Picked up some gage blocks and a height gauge

[RichR]

I came across a couple of items on craigslist so I decided to check them out. This set of gauge blocks was $25. The 0.250" block does
have a small ding but the rest look perfect.



Also listed was a height gauge for $75. There was no description and turned out to be bigger than I expected.

[RichR]

A couple more shots:




If anyone has any advice on caring for theses items it would be appreciated.

[Old Hat]

Gage blocks are pretty tuff. Keep them clean, grit free, and rub with a light film of oil when you put them back.
Hight gages are easily knocked over in shops with allot of activity.
BUT here in S E WI. high humidity can warp those boxes to hell and gone in one season.

PS:
It's poor practice to use gage-blocks to touch-off (teach) cutters in CNC work.....
and still use them for gage blocks.

We (I) use a top quality hardened 1,2,3 block with sharp corners.
I gets used for nothing else and our gage-blocks remain unmollested!

Teaching tools with shims by the way is an obsenity in IMHO.

[JCHannum]

The gage block set with the optical flat is a calibration set for calibrating or checking micrometers, height gages, etc. It is not low end gear, or normal shop equipment. While they can be used as slip gages and stacked, that is not their purpose, which is why they include fractional equivalents.

http://www.transcat.com/catalog/prod...num=516-930-26

[KiddZimaHater]

It's poor practice to use gage-blocks to touch-off (teach) cutters in CNC work

I agree Old Hat.
I've never understood people using Precision Gage Blocks as a 'shim' to set tool length with. Tools can ding or scratch them easily.
Better to use a piece of paper, toolsetter, or 123 block.
And Rich, you made out like a Bandit!
Nice score!
$100 for the blocks AND that height gage?
You suck!

[Rosco-P]

JCHannum beat me to it with the correct name and use. Best care suggestion is neither item belongs in the garage, which isn't climate controlled or low humidity. The blocks are very accurate, but calibrated to be so in a narrow temperature range.

[Arthur.Marks]

re: height gage. (1) Treat the bottom surface of the base like a gage block. (2) Accuracy depends on the vertical beam remaining perpendicular to the base, so don't pick it up by the beam. Pick the height gage up by the base and use your other hand to steady the vertical beam for balance. (3) Utilize other tools than only the given scribe to expand the height gage's uses. For example, a vertical depth rod, straight scribe, offset scribe (as installed on yours now), an indicator holder to turn it into a precision transfer gage.

re: touching off of gage blocks. Use a wear block. Why has the wear block's inclusion and use so often been neglected in discussions? In fact, using a height gage with scriber mounted to reference off of a stack of gage blocks is a perfect application for a wear block.

[Paul Alciatore]

Nice find.

Is that height gauge 18" or 24"?

And, how is the optical flat used in conjunction with the blocks?

[Rosco-P]

And, how is the optical flat used in conjunction with the blocks?

Check the micrometer faces for parallelism when clamped between them. Failure would mean the faces need to be lapped and the mic. readjusted.
http://ecatalog.mitutoyo.com/Optical...els-C1533.aspx

[Arthur.Marks]

Does an optical flat produce the bands under normal lighting conditions? I had the impression it didn't -- a monochrome light source is needed. Is that absolutely true?

[JCHannum]

Does an optical flat produce the bands under normal lighting conditions? I had the impression it didn't -- a monochrome light source is needed. Is that absolutely true?

Short answer is yes, a monochromatic light source is required.

[Optics Curmudgeon]

And a green laser pointer scattering off of a piece of white paper works well for that.

[PeteM]

The gage blocks are sized to check the micrometer at various degrees of rotation. So, even without use of the optical flat there's a rough check of skewed anvils.

[boslab]

Its only a sodium lamp, mind you do look silly standing under a street lamp
I dont have any gauge or slips at home, the ones in work had a couple of cover slips you included in the stack, fairly important to use if your landing a big sine table on them for a long time
Mark

[RichR]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I couldn't reply sooner, heavy rains created a water problem in the basement.

JCHannum beat me to it with the correct name and use. Best care suggestion is neither item belongs in the garage, which isn't climate controlled or low humidity. The blocks are very accurate, but calibrated to be so in a narrow temperature range.

Both items will be kept in the house and brought out only when absolutely necessary.

re: height gage. (1) Treat the bottom surface of the base like a gage block. (2) Accuracy depends on the vertical beam remaining perpendicular to the base, so don't pick it up by the beam. Pick the height gage up by the base and use your other hand to steady the vertical beam for balance. (3) Utilize other tools than only the given scribe to expand the height gage's uses. For example, a vertical depth rod, straight scribe, offset scribe (as installed on yours now), an indicator holder to turn it into a precision transfer gage.

The weight and smooth vertical surfaces of the base make it a little clumsy to pick up that way. I noticed that the newer Mitutoyos have a curved channel
cut in them making them easier to grip. Is it acceptable grasp the beam right where it meets the base?

Nice find.

Is that height gauge 18" or 24"?

It's an 18" unit.

My plans for the gage blocks is verifying the accuracy of calipers and micrometers. The blocks have mirror surfaces and I don't want to risk damaging
them by using them for anything else. I'm thinking about washing them off with acetone, rubbing them down with mineral spirits, and then rubbing on some
Vactra #2 or #4. Good idea or bad?

What is the best way to clean the height gauge? Acetone, mineral spirits? Should it be lubricated?
I will most likely attach an indicator rather than use the included scribe.