideal choice. The weight is not the issue. Even the best indicator gearing is crude by watchmaker standards. The real issues are oxidation, which can make the oil gummy over time, and quantity, where virtually everyone, Quinn included, uses wayyy too much. Ideally, one would use a purpose-made synthetic oil. Fortunately, for a device like this one, what she did was fine.

[@machinistmikethetinkerer4827]

@@DenysSene try entering the world of horology and repair. Mention oils and watch the fur fly..and you wouldn't believe how expensive watch lubricants are. But for this application Starrett used to sell instrument oil for indicators. I don't know if they still do. I have a little left in the original oiler from 30 years ago. I use it on my micrometers and calipers, indicators etc. Quinn is right tho-less is more.

[@machinistmikethetinkerer4827]

Just checked-yep they do. Starrett 1620 instrument oil. Also Starrett M1 but a spray can can cost over $100 bucks or more.

[@raymitchell9736]

Well folks, as you can see this dial indicator offers no pick resistance and I wouldn't recommend it for high security applications... and as always... I hope you have a nice day.

[@JohnADoe-pg1qk]

But does he sell wooden tooth picks at Covert Instruments? 🤔🙂

[@Milkmans_Son]

Unlike me, anyone with any idea of what pick resistance is probably wouldn't try it anyway.

[@OchoMiniatures]

another amazing video with a great intro!

[@PaulMcEvoyGuitars]

Intro was killer. Thanks for that!

[@neilleach5249]

Outstanding! Yes to be thanking you ...

[@MegaLostOne]

One other thing that will cause the needle not to come back to the same position is you need to put a preload on the hair spring, I have done several Federals and everyone of them as I took them apart had a preload on the hair spring as well. Before placing the idler wheel back in I place the large hand back on and turn the hand two turns, then with the rack in the fully extended position I replace the idler wheel which now keeps the preload on the hair spring.

[@smellsofbikes]

This is very welcome. I've spent years buying old Etalon DI's off ebay and now it's time to get more of them working.

[@schublade4]

Thank you so much for this video! I just successfully repaired a used Swiss-made Compac 213G dial test indicator which I got for 30 bucks online and it works again wonderfully.

[@alexleighty9892]

I appreciate the thorough explaining, liberal sprinkling of cautions about this and that, and the split screen for depiction of detail is perfect.

[@notquitecopacetic]

There in the shirt... I needed that. Good stuff.

[@smacfe]

So much goodness here. Thanks!

[@MikkelBachmann]

Top tip: for fine polishing, you can use toothpaste. It works great on headlights, plastic “glass”, final polish for knives and in wired etch cases it can be used to clean teeth.

[@cooperised]

Also as the last step for polishing scratches out of CDs and DVDs, if anyone still uses those...

[@radardoug]

My father spent many years collecting and repairing pocket watches so this was like a trip down memory lane for me. The only part you missed was spending hours on your hands and knees with a magnifying loupe searching for the screw that invariably gets dropped into the deep pile shag carpet.

[@WatchmakerErik]

I am a self taught student watchmaker and machinist, and I loved this. In fact once I have a home machine and watch & clock shop going I may take dial indicators on as an income stream. Wonderful video as always!

[@Evolucion7]

LPL-style intro was an absolute delight!

[@jimsvideos7201]

Well if I didn't adore you before now, I definitely do after an intro like that 😊

[@VincentGroenewold]

I'm totally going to do this when I built a bit of a shop. You learn a ton doing it, sometimes may be destroying a thing, but it's cheap! And like you say, save it for another day. So many ppl don't see how much they actually can do.

[@ronnyfurst5511]

after watching the full vid I have to make a second comment. Hey Quinn its really nice to see what you can handle. from tiny things like this up on to big stuff on a lathe or mill. big thumbs up from me, because I really honor what you show us here. I got some old imdicators from my gramps and some of them are a bit sticky... your vid gives me the faith and believe in myself to try fix them. thx quinn. its always a pleasure to see you workin

[@SciStarborne]

This video will be very helpful for restoring some DTIs donated to my community workshop. :)

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

That was an indication of multiple skills. Thanks for the video. Oh I watch the lock picking lawyer also.

