"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
news
...Do all dead centers have a domed tip when looked at under a
glass?

Ever hear of "Machinist's Elbow", caused by forgetting to remove the
center?

Since you may want to machine to finer precision than you can see, the
better way to center the tailstock is with a chucked indicator riding
on the conical surface. A quick check is to grab a milling edge finder
in both the spindle and tailstock chucks.
--jsw