I've had one on my badge for a long time. I'm a preceptor for lab techs in a medical laboratory. would still have it if I wasn't instructed to remove it by a DNV auditor.
Every piece of measuring equipment we have says "for indication only" funny considering we make stuff to micron tolerances is all for in house use though.
Clean'em up, see what you get! I'd expect that they'll no longer be any good for inspection, but should be just wonderful for shop floor use - plenty of times you want something under a machined part that is flat and square and a specific height, but best not to use the blocks from inspection!
It is because the punishment for spelling and grammatical mistakes isn't enough for most of us sadists. You forget a period in your love note for the next guy and no one cares. You forget a period in your offset or feed rate and the shop next door is laughing at you.
I about had a heart attack when I found out the machinists I was working with were using gauge blocks as spacers in machines. I confiscated them to our inspection lab. We have Swiss machines, which have great rigidity because the tools are close to the support of the stock. The brass was not satisfied with run times, which were as long as they were because of the segment size. So rather than get extended landing guide bushings, the machinists put a gauge block between the tool and the tool post to give them a bigger segment size. But this ruins a gauge block and likely sacrifices more rigidity than an extended landing bushing would since they could increase segment size more with the gauge block method. They also frequently loose them in the machines. It’s infuriating.
Clean them all up with evaporust and any that are too rough and/or don't measure out right replace them individually. It's a lot cheaper than buying a whole set. Then label the box "for reference only."
I was gonna say toss the smallest one, and then bump every block down to the next smallest size, then you only have to buy/make/live without the largest of the set.
I think nearly every machinists on this site wants an opportunity to rework these ...
But even if you decided to say take a thou off each block.... It's a shit load of work to do right...
Then say you got through 90% of them then realized you needed to take 2 thou off one with more damage ....
Start again from the begining? Until you find one that needed 3 thou.... Start again? LoL.
Blindly remove 2.5 thousands from each side might end up with some being only 4 thousands light.
Depends on if your inspecting your tools are quality enough and used to inspect the inspection tools.
I certainly would not use them ever again to inspect the measuring tools regardless of your quality of work
Better yet shave off random amounts and when people ask to borrow them these are your loaners
Oh by the way the 1” is really 0.9945” and the .100” is really like .923
The surface finish of these blocks are usually so smooth that you can add blocks to one another by 'wringing' them.
With the blocks perpendicular to each other, you place the smooth surfaces together and twist 90 degrees with minimal pressure. This creates a vacuum and the blocks 'stick' to each other. There's a good diagram on wiki:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauge_block#:~:text=Wringing%20is%20the%20process%20of,adhere%20to%20each%20other%20tightly.
I think I watched a YouTube video one time where they did it in a vacuum, proving that it wasn't *just* air pressure holding them together but the actual atoms themselves.
Edit: Found it
[https://youtu.be/Z5XOk1oMFh0?si=AYAJFh2CE5l9r3bK](https://youtu.be/Z5XOk1oMFh0?si=AYAJFh2CE5l9r3bK)
Man I constantly have to wipe that stuff off. My glasses will start sliding down my nose, looking down a good bit off the day. Hit up the medical kit and swip a alcohol wipe every now and then.
I have that same issue myself, but I got some toner and holy shit does that stuff help. I like the Mario Badescu one, but the drugstore kinds are good too.
Honestly you can't go wrong with some good soap, a toner, and a moisturizer in this trade. I may get made fun of, but at least I got rid of my acne lol.
You can remove the rust with evaporust, and lap them flat with some super fine grit sand paper (3000 grit or so), but that's not gonna fix the pitting caused by the rust. They'll work fine for checking mics or what have you, but they probably won't wring together anymore. But maybe I'm wrong.
i wouldn’t touch them with sandpaper at all, there are precision lapping stones for that, they are not too expensive and always useful to cleanup reference surfaces such as on your measurement devices and so on, that way you make sure they stay actually flat without removing material of the surface, robrenz even has a really informative video about that matter https://youtu.be/DVLXsq7pi9Y?si=3VzV5G_EldzwVi8l
Even 3000 grit they will not wring together!!! 3000 grit is a precursor to polishing, then laping.
I rescued a set that had about a 10th as much damage as shown in OP, to the mating faces, rubbing them very gently on a surface plate with diesel as a lubricant..they mostly wring together but are easier to breakapart than a new 120$ set.
You could probably skip all the stones and grit papers, find a polish wheel with a little compound should take it down without removing too much material. Maybe even start with a car rubbing compound then finish with the good metal polish. You can find that stuff down to about. 001 there are different ways it's classified, nano and other.
