Repairing Intentional Damage to Surface Plate

[AdamPrince2]

I emphasized the surface plate/pin gages/height gage are precision instruments and they need to be treated with respect. I was demonstrating how to use them a person grabbed the hardened height gage and strongly scribed the surface plate. It left a line that I can feel with my finger nail. I assume the granite is harder than the stainless steel height gage. How do I repair this and how much will it cost? I want to bill this.

 

[Antarctica]

good Grief. WTF is wrong with people...

 

[RJT]

Depending on the size and grade of the plate and the size and depth of the scratch. Contact a metrology house that does surface plate reconditioning for a quote. Don't know of any kind of filler that is used, only way I know is to re lap the entire plate.

 

[TGTool]

That was an ugly action by that nearby dickhead, but the scratch is more a cosmetic problem than an accuracy one. So long as nothing sticks up from the surface to shift something sitting on the plate, nothing has changed. So far as I know, granite plates do not produce burrs like a cast iron plate might.

So it becomes a choice of whether the scratch bothers you enough to go to the expense of having it all lapped down below the damage. I know it's aggravating. You might get a quote and send the perpetrator a bill for repair. Not likely he'll stand up, but you might shame him at least a little.

 

[Larry Dickman]

We can hope that the "person" who did this is no longer part of the program...

probably just got transferred into management

 

[Scottl]

I don't know the circumstances as to who and where but this sure sounds like malicious vandalism. Depending on how expensive the repair will be you might even want to file a police report. It may help later if you need to go to court to collect.

 

[jccaclimber]

We've all jumped to malice, was it that or just stupidity?
Regardless, it's not an issue from a functional perspective other than being one more place that you have to keep dirt/dust out of. If you want it gone cosmetically then relapping is the solution. Assuming it's a large enough plate to do that. Place I used to work any plates small than about 12"x18" were cheaper to buy new than resurface if they were more than the slightest bit OOT. I'm sure if the one plate was the only reason the person needed to come on site that number would go up as the flat rate to show up was a large portion of the cost.

I'd check that part of the height stand base for burrs too, and stone as needed.

 

[CarbideBob]

While not a good idea ignore it if a granite plate.
Bob

 

[davehud]

Ignore it. I've seen plates with un-intentional damage. No big deal.

 

[michiganbuck]

I'm surprised a surface gauge would have a sharp enough edge to scratch a plate.

 

[J_R_Thiele]

While it probably does not affect the overall accuracy of the plate- the3 evidence of the abuse does encourage future abuse.

I would suggest having the individual pay to have the plate recalibrated and lapped if needed...AND have the height guage calibrated and replaced if needed.

There were two precision instruments that were abused.

 

[triumph406]

A scratch isn't going to hurt anything. It's purely cosmetic.

Agravating sure, the bigger issue is extracting the height gage from the colon of the perp. You did insert the gage right? With prejudice? (in other words no vaseline)

 

[AdamPrince2]

I wish I knew why students intentionally damage expensive tools right in front of me. Impulsivity? Passive aggressive dominance game? Boredom? Rebel without a cause? Displaced anger?

I am thinking the granite removed metal from the height gauge being harder on the mohs scale. So I have a metal mark. Maybe a porcelain tile cleaner for metal marks will work followed by a light lapping of the height gauge scribe?

HOW TO REMOVE METAL MARKS FROM #PORCELAIN TILES AND #CERAMIC SURFACES Faber Tile Cleaner Gel - YouTube

 

[sfriedberg]

I have known young people (10-20 years), almost all male, who will respond to a caution about "don't do X" by immediately doing X. Fairly recently, I had to physically restrain a young man (by stepping in front of him) to prevent him from reaching out and grabbing some live electrical wires, right after I warned him about the hazard.

In many cases, certainly not all, this is not deliberate misbehavior. It seems to be unconscious behavior! It's like mentioning X trips some circuit in their heads, triggering an immediate impulse to do X. It doesn't matter if you add "don't do" to X, or not. They aren't thinking, just reacting. Falls squarely into Milland's category of "lack of impulse control".

Usually, this sort of behavior fades away by the time they get their mid-20s, unless they are gunning hard for a Darwin Award. "Hold my beer and watch this..." Such people are a serious liability in any occupation with serious hazards to themselves or others, and that includes driving in traffic!

 

[John Garner]

The U S Federal Specification for stone surface plates specifically mentions that mechanical damage to the precision surface CAN produce a burr, and recommends / directs stoning the damaged area to remove such burrs.

 

[TGTool]

Usually, this sort of behavior fades away by the time they get their mid-20s, unless they are gunning hard for a Darwin Award. "Hold my beer and watch this..." Such people are a serious liability in any occupation with serious hazards to themselves or others, and that includes driving in traffic!

I'm not a neurologist, a behavioral scientist or a therapist but I won't let that stand in the way of putting out an opinion.

I'd be inclined to think that the driving in traffic might not be a problem and that behavior is driven by a different mechanism. It seems like what connects the actions is the need for immediate testing or reinforcement of learning. That is, actually needed to know from first hand experience what works and doesn't work, combined with low impulse control and maybe lack of some other mental filter. The "Do this/Don't do that" just becomes one input on how thing work. Someone tells them an action has a result and they just have to see for themselves regardless of whether the likely result is positive or negative. They're leaning something either way.

Highway driving has something else going on, and unless they're in the car with a driving instructor the "Do/Don't" lack of distinction doesn't come into play. Lack of impulse control on its own could be a problem. I've seen other drivers I'd like to throttle and if these impulse-impaired people experience the same reaction it could be bad news.

 

[CarbideBob]

I wish I knew why students intentionally damage expensive tools right in front of me. Impulsivity? Passive aggressive dominance game? Boredom? Rebel without a cause? Displaced anger?

Seems that not understating the why is a failure somewhere.
Did you ask why?
Done once of no care or concern. Done a thousand times over years not so good.
I'll assume you rotate plates or area in use as they wear holes or dips over time up front just from the sliding things on top.
I am partial to pink plates but even those get funky .
Bob

 

[AdamPrince2]

Of course in all such situations I ask why and document an attempt to reach home to analyze. The usual response is it was an accident (it was not, there are cameras), but how funny my reaction was. I explain that we have a limited budget and that I spend a significant amount of my own money and time beyond my contract hours so students do not have to go without.

After cleaning, it did indeed scratch the USA made grade "A" surface plate. It will cost $158 for a calibration check before shipping.

Problem like this have been going on since there were humans. Perhaps the only difference now is a large increase in broken families since the 1960s. Here is a video from 1949: Act Your Age (1949) - YouTube

At any rate, many younger youth are completing excellent work. I do also struggle to understand why many older youth who live below the poverty line refuse to apply to numerous job opportunities with excellent pay for no experience ($15-18 per hour + free education). In general it bothers me deeply to hear young adults brag about with pride their malicious actions when there are so many opportunities actively asking them to apply. The man in mirror holds them back more than anything else.

 

[mhajicek]

If you don't try, you can't fail.

 

[Big B]

I don't know the circumstances as to who and where but this sure sounds like malicious vandalism. Depending on how expensive the repair will be you might even want to file a police report. It may help later if you need to go to court to collect.

FYI, courts don't collect money for anyone but themselves. If they grant a judgement it's up to you to collect it. I stopped going after monetary judgements when I have to evict a tenant for non payment. I've had two monetary judgements and collected very little of either of them.

Have you ever tried to collect on a judgement?