My dial caliper pinion gear jumped about 2 teeth on the rack so that it " zeros " at about 11:00 O'clock instead of 12:00.  I took it apart by removing the head from the rack and then " re-timed " the pinion gear unto the track, and could not get it to zero at 12:00 O'clock.  Did that exercise about 6-8 attempts and still could not get it to zero at 12:00. It measures fine, it's just I like to have things as they were intended to be.

  I received an E-mail from MSC indicating some special pricing on measuring instruments and was thinking it may be the right time to buy.  Does anyone know if the Brown & Sharpe brand is still manufactured in the U.S.A. ?  Went to the MSC web site and there is no indication of whether or not the B & S brand is American made or not.

  I would like to find and purchase a Mauser brand made in Germany with English, but have had no success at that.

     Creedmoormatch

Cut a piece of .006 to .010 brass shim stock about 2 inches long by one half inch wide.  Trim down one end to about one sixteenth wide by about three quarter inch long.  The pinion gear in the B&S and most dial calipers is shock loaded, this is why it will sometimes jump the track and get out of time.  Set this shim piece with the cut back end ( open the caliper a bit ) up on the rack and ride the pinion gear up on top, this places the shim between the rack and pinion.  Continue sliding the whole assy down just a tiny bit then pull out the shim allowing the pinion to reset on the rack.  You will most likely have to do this several times to get it right but you can retime the caliper unless you have sprung the pinion itself or twisted the pinion gear on its shaft.  Then you either live with it or replace.  Brown & Sharp is still very alive and well and making excellent measuring tools.  Your B&S caliper, if well cared for, is more than likely better than anything any import company is selling--- my opinion.

I don't know if you've already tried this (or maybe yours doesn't have enough adjustment range) but usually a dial caliper has a little stem on the top of the dial that you can loosen and turn the dial face until the zero falls under the position of the hand.  Retighten the stem and measure away as usual.  My Mitutoyo was bought used and is pretty worn but I can always pick up the zero that way.

I quit using the high dollar calipers after breaking more than a few. I never remember to put them in a safe place and they fall off the mill or lathe. I have had several imports apart to clean fine metal particle out. The spring loading on these is on one of the rack gears, engage one gear in the rack and wind the spring up using the hand then engage it to the rack. This takes out all back lash. Pull the hand off and reinsert it in the zero position. I have never had a B&S apart so I don't know if this will work on them. I don't care for the electric digital calipers, seems the battery goes dead just when I need it. I have an old 0-4 digital mechanical micrometer that is very neat.

That's great! Congratulations!

    John, I had given up on this caliper one post back with the thing being .004" OFF.

    That was until I received your instructions for getting the needle free from the pinion gear shaft without destroying the whole works.  Did exactly as you instructed and had the needle in my hand.  With the needle free, you can then remove the face plate and get to the "inners"  Mine has two small screws holding the head piece to the slide piece and was wondering if you have ever gone to that level of dis-assembly ?  I, however, did not go there, as I wanted to get mine "right", and move on to something else.

    To make a long, frustrating story short, I closed the jaws, set the face plate for 12:00 O'clock zero, re-installed the pointing needle aligned at zero, re-installed the face glass, and walla !   Good as new !

   End of story !       

    Creedmoormatch