I've done both, repaired myself and sent them in. You don't
necessarily have to send it to Starrett, if there is a local distributor
they can recommend a shop. I wouldn't advise doing it yourself unless
you have small tools, good eyes and patience. Behind the dial there are
a few small gears, pinions, etc. Doable, but drop just one small piece
on the floor and..... IMO, a repair will normally run about 1/2 the
price of a new one, depending on how much work there is.

There is a small, long spacer that resides between the rack and the
indicator housing. That spacer has a small notch for a pin that keeps
it stationary as the housing slides. Make sure the pin is in the
clearance hole of the spacer. And make sure the long rack is clean of
any chips.
Mark L.


Paul Hofnagel wrote:
Okay folks,

I need a bit of advice. My ever generous mother in law bought me a
Starrett Dial Caliper for Christmas. Yesterday, said caliper got
caught in a slide of other crap from my workbench to the concrete
floor. It flew out of its case and has ceased to function.

I've disassembled/ re-assembled most of the mechanism but it refuses
to open once re-assembled. If I could get behind the dial I suspect I
could make the adjustments to get it working again.

Here's the question. I see that Starrett will take in their tools for
repair. Is it more cost effective to send it in for repairs or to
simply purchase a new one?

Any thoughts?