How To Oil A Digital Caliper

As a DIYer or a professional woodworker, you must have purchased the best digital caliper to pull off your projects in a breeze.

But if not taken care of, your digital caliper won’t measure the dimensions and circumferences of objects or joints accurately. After every use, you must store the measuring instrument in a hard case to prevent them from getting damaged. If stored for a long period of time, you must apply a lubricant over the jaws to protect them from surface rust or corrosion.

Now, novices must be wondering– how to oil a digital caliper, isn’t it? Oiling a digital caliper isn’t challenging at all and can be done in a few minutes.

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Digital caliper on oak hardware piece — Ⓒ Architecture Lab | Anton Giuroiu

If you’ve been in the woodworking, construction, or engineering industry for quite some time, you’d agree that measurement tools need proper care to function efficiently. Compared to a dial caliper, you need to use digital ones with extra caution.

When cleaning digital calipers, you cannot use any oil that is available at the local store or your workshop. That’s because dirty oils can tamper with the accuracy of the device or, even worse, damage your caliper.

You must always go for a high-grade instrument or tool oil and use a soft cloth to apply a light coating all over your digital caliper. And dipping the caliper in oil is a big no-no, so here’s how you must lubricate your caliper using a tool or cleaning oil.

Step 1

Grab a box of clean wipes and soak them in or apply a small amount of oil over a wipe. One thing we’d like to mention is that you must choose wipes that are made out of non-woven material and boast low linting properties.

Step 2

Then rub it over the body of your digital caliper, starting from the frame and moving back and forth to loosen debris and grime. Repeat the process until the caliper and the cleaning wipes are free from impurities.

Reading Digital Or Electronic Calipers

As against dial calipers, digital ones are easy to read, and that is what has contributed to their popularity.

If you’re a first-time user of electronic calipers, you’re likely to wonder– how to read digital calipers in inches. The good news is that reading measurements on digital calipers isn’t tricky, as no guesswork is needed. On the upper-right corner of the dial indicator is displayed the S.I. unit (inches or millimeters) that you set before securing it to the surface you need to measure.

Here’s what you need to know about digital calipers when measuring in inches:

The figure on the far left of the decimal point is whole inches
Figures on the right side of the decimal point indicate tenths, hundredths, and thousandths

Brass hardware measured with digital caliper — Ⓒ Architecture Lab | Anton Giuroiu

How To Oil A Digital Caliper FAQs

Often, professionals and hobbyists measure the circumferences, dimensions, and other aspects with their digital calipers and toss them in their toolbox. Rarely do they clean their measuring instruments, let alone lubricate them.

So, for all those wondering how to clean digital calipers, we’ve got you covered with two tips, which, if followed, will extend their life.

Use rubbing alcohol or solvent to wipe away impurities
Clean dirt, grease, or oil by wiping the instrument with a clean cloth

No, you must always use a high-grade instrument oil for lubricating your digital caliper before storing it away to prevent rusting.

How To Oil A Digital Caliper Final Words

Digital calipers are one of the most useful tools for those working in carpentry, engineering, construction, or medical industries. From depth to diameter, you can measure almost everything with digital calipers, so their versatility is limitless.

However, proper care is important to take highly accurate measurements. So, make sure you apply a light coating of oil with low lint wipers to keep the digital calipers safe from rust and in good condition.