[Unclenick]

Funny you should ask. I got a cheapo set of Harbor Freight calipers just because the processor in the metering unit had the option of producing fractions to the nearest 1/128th of an inch in the display and I was trying to teach a neighbor's kid about fractions at the time. But these calipers were just awful. Cut-you sharp edges at every corner and they felt gritty sliding and the jaws splayed and flexed badly. So I tore them down and discovered they were chock full of grinding dust. A true zero QC product.

I happened to have a gallon jug of Bransonic ultrasonic water-based circuit board cleaner and I removed the battery and got the tool as far apart as I conveniently could do and used that solution to clean the whole set inside and out, followed by a short time in the ultrasonic with DI water followed by sitting in a desiccator full of baked-out montmorillonite clay (STP brand oil absorbent) for a couple of weeks. It came out working fine and is dramatically less gritty in operation. Pain in the backside to have to do all that to it and to use a Craytex bit on my Fordham tool to dehorn it, though. I've probably got enough work in it to have justified buying a good set in the first place, but then it was mainly time rather than money and I always did like making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.