Mercer model 215

Hi...

New to this forum and just wanting to try and get some information on this piece.

I don't know the age of it, it's a dial indicator from Thomas Mercer Ltd. St Albans.

Anybody have any ideas about this?

 

Welcome!
Please go back and edit your photo to the FULL IMAGE option and always do this.

 

The company apparently was known for making chronometers and other nautical and measuring instruments....this is not a chronometer or anything nautical that I am familiar with; maybe a hardness tester, or something similar?
Info on the company:
http://whmb.webhorology.com/showthread.php?s=bf384a132da20f2f12976eea321f723f&t=11900

 

Mercer's were best known. to me anyway, as makers of marine chronometers. They may well have made other precision instruments like this.

Sniped!

 

Successor companies made air gauges, among other measuring devices; see
http://a-egauges.co.uk/ or http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Thomas_Mercer which shows a number of other gauges; one called a "dial test indicator" looks a bit similar.

 

I would think Steve probably got it with a hardness tester.

 

I know it's a dial test indicator. Im just looking for more info on it. I can't find one anywhere else and for it age it's extremely accurate. It must be at least 50 years old I think. I tried to find info but all that's online is the chronometers. It is the same company by the looks. But just nothing about this or any measuring equipment.

 

Measuring in inches, it is probably just a bench 'snap gauge'. For checking the tolerance of parts.

 

50 years ago was 1966, a time of jet engines and orbital rockets; you could find comparably accurate instruments 100 years earlier than that.

Probable reason that there is little interest in such relatively modern equipment, which may still be in use in some engineering applications, is that unless you want to do some fine measuring it is neither use nor ornament.

 

Snap gauge might be one name; it appears the Mercer gauges could be used for almost anything where one might want to compare small distances. See

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indicator_(distance_amplifying_instrument)

for a general discussion of such things....I'm sure OP knows all this already.