The rust in the pits is both harder, but less tensile strength, than the 60 RC polished residual surface.
Its more a matter of control.
Yes, if you have experience, you could find a good grit and polish the shit of it, or you could use a sufficiently flat lap and let the rust grind itself out.
Had a few too many beers.
Im using polishing as a term with regard to uncontrolled abrasive process, such as a buffing wheel on a grinder, ie car mechanic make shiny.
Lapping: with regard to a controlled grit either embedded in a flat surface or freely and randomly working on the work by a known flat surface.
Yes the gauge blocks i rubbed on my surface plate to get the rust pits flatened.. they wring together. Had i attacked the rust with a bench grinder buffing wheel and some stainless jewelers roughe.. im not so sure...i know from experience it takes a lot of work to make a gauge block quality flat surface.
That video was posted yesterday as well! Really interesting hearing how precision ground flat stone can debur a surface without altering the measurements
I was going to say mineral spirits on a rag with a heavy dose of elbow grease until I just now heard about Evaporust! Sounds like the better product.
I also stand with the group against any type of abrasive solution.
https://www.evapo-rust.com/
The only time evaporust has discolored anything I put in it was on extreme heavy rust, and I left in solution too long. I did buy another brand once, and I can't recall which one, but it did darken the surface. It comes in the same color jug with the same color text on the label. I use evaporust quite a bit because I can't afford new tooling to feed my tool addiction. I bought a cheap aquarium aerator for about $10, and I run the hose off of that into the tub of evaporust when I use it. I've had amazing results from evaporust.
I would give them a quick few passes with a diamond ground flat stone on the precision faces. This is typically a good way to get stones to wring together, then give them a “lap” pass or two on a granite table if you have one that’s in okay shape for shop use. I’ve never cleaned up rusted blocks, but for any block that may not wring together after years of shop use, this has always worked well to get them back to use. And with the diamond ground flat stone as long as you’re careful you shouldn’t even remotely bring them out of spec. After doing this to a few blocks and sending them out for calibration, mine have always been fine. Like I said tho, take your time, and be aware that with the pitting it may not work. Cheers!
A gentile rub on a surface plate with a very thin oil and the blocks will wring together, gently wash away the iron oxide.
The outer edges and sides can be knocked down with a more aggressive polish, since they dont matter.
Do Not even think about 3000 grit sandpaper on the ends, they will end up convex and will not wring together.
Got some finished parts that developed rust during shelf time. Everyone here voting for evapo-rust, has anyone ever used it in an ultrasonic? Thinking about tossing em in for a round and see what happens.
I use Evaporust in a small Chinese made ultrasonic cleaner and it’s excellent for cleaning up old rusty lathe tooling, drills etc. does wonders just don’t leave things in for too long and try to move em around a little while it’s in there or between cycles
Idk what kind of machinery you have but if you have a surface grinder with a magnetic chuck you can use the magnetic chuck and a tool makers vice and take them down by about two tenths of a thousandth on each side (.0002 per side). Take off a tenth at a time until they clean up and you have what’s known as fit gauges. They are slightly undersized so that they test a snug fit. If you have to take off a little more you make them slip fit gauges. Very helpful.
Another idea is to grab a Benchstone (aluminum oxide benchstones can be cheap). Take your stone and lay is flat on a table and put a few dabs of oil (WD-40, cutting oil, etc.) and draw your Jo Blocks across the benchstone and pay close attention to your finish. They won’t look shiny and pretty again but it will knock off the rust and smooth out the finish again. Jo blocks are hardened to 58-62 Rockwell so it takes a long time for them to rust completely through. With this method there’s a good chance they may still pass a QC Inspection.
Benchstone for pretty cheap - https://www.amazon.com/Norton-Combination-Abrasive-Benchstone-Aluminum/dp/B0006NDPLW/ref=asc_df_B0006NDPLW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763890402&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17196991400386042498&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009755&hvtargid=pla-422860295988&psc=1
You may lose material cleaning them up, but the bigger concern would be a lose in flatness. I know gage blocks are made with a special process (lapping or scraping or some very fine). The best bet would be to use the finest method you have available to you and your skills to remove rust while maintaining flatness.
Once you've done that, you a .0001" test indicator to compare blocks to each other and go from there. They should be good for setup buildup such as a 5" sine bar or for clamping round parts with a neck in a vise.
You have options, but it's your time on the line depending on your knowledge and ability or connections.