[@willgallatin2802]

LOL! Quin, you've been watching my favorite "lawyer" I see. Great content. TYVM

[@henrytupper6959]

Thanks, this will be very helpful.

[@tommycheshire5508]

I am impressed!

[@patrickmcnally9262]

Wonderful video thank you..I'm trying to fix one right now and you gave me some ideas

[@friendlypiranha774]

Wow, excellent. Thanks

[@rickpalechuk4411]

Always a good idea to sweep the floor prior to disassembly ...Don't ask my how I know :-(

[@ScrewySquid]

I had to watch the intro 3 times! I love when I watch a creator and they nod to another one of my favorite creators. Chef's kisses

[@donmittlestaedt1117]

Thanks Quinn.

[@hansonelectric6566]

You are one brave person.

[@daveb1177]

I think I speak for many others here when I say: Please make your next build project be a lock to send in to LockPickingLawyer.

[@djaydeved]

*built with absoloute S tier precision

[@drswamp8629]

ClockPickingLawyer?

[@ronnyfurst5511]

holy moly....lady blondihacks:-) you really rock!

[@TheCatanzaroShop]

Thanks for sharing Quinn! This was an interesting and different video. Keep it up!

[@markenna5955]

Great video, it brought back memories I especially appreciate your description of what tasks can be done and which are best left to professionals.

[@marekpaul6110]

Another excellent informative video. Thank you.

[@firebird8600]

Yay! It's Blondihacks time! [Was so enamored with the intro I forgot to comment]

[@schm4704]

Nerves of steel! I just took apart a pencil sharpener with four moving parts and felt pretty smug about it, but this... 👍

[@martyzielinski1442]

You ought to check out the old dude who swears a lot while rebuilding Hamilton model 22 marine chronometers.....

[@markthompson8656]

thank you . I always wondered how difficult that was. I will definitely clean a few of mine now.

[@BrianB14471]

Love the LPL homage at the opening!

[@Paddington60]

Thank you for the polish steer! Received mine with some lint free and polished my hazy headlight. While it is not tip top it does not look like an equipment failure anymore. Live long and prosper 🖖🏻

[@jcknives4162]

Loved the lock picking lawyer beginning!!! Great video too

[@craigpuetz7020]

It would be overkill for this mechanism, but when I have something more complex with a assortment of unique screws (laptop disassembly, for example) I draw a sketch of the unit and stick each screw in its place on the picture (using tape, clay, whatever). That way each screw finds its way home at the end of the project. I also take a lot of pictures as I disassemble.

[@donaldsutherland244]

Thank you!

[@madsighntist14]

THHAT was AWESOME!!!

[@pilgrimm23]

Quinn: regards your 3330 platter balancer: I am an older computer geek who worked as a Main frame IBM operator in the 1970s. Also a retro computer geek (Apple II Forever!) Yes, you are correct. That is EXACTLY what that gismo is. I have not seen one in 40 odd years. Your take-off on the Lock picking Lawyer was LOL. Also I have a drawer FULL of dysfunctional indicators and really appreciate your instructions...Thank you lady.

[@Blondihacks]

][ Infinitum!

[@danielabbey7726]

Valuable information, Quinn! Buying older good quality indicators and cleaning/oiling them is a great way to save money.

[@brianscott1898]

Thanks you🎉 All your videos really take the intimidation out of this adventure

[@paulthomas3782]

Thanks Quinn for the insight into the internals of dial indicator.

[@JazAero]

having worked with small parts for many years as a retired computer repair technician, searching through carpets became a way of life for small screws and even smaller components. And became good scud work to give the Junior techs to do the searching, I eventually found a couple of Neo magnets, and 1 of those pinpoint pocket metal detectors, does the trick in finding them. unless they hit a solid surface in which case Newton's laws come into effect and they disappear into an Einsteinian quantum warp field only to show up in some other dimension usually sitting on the bench as an extra part left over from some other reassembly project that keeps you scratching your head as to how it got there and what it belongs to.

