How To Read A Micrometer

Today I'm going to be making a very simple how to read a micrometer and this will be for Imperial measurements. So this is a zero to on emic that I'm How To Read A Micrometer going to be using for demonstration. I'd like to make as well about measuring tools and things like that. All right so we're going to use my good trusty 0 to 1 stare at micrometer this was also my Granddad’s and my dad. So you’re looking at a third-generation mica there that's been well used for many years. Well over 40 50 years alright so I want to point out also that this is a ratcheting micrometer. So you have a ratcheting thimble there on the end of the mica there is mica. That you can buy that do not have the ratchet thimble on the end the purpose of the ratchet is.

So that whenever you go to take your measurement you use this and it applies. The proper amount of torque to the mica giving you the proper reading. So if you use it as a mica without the rat sit there you have to be careful about how much pressure. That How To Read A Micrometer you apply to the screw here whenever you're getting your feel okay a lot of times. Whenever I'm using a mica even if it has a ratcheting thimble whenever I’m holding it. I'll use the side of my finger to kind of pull it very to get the proper feel on the measurement. And you'll kind of once you get some practice you'll know what the proper feel is to use your finger. To move the barrel there alright so I will show you this so we've got this standard right here. So this is brown and sharp this was my Granddad’s here and we'll use this to check the mica. That we're using there, and make sure that we're on this is another good thing. So I'm going to put this in there and I’m holding this mica in a clamp here. To try to help with the video so this is how I measure things.

So we're going to put the gauge between the anvils there and get it centered up. And I'm using a ratchet thimble and I can feel that it's in there and we zoom in there. We can see that our zero points right there are near lined up with this horizontal line going across there. So that's your reference line on your micrometer in the center there. That you’re How To Read A Micrometer going to be referencing this barrel to right there. So we have a good mica we're right on size so we'll go ahead and take that out of there. And we’ll go ahead and begin with what all these numbers and lines mean on a micrometer. So to kind of start with the way that I always like to look at it. When I was trying to you know learn this stuff too is no matter what size might be using. You know you have a zero to zero measurement there at zero to two you know 999 thousandths. So this is a distance of one inch right there, and if you imagine these two points of reference. This zero and zero there you have a thousand equal places between there and that's what. That's where you’re getting your measurements so you’ll notice. You'll have a one on the on top here you have a one-two-three and so forth.

So that’s a hundred thousand two hundred three hundred all the way up. Until you get to the full inch there all right also on the top line. Let me see if we can get you in a little bit closer no that’s it you also have a line in the middle there. So that's fifty so it would How To Read A Micrometer be fifty thousand one hundred 5,200 and so forth there's 253 alright. Yon the bottom of that line I know it's a little bit harder to see there. But each one of those lines is going to represent 25 thousandths of an inch. So starting with your 0 first line will be 25 thousandths the second line will be 50 third line will be 75. And then the fourth is going to be exactly one hundred thousandths. All right so let’s go ahead and we'll run the barrel in a little bit here we'll bring it on in. So that's a little bit easier to see what’s going on so let's go to we're gonna go to a hundred. I'm going to line it up on a zero but what I want you to know now is all these numbers on a barrel. You see we start with zero and it counts you know one and as we go all the way around. You're going to end up there's 24and then there's 25. So each revolution of the barrel is twenty-five thousandths of an inch on the bottom.

At the bottom thereof the barrel you'll see each line is twenty-five thousand. So each time you go around so right there we're at a hundred and twenty-five thousand seven-inch 126 127. So you add up the top line and the bottom line and in whatever division. That you're on the barrel here has lined up with the center horizontal line. That you add that together How To Read A Micrometer for your total measurement so if we were to be measured that right there. All right so that would be one hundred and thirty-four thousand right there. Alright, I've got a couple of gauge pins right here. Actually, we have a standard that we'll use as another Brown & Sharpe. This is a two-inch standard and we'll measure the diameter of this pin right here. So we'll stick it in there and we'll go ahead and use our ratchet and then make sure. We're squared up so let’s see what we ended up on so start with two. Because you know you’ve already passed the two all right you can look at the top line. And see that we're at the 50 but if you count the bottom you know that you have two lines. That you've passed so 25 and 50 so you have 200 plus 50 plus 9 because you see the line. That the nine is lined up with that line right there so we are at 259 thousand measurings.

The diameter of this pin right here all right we got a couple more. That we'll use for references and I'll pick these out because these are kind of standard sizes. So 375,000 says the diameter of this gauge pin right here that's also the same as three-eighths of an inch. So we know we've hit three so it'd be three hundred thousand and then you’ve got three of the How To Read A Micrometer 25,000 students. Twenty-five fifty and then we ended up on our zero for our last revolution there. So that's another twenty-five so that’s three hundred and seventy-five thousandths of an inch. Now you also have tents on this micrometer right here which I can't show you. I'm gonna make to reconfigure the tents there so on the tents. If you're pasta zero so it actually looks like we ‘repast that zero. I'm going to say one to two tents past that you have to go up on the top of the mica to line up. One of these numbers on the barrel to state how many tents past you are and we'll look at that as well. So here's one more gauge pin that will measure for reference there.

This is a 437 thousandths gauge pin and you see it's got the plus on there. So it is going to measure over 437 that's going to be in your tent range. Alright, so this would be 7/16 standard inch sizing right there alright let's zoom in there and checkout. What it reads so again you already passed the four so go ahead and say four points four. You already passed a How To Read A Micrometer twenty-five thousand there on the bottom. Alright and then you've gone around and you’re lined up on the twelfth. So the way I read that is four twenty-five-plus the twelve thousand. That's going to equal four hundred and thirty-seven thousand. Once you add all those up alright I'm going to prove the tenth reading on the top of thermic. Now we'll go ahead and put our 437 back in here and clamp it back in. So we already know we have a four hundred and thirty-seven thousand reading. But our zero is passed but if you’ll notice on the top of the mica right there on the top of that barrel. Alright, there we go you see you have a series of parallel lines starting with zero one two three four. And goes all the way around a nine and if you'll look over here this number sixteen is in line with that number. One line right there so this is one-tenth the one after that would be two cents.

You can see it's off okay so I'm going to call it sixteen as being the one that's lined up with the number one. So we are at point four three seven one the one being the one-tenth. So that’s how you split one-thousandth of an inch is lining up whichever one of How To Read A Micrometer these lines zero. One through nine is in line with one of these numbers on the rotating barrel. That’s what you add to your figure that you come up with one more quick note that. I want to point out about a zero to 1-inch mica is that that's the only OD mica. That you can run the barrel all the way in and touch both the ambles like that and it's important to note that. You should never leave them together like that especially see. Whenever you're storing them so if you’re going to put this mica up you know don’t run it. All the way in there until it’s tight and leave it like that one trick that. You can do is put a little piece of volatile paper between there, and run it up that way. It keeps the ambles oiled and not jammed in there together. So always leave it leave them apart from little ways it doesn’t matter how far run them out a little bit. Whenever you go to put it back in your case or put it in your toolbox.