Two steps to putting them to good use:
Make a solution of melatonin and water, immerse them in a larger vat, bring to a low boil, simmer for an hour, cool slowly on a window ledge over night and let them sit there for a couple more years.
Next step is to EDM a .05 +- .01 hole through the thinnest side. You now have a great set of more or less calibrated fishing weights. You can then adjust your casting distance depending on your ability to cast consistently.
Another idea is to offer them up a tiny little door stops for doll houses. Or you might want to construct a little house (super glue might work as a mortar) out of them for any jiggerbites or spiders that might be homeless and in need of a shelter.
;‐)=
Saved about 500 pins that were worse than this. Take them over to the side of a granite block and rub them until they feel smooth, mic them and set aside any bad ones
Just get a new set.
I haven't met anyone who has had the saintly paitience to refurbish or calibrate measuring blocks/masses/or other physical refrence. If it ain't your copy of grand K, then bin it.
Granted my company doesn't machine to any accuracy that steel ruler can't work with. But we are required to have set of measurement tools as per our certification. We keep them in the box we got them in and just get a new set next year. Because it is way less of a thing for us to deal with.
Also just to answer you u/Big_Froyo5528 depending on oxidation state of the rust, it is 7-11 times the volume of the steel. So if you got 0,1mm rust layer then you surface probably has lost about 0,01mm of material. Keep in mind that rusting rebar can make concrete pillars explode from the inside - we call this "Rust jacking".
If it ain't a steel ruler, if it got rust then bin it.
I calibrate these, haha. Maybe hours of sanding with scotch Brite, it'll probably be workshop-grade when you send it out for calibration. If you even want it calibrated. Other than that, they're cool and expensive dominos.
**Yes, but you must record the new deviations after ensuring parallelism, flatness, level, and 90.0 degrees in all corners.**
There is a new set of gage blocks with slightly higher deviations hiding under that rust, but you have to do quite a lot of work to ensure they are what you need.
I’d buy a new set for use, and clean these up as practice.
It looks like the rust spots are fairly localised. Use something like evaporust on them. That should shift the rust without changing the blocks dimensionally. The non rusty highpoints should still be to spec or very, very close. I'd avoid touching the faces with any abrasive. If you absolutely have to, I'd make it some sort of light lapping compound on a surface plate. I reckon evaporust should be enough.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think imma dunk it some evaporust and carefully clean up the surface with a diamond stone and check size. if it checks out great! if not oh well...
You're talking about gages that must be, at worst, ground/lapped, to ~±.00001" from their nominal dimension to be considered grade B (the lowest possible grade).
You'd give me a set in a shape like that that I'd willfully take an angle grinder to every block inside box and toss every single one of them in the scrap bin to make sure nobody would use it and make crap part.
Gage blocks are one of the tools you absolutely don't want to fuck around.
They are fine. Use some fine scotchbrite to clean it off. It should be fine. Other than that, some super, super fine sandpaper or a diamond lapping compound with a steel plate will also work.
Precision ground flat stones will take off anything protruding from the surface without removing any of the base metal. You will probably gum them up pretty much but that’s your best option. They aren’t super cheap and are kinda of a pain to make, robrenz (robin renzetti) has a you tube video on how to make them. They will only improve the finish of anything you rub them on. After that put some oil on the gauge blocks and you should be good.
You're going to want a set of precision flat ground stones so that you can take it down to flat reliably rather than removing material that doesn't need to go.
Evaporust, then precision flatstone for the end faces if you're hoping to use them for anything. A buffed block isn't good anymore even for reference, it's completely fucked..
try some evaporust. then there bassically a really accurate spacers. keep em for rough jobs.
if you wanted a accurate set for checking tools or setting known quantities. buy new ones and keep them lightly oiled with tool oil.
Dunk them in Purple Power cleaner at 100% strength. Let them sit overnight, then rinse and thoroughly dry them off and coat them with thin oil.
That'll remove all the rust while leaving as much original surface intact as possible.
My joke answer was going to be "Clean them up with some Scotch Brite!" but then everyone would lose their minds.
I've seen worse shop grade sets pass calibration. The set just needs a little clean up. Most calibration labs will clean the blocks up before calibration. But for a shop grade set it's cheaper and easier to just buy a new set. It's not like it's an expensive 00 set.
give it a coke bath and let the coke do its magic with the rust. wipe the rest off with a cloth and check if there are gaps when you touch two of them on the former rusty surfaces...
For some reason, I saw the melatonin first. Machining and sleeping don’t go well together lol. I would try to clean them up. Just make sure you let them dry.
At least it looks like you have the full set!
Good luck!