[@ronmccabe7164]

My $0.02 - my general experience with moderately gummy indicators is that they generally don't need to be disassembled, just degreased and reoiled. Especially those that have laid around without much use. Alcohol on the bearings, then relube. Explanation - most oils contain a mix of molecular weight hydrocarbons. Over time the light weight molecules evaporate and leave behind the higher weight hc's. There may also be some crosslinking making even bigger hc molecules. These have higher viscosity and of course are gummier. Now I've got me wondering if some synthetic oils may have a more narrow range of molecular weights or lower vapor pressure. Like ATF fluid, silicone oil, ???? HMMMMM?

[@LaserFur]

I just took the back off the ones I had and sobered them with air tool cleaner and then oil.

[@MawoDuffer]

I love this, I’m just starting to look into gears and how lead screw scales work on machines.

[@Mike-zu5xj]

Awesome thanks!!

[@jebowlin3879]

Yet another lesson I will likely never use, LOVE IT! that was well done and fairly easy to understand, thanks Qinn

[@tylerkrug7719]

Dam!you just do it all,awesome!

[@nathanweese3812]

Thanks Quinn. I really enjoyed this and I love hearing how easy this can be, repairs are intimidating until you try it, nice to hear positive encouragement. I re-use and fix anything I can, often for fun.

[@ypaulbrown]

Quinn, you are amazing.....great job showing all the steps...cheers from Florida, Paul

[@cyrucom]

What a coincidence!! I happened to bump an indicator in my machining class this past Thursday and it stopped working. My Instructor gave it to me to take home and try and fix it, and I've been messing with it the last couple days. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do to fix this indicator as it had stripped some teeth on one of the gears, but this video was still educational and enjoyable as are all of your videos. Thanks Quinn!

[@davidwalz1371]

That LPL opening was fantastic!

[@VideobyHomeworks]

Seriously valuable video, Quinn! I’ve got THREE garage sale indicators gathering dust in my toolbox because they are sticky and aren’t reliable. I was afraid to dig into them until now! (Now, get busy and do a video on assembling the Turkish Puzzle that is used to attach the indicator to a surface. My garage sale “score” came in an OD Green steel box with a bazillion rods and miscellaneous fiddlibits that I have NO idea how to use… they might not even be compatible for all I know. The magnetic base is about the only component I can actually operate.😄)

[@redrockroger]

Not only work on a soft surface to keep from scratching, but even better is to work on a large terry cloth towel. If a part happens to "jump" out of the assembly, when it lands on the towel it will not bounce and end up somewhere on the floor where it cannot be found. Been there, done that.

[@charleshettrick2408]

This was a good video and well documented. I have recovered over 50 mechanical and about a dozen digital indicators from scrap drawers for emergency gages. 1.) Use Starrett instrument oil. Great to have in the do-it-yourself shop for lots of other stuff. 2.) Pry indicator hands off. Place 2mil cellophane over the dial and hands. From the outside of the cellophane, use opposing blunted small flat blade screw drivers to gently pry at the base of hand hub. Do not slip and hit the hand!, 3.) Frequently the indicators in our factory had bent stems. Most of the time the stem can be patiently wiggled out with slight force. If not, press out the short bearing and pull out the back. (Slit brass tubing, place around the stem inside the case, pull the tubing with needle nose against the bushing. If bushing glued, scrap the indicator.) The following is NOT recommended by the manufacturers. But, the stems can be straightened for emergency only. Place on a flat reference surface (surface plate, plate glass or similar) and roll. Note where high. Using blocks of wood, one as an anvil, gently tap the stem back straight. Then using a fine Arkansas stone, gently stone the stem to remove burrs.

[@MrDLWheeler]

You've done it again. I now feel a bit more confident trying to sort out the dicky indicator I was using to measure guitar tops. Content like this easily justifies my modest patreon contribution. Thanks for the excellent work.

