In article ,
Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:

[ ... ]

Thanks to never letting others use them, they're all still almost perfect.
My one sadness is my vernier protractor isn't satin chrome, and it's getting
harder and harder to read as I get older, thanks to poor eyes.

That prompted me to get another in satin chrome from an eBay
auction.

Like you, I can't quite warm up to spending $67 to have my one Bestest sent
in for the crystal to be replaced. I'm seriously considering installing
one myself (assuming I can buy one, that is), but it's not something I've
done before. If you have any pointers, I'd welcome them.

What diameter is the bezel of the Bestest? For larger
indicators (1-1/2" and up) I turn a replacement out of 1/16" Lexan (just
a bit oversize for the measurement of the bezel), put a partial bevel on
the edge, and then place it on a ring which is turned to contact at
about 3/4 of the OD of the crystal, and press with a soft rounded
surface (I usually buffer with the plastic lids from water cooler
bottles) in the center using a small arbor press, while the bezel ring
is resting on top of the crystal around the presser. As the center
presses in, the OD raises a bit, and reduces diameter just a bit. When
it is curved enough, the bezel ring will slip on, and then you relax the
pressure, allowing the OD of the new crystal to expand and grip the
bezel ring. (The crystal will retain a domed shape -- how much of one
depends on how much the OD needed to be shrunk to fit the bezel ring.)
Once this is done, peel off the protective plastic which came on the
Lexan, and re-install the bezel ring on the indicator.

Exactly how you remove the bezel ring from the indicator is a
function of the particular brand and model. Some use screws which
engage grooves on the indicator body. (Federal tends to be one example
of this.) Larger Starretts tend to use a circular wire spring with three
bulges in it. You need to rotate the bezel ring until one of them comes
into view through a tiny hole in the ring, and press it in with a pin of
appropriate diameter. You then press the ring forward a bit to hold
that one disenaged, and rotate to find the next one. Once all three
are released, the bezel ring will come off. Small Starretts like the
"Last Word" have a bezel ring which is simply pressed on (a friction
fit), but those also need a thinner crystal, and I've used some which I
acquired with a repair toolbox from eBay. It is now time to see whether
I can buy more of those. Anyway, those pre-formed crystals press in
from the inside.

I posted a web page showing a couple of indicators which I had
re-crystaled, plus the tools made to do that particular size. (Every
time there is another size, I need to make more tools. :-) It is too
late tonight to dig up the URL, but drop me an e-mail and I'll dig it
up, or perhaps ask here and I'll post it again.

Enjoy,
DoN.
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