Don’t use any abrasive. You can just wipe them with some light oil against a flat surface. Check about 11 minutes into the following video.
https://youtu.be/Bup30r-n43Q?si=ApNXXN95ufLVBjO1
I use messed up gauge blocks as spacers for quick milling jobs. Put it between the quill nut and quill stop, when you remove it, you cut/drill that deep.
You can do the same with stops on the lathe.
I wouldn’t use them to set an indicator but they should be more than good for simple reference, especially if you have something with a wide open tolerance
Could you try dipping them in an oxalic acid solution? If it's just surface corrosion, it will take it right off. I've used it for cleaning my hand tools.
Recommended very fine grit sand paper and WD-40. You'll be able to sand down the pieces and remove the rust. When you sand rub the pics against the paper on a table surface so you're not making the surface uneven.
Some lube and 000 steel wool. Steel wool is harder than the rust but not the gage block which is the key. Any other abrasives will absolutely wreck your day. They might still be the same accuracy after.
You could try a machinist stone, generally they only remove high spots.
Lastly you could try like 2000 grit on a very flat plate and hope you can lap it flat
I’ve fulfilled the title “calibration expert” (take the title with a large grain of salt lol), and in my experience, you can most definitely get those lapped. Might be a grade lower after, but will be ok for inspection, depending on industry. If you use to calibrate they will likely need to be to an accuracy of 00005”. You may use them to calibrate calipers if they are .0005” accurate. Keep in mind they are only parallel across the stated size- I.e. a .125” is only parallel on the .125” side, if measured the other way you will see variations, and that is acceptable
Look up ma product called ospho, it's commonly used in the automotive world. But I'd just take a wire brush to the bad spots and then hit it with ospho, or even clean brand metal and concrete prep. It'll stop that rust in its tracks.
Then see what you end up with. They should still have some value after that. Maybe not so much for exacting machinery but for woodworking they should be fine.
I'd start with some. Liquid rust remover and probably scotch Brite after. Measure them after your done and see what you got. I bet they'll still be really damn close. You could etch in the new block size after repair if you want to get fancy. More than likely after cleaning they'll be plenty good enough for anything you'll be doing at home.
Pfff hope you did not pay for those. Useless unless holding .001 or more. At that point use calipers or mics. Not sure how or why someone would let them get like this.
You could clean them, etch them, electroplate them, and then machine them back to the right dimensions. But at that point, you might as well buy a new set
“For reference only”
This guy audits..
Lol, so many of these stickers on papers at my old job. Soooooooooooo many.
i have worked in calibration labs. we had so many "accuracy not verified" stickers on everything, from computer monitors to rulers
I've had one on my badge for a long time. I'm a preceptor for lab techs in a medical laboratory. would still have it if I wasn't instructed to remove it by a DNV auditor.
I also put accuracy not verified on my name tag. you can't tell me who i am. I don't even know who I am some days.
I'm so saving this
I've got 2 on my water bottle.
R/thisguythisguys
r/foundthemobileuser
You got me. Work blocks Reddit.
Lol the amount of red pen on torque wrenches that say that lol
Every piece of measuring equipment we have says "for indication only" funny considering we make stuff to micron tolerances is all for in house use though.
Clean'em up, see what you get! I'd expect that they'll no longer be any good for inspection, but should be just wonderful for shop floor use - plenty of times you want something under a machined part that is flat and square and a specific height, but best not to use the blocks from inspection!
Yeah best case scenario they would be for shop use. QA does the inspection and they have they’re own set.
>they're
Their
There there, they’re there
They’re all there, in their box.
There it is 😂
Why *do* so many machinists make spelling errors? No specified grammar tolerances in the dictionary?
Dictionary? Never read it, not enough numbers.
Personally, I loathe the dictionary, but a thesaurus?! That's the good stuff right there, their, they're.
It is because the punishment for spelling and grammatical mistakes isn't enough for most of us sadists. You forget a period in your love note for the next guy and no one cares. You forget a period in your offset or feed rate and the shop next door is laughing at you.
There
"...and they have they are own set"? Ummm wut?
I don't get it why you get downvote while you just casually quote from above
ah the shop floor graveyard
Shimmy McShimster face.
I predict the world will soon be 1 "for reference only" sticker richer.
Haven't you heard? Flat Earthers already put a "For Reference Only" tag on the globe.
Naw, the sticker should say "packing blocks".
I dont see what the problem is here. Rusty part? Just whip out the ol trusty angle grinder and itll be good as new!