[@springwoodcottage4248]

How interesting. I inherited several indicators all troubled by opaque glass & I thought they would need the plastic replacing, but happily not. Thank you for sharing & educating me!

[@ducksauz]

Another great video. It's great watching this kind of tiny restoration. Also, as a Rhode Islander, I was surprised to just now learn of Federal through this video. We all grew up hearing about Brown & Sharpe, but Federal never made the news. Suppose they didn't have the labor disputes that B&S did in the 80s.

[@josefkrakel9136]

Very useful. I have several ancient indicators wasting away as I seek the time to disassemble them.

[@deeiks12]

You have a good sense of humour.

[@MrLukealbanese]

Excellent video. You might also like to see the series that Bob did on Doubleboost a couple of years ago on the subject of indicator restoration. You have to get past his incredible Newcastle upon Tyne accent but its super informative and quite entertaining.

[@Stefan_Van_pellicom]

That was less than a year ago, no ? Covid has made time warp …

[@MrLukealbanese]

@@Stefan_Van_pellicom indeed it has!! I stand corrected.

[@realnutteruk1]

I used to work on DEC disc drives from a similar period, and never saw a tool like that! If you were going to balance a disc pack, you'd want to do it dynamically!

[@JamesPotts]

How big were those platters? And what type of system? PDP?

[@realnutteruk1]

@@JamesPotts yes PDP11 era drives... 10 14" platters in a pack... They had about 1hp 3 phase drive motors to get them up to 3000rpm.

[@Chrissi33004]

Thank you very much, your knowledge and detailed walkthrough really helped me getting a used, broken indicator to work again!

[@rodbennett4790]

G'day Quinn, great video! I've dabbled in this realm before but I wasn't aware of the backlash adjustment capability. Thanks!

[@magiclarry7688]

Love the LPL reference in the beginning.

[@ThePiquedPigeon]

Me: "Wow, it's incredible that such a simple indicator can detect surface imperfections which such sensitiveness!! What technical wizardry is happening inside it? Must be a really sophisticated, complicated mechanism!!" Dial indicator: G ∃ ∀ Я S

[@creswick]

Thanks for sharing! I have a stack of auction indicators that have these symptoms, but I've been afraid to dive in and try to fix them myself.

[@SgtCude59]

Cool video we always cleaned them with lighter fluid it did a good job

[@bostedtap8399]

Excellent job, definitely a good quality instrument, nice caveat on oils, up there with dry or lubrication on torqued fasteners. Another check is to test if the plunger performs as well when inverted. Thanks for sharing.

[@bobvines00]

Quinn, now that I've seen this video I think I'll open up a 10-inch Starrett indicator rescued "from the trash" at work ~20 years ago when they still sold stuff like that. It had failed calibration, so went out as "scrap/trash." I've even got the original Starrett wood box it came in. :) Maybe I'll get lucky and find that it only needed cleaning and re-lubrication! I've always had a fantasy of using it as (part of) a poor man's DRO on either my mill-drill or lathe and even being "out of cal" it may still be more accurate than either piece of machinery!

[@Argosh]

"... so I just used some light machine oil." Some people just want to see the world burn. 🤣

[@martinpanev6651]

Glad i finally have an excuse to fix my ancient mitutoyo! Thanks

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing.👍👀

[@TheSmokintbird]

Fantastic! Repaired my own weak/sticky indicator (broken spring)

[@ruudbremer]

wow. the LockPickingLawyer joke. lol

[@Miguelito63No1]

hi this is Miguel again, Ihas learn a lot from YOU, GOD bless YOU

[@bytesizedengineering]

I'm still laughing about the intro!

[@KWGochenaur]

Conversely, headlight restoration kits also work great on indicator lenses.

[@codprawn]

Awesome video - never had the time to take any of mine apart - they all actually work! Very interesting to see the insides!

[@guye7763]

Love the LPL reference. A nice and funny bit of " dog-whistling " aVe would have been proud of. Cheers

[@cravenmoorehead5636]

That LLL intro was marvelous.