How to approach measuring tools out of accuracy?

I have few measuring tools that i are giving me trouble as far as calibration and them being too far out of spec from the manufactures stated accuracy, most notably inside mics, depth mics and OD anvil mics. I want to know how to handle the red sticker situation without getting dinged by the auditor. All 3 of these tools I've have tried to adjust myself but the are really difficult to get into the acceptable accuracy tolerance for the tool. I have been told by one of the engineers at my company that generally speaking when you have a tool with interchangable anvils the only way to adjust them properly is to send them back to the manufacture and get them calibrated (hard time believing this as they give you the tools to adjust in the box). The problem being is that since the oilfield slowdown they are running a really tight ship as far as spending goes. So getting back to the original question, is there a way to give them a red sticker even if they are significantly out?

Quality Josh said:

I have few measuring tools that i are giving me trouble as far as calibration and them being too far out of spec from the manufactures stated accuracy, most notably inside mics, depth mics and OD anvil mics. I want to know how to handle the red sticker situation without getting dinged by the auditor. All 3 of these tools I've have tried to adjust myself but the are really difficult to get into the acceptable accuracy tolerance for the tool. I have been told by one of the engineers at my company that generally speaking when you have a tool with interchangable anvils the only way to adjust them properly is to send them back to the manufacture and get them calibrated (hard time believing this as they give you the tools to adjust in the box). The problem being is that since the oilfield slowdown they are running a really tight ship as far as spending goes. So getting back to the original question, is there a way to give them a red sticker even if they are significantly out?

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i have used inside mics and also 3 jaw bore mics where when you change rods on inside mic or add or remove a extension piece for bore mic it needs to be checked. often can be easily over .001" off.
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never had a problem setting it. we use ring gages for setting inside mics. it really matters what you use for checking calibration and how you check it.
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i know machinist who keep ring gage in the machine getting sprayed with coolant and at same temperature as part and in the same orientation as the are going to measure part (horizontal or vertical) setting indicator gages to less than .00005" requires care in how you zero the gage and how you use it. inside micrometers gages are almost as critical in how they are checked

yeah the bore gages are not the problem, its the inside mics interchangable rods that are. they have all worn at a different rate and now it is not just a spimle spindle adjustment it the rods themselves that need the adjusting. I wish we could use bore gages for all inside measurements but the is always those certin situations where the above tools are the only ones that will work.

Not sure what a red sticker means to you, but I'm guessing that's how your company denotes a calibration pass?

I'm sure procedures could be written, and traceability and usage maintained, that would allow for "downgraded" measuring equipment on the shop floor. After the work was done to make it all good on paper, you'd have protections to put in place to ensure those items were not used where inappropriate, and the non-conformance and corrective action reports to deal with after, inevitably, someone did. All in all replacement of failed equipment is likely to be the more cost effective solution.

In your case specifically, smaller stick type inside micrometers have no means of adjustment per stick, only on the micrometer head. When they fail there's nothing to be done about it really. Repair would require every stick in the set to be refinished to a known length and the head adjusted to suit. I don't know if any manufacturer even offers this service. The silver lining is that smaller stick type sets are pretty cheap to replace. If these are high-use items in your workplace you might consider phasing them out in favour of tube type sets, where the extension pieces are not subject to wear, and a single adjustment is effective across the set.

Depth mics; normally the rods themselves have a double nut arrangement on the end that sits inside the thimble. Pretty easy to adjust each rod individually to size.

Same with multi-anvil external mics - all the ones I have ever used have length adjustment on the individual anvils.

Whatever you do, DON'T try and cheat your calibration procedures to save your company the cost of replacing measuring instruments. Any trouble that arises from that will result in you being thrown to the wolves, branded with negligence or misconduct, while your employers waive all liability, magically find the money to replace the defective tools and hire a new QC guy, and carry on as before.