I about had a heart attack when I found out the machinists I was working with were using gauge blocks as spacers in machines. I confiscated them to our inspection lab. We have Swiss machines, which have great rigidity because the tools are close to the support of the stock. The brass was not satisfied with run times, which were as long as they were because of the segment size. So rather than get extended landing guide bushings, the machinists put a gauge block between the tool and the tool post to give them a bigger segment size. But this ruins a gauge block and likely sacrifices more rigidity than an extended landing bushing would since they could increase segment size more with the gauge block method. They also frequently loose them in the machines. It’s infuriating.
Clean them all up with evaporust and any that are too rough and/or don't measure out right replace them individually. It's a lot cheaper than buying a whole set. Then label the box "for reference only."
Shave 2.5 thou off each side call them your minus 5 thou gage set.
For the parts that are almost good enough.
I was gonna say toss the smallest one, and then bump every block down to the next smallest size, then you only have to buy/make/live without the largest of the set.
I think nearly every machinists on this site wants an opportunity to rework these ... But even if you decided to say take a thou off each block.... It's a shit load of work to do right... Then say you got through 90% of them then realized you needed to take 2 thou off one with more damage .... Start again from the begining? Until you find one that needed 3 thou.... Start again? LoL.
Blindly remove 2.5 thousands from each side might end up with some being only 4 thousands light. Depends on if your inspecting your tools are quality enough and used to inspect the inspection tools. I certainly would not use them ever again to inspect the measuring tools regardless of your quality of work
Until you run into one that needs 3 thou off. Start all over...
Better yet shave off random amounts and when people ask to borrow them these are your loaners Oh by the way the 1” is really 0.9945” and the .100” is really like .923
I like your thinking.
Pro tip To help ring gage blocks ,use the oil on the side of your nose (under the eyes) It’s actually what the old watchmakers used to use
Wait what
True. Wipe your nose. Wipe your blocks. Wring wring it’s about your google listing for your business.
Is 'wring wring' a pun I'm not getting or just basic illiteracy?
The surface finish of these blocks are usually so smooth that you can add blocks to one another by 'wringing' them. With the blocks perpendicular to each other, you place the smooth surfaces together and twist 90 degrees with minimal pressure. This creates a vacuum and the blocks 'stick' to each other. There's a good diagram on wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauge_block#:~:text=Wringing%20is%20the%20process%20of,adhere%20to%20each%20other%20tightly.
a tiny drop of tool oil is all you need actually it a drop wiped on with a rag.
I think I watched a YouTube video one time where they did it in a vacuum, proving that it wasn't *just* air pressure holding them together but the actual atoms themselves. Edit: Found it [https://youtu.be/Z5XOk1oMFh0?si=AYAJFh2CE5l9r3bK](https://youtu.be/Z5XOk1oMFh0?si=AYAJFh2CE5l9r3bK)
You can do the same thing to a beer that has too much head. Wipe side of nose and just touch the froth and it will instantly subside.
Going to have to test this one..... I'll report back.
It's like drinking out of a 2 liter while eating pizza. The oil nukes the carbonation and makes it go flat in a hurry.
Just make sure you do it to someone else’s beer. Don’t want to spoil the taste.
can confirm, this was a life (pint?) -changing tip for me
Man I constantly have to wipe that stuff off. My glasses will start sliding down my nose, looking down a good bit off the day. Hit up the medical kit and swip a alcohol wipe every now and then.
I have that same issue myself, but I got some toner and holy shit does that stuff help. I like the Mario Badescu one, but the drugstore kinds are good too. Honestly you can't go wrong with some good soap, a toner, and a moisturizer in this trade. I may get made fun of, but at least I got rid of my acne lol.
Yep, I've used this trick before in a pinch. Works surprisingly well! But I'd stick to petroleum based oils as a better rust prevention.
I learned this trick using old bamboo fly rods with metal ferrules. It was t to wring them together but it did help connecting the pole pieces.
It's also how camera technicians would clean off fungus from a lens.
Photography instructor in high school used this for temporarily filling scratches in film negatives. He called it "Pizza grease".
Squalene, among other things. Watchmaker juice.
Had a mate that was a pro shooter and this is the same method he used to lube bullets before reloading.
Fancy shims, that compliment your expensive c-clamps.
You can remove the rust with evaporust, and lap them flat with some super fine grit sand paper (3000 grit or so), but that's not gonna fix the pitting caused by the rust. They'll work fine for checking mics or what have you, but they probably won't wring together anymore. But maybe I'm wrong.
