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stone for cleaning burrs from gage blocks

ballen

Diamond
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Location
Garbsen, Germany
I slipped and dropped one of the gage blocks from my best set. Now it doesn't wring as well as it should. Where can I get a (hopefully not too pricy) dressing stone for flattening burrs and scratches from gage blocks? I do have a pair of precision ground toolroom stones but think that's not the right thing.
 
I would think you would not want to use any lesser stone on gage blocks than your precision ground toolroom stone, which should in theory remove only the high spots/burs that may have occurred and not remove material otherwise. Obviously it won't fill the lows. This would get you as good as you could hope for I'd think if you're trying to keep this block at the same size it was prior. Most other processes would remove material that you don't want removed.
 
Precision ground toolroom stone is better as lapping will affect the full surface. Could you just stone the damaged edge without touching the full surface?
 
I have a Doall labeled 'gage block dressing stone'. It's indistinguishable from a very small piece of granite. I tried rubbing a marginal gage block on it, and it rang well afterward. So perhaps just rub the block on a granite surface?
 
Mitutoyo sell a stone specifically for this purpose. It's so fine that the surface is glossy and the gauge block will actually wring to it while you are using it.

The few times I have needed to use it, I had to rough the burr down first on a coarser stone, and then finish on the Mits stone.

The one I have is much smaller than the one I linked, and is part of a gauge block maintenance kit.
 
Precision ground toolroom stone is better as lapping will affect the full surface. Could you just stone the damaged edge without touching the full surface?

That's all you can do, and the stone in your hand doesn't matter as much as just proceeding with care, staying OFF the body flat, so as to not make it worse, actually.

Block would work the same if it had a non-OEM DIY chamfer added to any edge or corner. Not really a show-stopper. It IS only an edge or corner, not the "working" main-body flat.

If it is REAL BAD, or serious-important, contact AA Jansson or your local European counterpart and have it professionally re-done.

Or simply replaced.

I seem to buy sets where more have been lost than damaged, and they've fixed me right up with fill-ins.

About A.A. Jansson, Inc. - Waterford, Michigan
 
If you do try stoning your block, wear a glove to hold the block or in some other way prevent body heat from locally distorting it. That will help prevent wearing away material you didn't intend to. A tiny, but not zero issue.
 
If you do try stoning your block, wear a glove to hold the block or in some other way prevent body heat from locally distorting it. That will help prevent wearing away material you didn't intend to. A tiny, but not zero issue.

It's surprisingly less tiny than you might think, at least in gauge block terms.

I have several times demonstrated to guys here a steel gauge block changing shape and dimension with hand heat under a 0.1μm comparator. Just touch your finger on the block and watch the needle start moving.
 
It's surprisingly less tiny than you might think, at least in gauge block terms.

I have several times demonstrated to guys here a steel gauge block changing shape and dimension with hand heat under a 0.1μm comparator. Just touch your finger on the block and watch the needle start moving.

Sorry.. maybe I misread it all at the outset.

I am still under the impression there is nothing amiss with the body of the block. That there is just a burr raised on one corner.

Dunno about the rest of you. But that corner is all I want to touch with a stone.

EVEN IF - for certainty of clearance, I remove MORE material than was raised in the initial burr.

Block should again wring proper-like.
 
I slipped and dropped one of the gage blocks from my best set. Now it doesn't wring as well as it should. Where can I get a (hopefully not too pricy) dressing stone for flattening burrs and scratches from gage blocks? I do have a pair of precision ground toolroom stones but think that's not the right thing.

With ceramic blocks burrs wouldn't happen but they cost more :(
 
Sorry.. maybe I misread it all at the outset.

I am still under the impression there is nothing amiss with the body of the block. That there is just a burr raised on one corner.

Dunno about the rest of you. But that corner is all I want to touch with a stone.

EVEN IF - for certainty of clearance, I remove MORE material than was raised in the initial burr.

Block should again wring proper-like.

Yes, the corner should be the main area of interest.

However, finishing on the correct stone is done flat. This is in order to remove displaced material, which can be surprisingly far away from the burr itself, without overly rounding the corner.

Since you're doing it flat on the stone it's important, as Milland noted, to ensure that you are not distorting the block with the heat of your hands.
 
Correct. Stone the corner with the stone at a 30 to 60 degree angle to the measuring surface.

That removes the burr from the corner without affecting the length of the block.

- Leigh

Dunno about the rest of you. But that corner is all I want to touch with a stone.

EVEN IF - for certainty of clearance, I remove MORE material than was raised in the initial burr.

Block should again wring proper-like.
 
Correct. Stone the corner with the stone at a 30 to 60 degree angle to the measuring surface.

That removes the burr from the corner without affecting the length of the block.

- Leigh

From Mitutoyo:

601644_hand_a_tif.png
205_removing_a_jpg.png
 








 
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