. He plans on using his Aldi ultrasonic cleansing bath to clean these
If a DTI is similar to a clock in which a small motion at one end of the instrument (the stylus), is maginified by a gear train or rack & pinion into a large motion at the other end (the hand), then no, absolutely not. Clock gears (we call them wheels and pinions) should never be oiled. Oil in such exposed mechanisms absorbs abrasive dust and increases friction.
Cliff.
Indeed, it is the main reason why clocks given to well-meaning model engineers for repair invariably stop working after a couple of months due to being gummed up by the sticky residues from "3-in-1" oil adhering the teeth of pinions to the teeth of wheels!
Here's one for you.
did you know ......if you shop around ..
That windshield washer bottle additive is sometimes 100% isopropyl alcohol
it's a cheap source I've used a several times.
all the best.markj
That's why the watch or clock case should be almost completely filled with Tellus 22 oil or similar :-)
Mark Rand (running) RTFM
What is the trick to moving the glass from dial gauges? I have nice Mitutoyo imperial dial gauge which has a slightly bent needle. I would love to straighten it, but I can't see how to remove the front bezel and glass.
Mike
Hi Mike, Had a look through my collection of DTIs but no Mitutoyo. There semms to be a wide choice of assembly methods amongst (British) makers, from circlips to screws from the back to screws from the side. If Mitutoyo dial calipers are anything to go by, the bezel and glass have to be levered off as one. Ned Ludd
An excellent solvent for this sort of thing, reasonably cheap and easily obtainable, is Colman Fuel. Essentially pure naphtha, it dissolves oils and evaporates completely.
John
Success! I removed the case back, and eventually spotted two tiny spring wire clips which locate in an internal groove in the bezel to retain it.A bit of fiddling with some fine tweezers to hold one of the clips back, and a fine blade under the edge of the bezel, and off it popped. Replacement is easy (compared to removal).
Mike
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