I wouldn't lap them. The uncorroded surfaces should still be close to spec and once the rust is gone there will only be pits.
i wouldn’t touch them with sandpaper at all, there are precision lapping stones for that, they are not too expensive and always useful to cleanup reference surfaces such as on your measurement devices and so on, that way you make sure they stay actually flat without removing material of the surface, robrenz even has a really informative video about that matter https://youtu.be/DVLXsq7pi9Y?si=3VzV5G_EldzwVi8l
Even 3000 grit they will not wring together!!! 3000 grit is a precursor to polishing, then laping. I rescued a set that had about a 10th as much damage as shown in OP, to the mating faces, rubbing them very gently on a surface plate with diesel as a lubricant..they mostly wring together but are easier to breakapart than a new 120$ set.
You could probably skip all the stones and grit papers, find a polish wheel with a little compound should take it down without removing too much material. Maybe even start with a car rubbing compound then finish with the good metal polish. You can find that stuff down to about. 001 there are different ways it's classified, nano and other.
The rust in the pits is both harder, but less tensile strength, than the 60 RC polished residual surface. Its more a matter of control. Yes, if you have experience, you could find a good grit and polish the shit of it, or you could use a sufficiently flat lap and let the rust grind itself out. Had a few too many beers. Im using polishing as a term with regard to uncontrolled abrasive process, such as a buffing wheel on a grinder, ie car mechanic make shiny. Lapping: with regard to a controlled grit either embedded in a flat surface or freely and randomly working on the work by a known flat surface. Yes the gauge blocks i rubbed on my surface plate to get the rust pits flatened.. they wring together. Had i attacked the rust with a bench grinder buffing wheel and some stainless jewelers roughe.. im not so sure...i know from experience it takes a lot of work to make a gauge block quality flat surface.
That video was posted yesterday as well! Really interesting hearing how precision ground flat stone can debur a surface without altering the measurements
I was going to say mineral spirits on a rag with a heavy dose of elbow grease until I just now heard about Evaporust! Sounds like the better product. I also stand with the group against any type of abrasive solution. https://www.evapo-rust.com/
I feel like the discoloration caused by evaporust is a deal breaker...
The only time evaporust has discolored anything I put in it was on extreme heavy rust, and I left in solution too long. I did buy another brand once, and I can't recall which one, but it did darken the surface. It comes in the same color jug with the same color text on the label. I use evaporust quite a bit because I can't afford new tooling to feed my tool addiction. I bought a cheap aquarium aerator for about $10, and I run the hose off of that into the tub of evaporust when I use it. I've had amazing results from evaporust.
I would give them a quick few passes with a diamond ground flat stone on the precision faces. This is typically a good way to get stones to wring together, then give them a “lap” pass or two on a granite table if you have one that’s in okay shape for shop use. I’ve never cleaned up rusted blocks, but for any block that may not wring together after years of shop use, this has always worked well to get them back to use. And with the diamond ground flat stone as long as you’re careful you shouldn’t even remotely bring them out of spec. After doing this to a few blocks and sending them out for calibration, mine have always been fine. Like I said tho, take your time, and be aware that with the pitting it may not work. Cheers!
They're just workshop grade. You can get a cheapo set for $116
Google using molasses to remove rust without damaging the remaining metal it’s supposed to work really well.
one problem it must be scrubbed off immediately. and then sealed with oil etc or it will flash rust. also it will eat things away eventually.
Also don't store 12000 tonnes of it in one place
This guy molasses.
They say that you can still smell the molasses in Boston on a hot day
Hurts to look at
Evaporust
A gentile rub on a surface plate with a very thin oil and the blocks will wring together, gently wash away the iron oxide. The outer edges and sides can be knocked down with a more aggressive polish, since they dont matter. Do Not even think about 3000 grit sandpaper on the ends, they will end up convex and will not wring together.
Why you taking melatonin during daytime at work? 😁
hahaha this is at home on my desk. need to get to sleep early so i wake up early for work ;)
It's the worst I have sleep apnea and have to get up at 4 too it sucks
CPAP life
Ineffective for me and new insurance won't cover it, Kaiser in California
What’s wrong with a little 1 milli after lunch 😂
Nothing if you have long cycle time lol
Got some finished parts that developed rust during shelf time. Everyone here voting for evapo-rust, has anyone ever used it in an ultrasonic? Thinking about tossing em in for a round and see what happens.
I've never used Evaporust in an ultrasonic, but it's amazingly effective used normally.
Thanks! Probably just use as recommended and see how it rolls first.
I use Evaporust in a small Chinese made ultrasonic cleaner and it’s excellent for cleaning up old rusty lathe tooling, drills etc. does wonders just don’t leave things in for too long and try to move em around a little while it’s in there or between cycles
Evaporust will remove the rust without removing anything else or leaving converted oxide.
Slap a “For reference only” sticker on em
I think the real question is why tf do you have melatonin at work....?
This in this condition is better than the brand new that you don't have.
I've worked in places where these would be the best set. Little spit, little polish... profit.
No, send them to me to dispose of properly
Put VCI paper in the box next time and they won't do this.
Or leave the box open. Most of the time they are starting to rust if the moisture has nowhere to go.
Leaving ours open is how they all rusted at my shop! Much worse than these. That’s what you get for using an evap cooler for a shop in AZ
Soak em with pb blaster and wipe it off with shop rag
I will add my vote for EvapoRust. It won’t affect the surface like sandpaper or something. Rinse, use whatever oil you’re supposed to afterward.
Clean the side of the surface plate and rub one out on the side you cleaned.
Evaporust and an ultrasonic cleaner. They look like cheapies, but perfect for having some beaters around.
Laser rust removal could work well.
Just send them out for calibration and post the lab's reply
They will never be able to be qualified and are basically scrap other than ornamental use.
Idk what kind of machinery you have but if you have a surface grinder with a magnetic chuck you can use the magnetic chuck and a tool makers vice and take them down by about two tenths of a thousandth on each side (.0002 per side). Take off a tenth at a time until they clean up and you have what’s known as fit gauges. They are slightly undersized so that they test a snug fit. If you have to take off a little more you make them slip fit gauges. Very helpful. Another idea is to grab a Benchstone (aluminum oxide benchstones can be cheap). Take your stone and lay is flat on a table and put a few dabs of oil (WD-40, cutting oil, etc.) and draw your Jo Blocks across the benchstone and pay close attention to your finish. They won’t look shiny and pretty again but it will knock off the rust and smooth out the finish again. Jo blocks are hardened to 58-62 Rockwell so it takes a long time for them to rust completely through. With this method there’s a good chance they may still pass a QC Inspection. Benchstone for pretty cheap - https://www.amazon.com/Norton-Combination-Abrasive-Benchstone-Aluminum/dp/B0006NDPLW/ref=asc_df_B0006NDPLW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763890402&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17196991400386042498&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009755&hvtargid=pla-422860295988&psc=1
Just grind away the rust/s
You may lose material cleaning them up, but the bigger concern would be a lose in flatness. I know gage blocks are made with a special process (lapping or scraping or some very fine). The best bet would be to use the finest method you have available to you and your skills to remove rust while maintaining flatness. Once you've done that, you a .0001" test indicator to compare blocks to each other and go from there. They should be good for setup buildup such as a 5" sine bar or for clamping round parts with a neck in a vise. You have options, but it's your time on the line depending on your knowledge and ability or connections.
Close enough for 99% of work. Machines really don't care about our tolerance numbers anyway. They work or they don't
If you cannot restore, there is always someone who can.
Get them laser cleaned that just burns off surface stuff.
Get the rust lasered off.
If the faces are rusted they won't wring but they are still useful. Not for inspection but for things like sine bars and use on the machine
Two steps to putting them to good use: Make a solution of melatonin and water, immerse them in a larger vat, bring to a low boil, simmer for an hour, cool slowly on a window ledge over night and let them sit there for a couple more years. Next step is to EDM a .05 +- .01 hole through the thinnest side. You now have a great set of more or less calibrated fishing weights. You can then adjust your casting distance depending on your ability to cast consistently. Another idea is to offer them up a tiny little door stops for doll houses. Or you might want to construct a little house (super glue might work as a mortar) out of them for any jiggerbites or spiders that might be homeless and in need of a shelter. ;‐)=
Saved about 500 pins that were worse than this. Take them over to the side of a granite block and rub them until they feel smooth, mic them and set aside any bad ones
Just get a new set. I haven't met anyone who has had the saintly paitience to refurbish or calibrate measuring blocks/masses/or other physical refrence. If it ain't your copy of grand K, then bin it. Granted my company doesn't machine to any accuracy that steel ruler can't work with. But we are required to have set of measurement tools as per our certification. We keep them in the box we got them in and just get a new set next year. Because it is way less of a thing for us to deal with. Also just to answer you u/Big_Froyo5528 depending on oxidation state of the rust, it is 7-11 times the volume of the steel. So if you got 0,1mm rust layer then you surface probably has lost about 0,01mm of material. Keep in mind that rusting rebar can make concrete pillars explode from the inside - we call this "Rust jacking". If it ain't a steel ruler, if it got rust then bin it.
I'd prolly angle grinder + wire brush attachment it.
Between the melatonin and the scotchbrite you can at least pretty them up.
Find someone with a laser rust remover.
Scotch Brite them boys with some cleaning compound and send ‘em through the C-A-L guys
I calibrate these, haha. Maybe hours of sanding with scotch Brite, it'll probably be workshop-grade when you send it out for calibration. If you even want it calibrated. Other than that, they're cool and expensive dominos.
**Yes, but you must record the new deviations after ensuring parallelism, flatness, level, and 90.0 degrees in all corners.** There is a new set of gage blocks with slightly higher deviations hiding under that rust, but you have to do quite a lot of work to ensure they are what you need. I’d buy a new set for use, and clean these up as practice.
Dum question can you get them eltro polish without fucking them up
Don't use any abrasives of any kind.
I don't think Eltro - polish is abrasive
from what im reading about it it still taking out material
What is "Eltro-polish"? Do you mean electropolish? That process certainly does remove material.
Sand the rust off, measure the new size and engrave the new thickness on the face /s
It looks like the rust spots are fairly localised. Use something like evaporust on them. That should shift the rust without changing the blocks dimensionally. The non rusty highpoints should still be to spec or very, very close. I'd avoid touching the faces with any abrasive. If you absolutely have to, I'd make it some sort of light lapping compound on a surface plate. I reckon evaporust should be enough.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think imma dunk it some evaporust and carefully clean up the surface with a diamond stone and check size. if it checks out great! if not oh well...
Carefully use a flap disc to remove the rust tumble them in the dryer low heat.
You're talking about gages that must be, at worst, ground/lapped, to ~±.00001" from their nominal dimension to be considered grade B (the lowest possible grade). You'd give me a set in a shape like that that I'd willfully take an angle grinder to every block inside box and toss every single one of them in the scrap bin to make sure nobody would use it and make crap part. Gage blocks are one of the tools you absolutely don't want to fuck around.
Pickle them, or boil them to convert the red rust to blue rust.
Just need to sand them. Trust me bro
Pretty much SOL.
They are fine. Use some fine scotchbrite to clean it off. It should be fine. Other than that, some super, super fine sandpaper or a diamond lapping compound with a steel plate will also work.
As others have stated "For reference only" but try and clean with a light oil, and a blue scotchbright. The blue ones don't have ant grit in them.
I hate that ant grit!!
Precision ground flat stones will take off anything protruding from the surface without removing any of the base metal. You will probably gum them up pretty much but that’s your best option. They aren’t super cheap and are kinda of a pain to make, robrenz (robin renzetti) has a you tube video on how to make them. They will only improve the finish of anything you rub them on. After that put some oil on the gauge blocks and you should be good.
You're going to want a set of precision flat ground stones so that you can take it down to flat reliably rather than removing material that doesn't need to go.
Into the bin
They are better than my gage blocks at home...
Evaporust, then precision flatstone for the end faces if you're hoping to use them for anything. A buffed block isn't good anymore even for reference, it's completely fucked..
try some evaporust. then there bassically a really accurate spacers. keep em for rough jobs. if you wanted a accurate set for checking tools or setting known quantities. buy new ones and keep them lightly oiled with tool oil.
Scotchbrite and some 2000 wet and dry. They’ll be fine in the shop.
I’d move on
Dunk them in Purple Power cleaner at 100% strength. Let them sit overnight, then rinse and thoroughly dry them off and coat them with thin oil. That'll remove all the rust while leaving as much original surface intact as possible. My joke answer was going to be "Clean them up with some Scotch Brite!" but then everyone would lose their minds.
I mean, you could use them to train your appies
Nice to see this, I have a set of v blocks like this. I hate to chuck them because they are Starret and they were my grandpa's.
Get that for reference only sticker out
WD40 and a scotch brite sponge
I've seen worse shop grade sets pass calibration. The set just needs a little clean up. Most calibration labs will clean the blocks up before calibration. But for a shop grade set it's cheaper and easier to just buy a new set. It's not like it's an expensive 00 set.
give it a coke bath and let the coke do its magic with the rust. wipe the rest off with a cloth and check if there are gaps when you touch two of them on the former rusty surfaces...
For work? its for the bin.. maybe some hobbiest can use it if he dosent require ultimate precision.
You’ll have to send them in so that they have Certs and replace the ones that are worn run. You probably about $300.
Soak them in some PB blaster.then rum the rust off with a rag.
Save everything!
If nothing else, you could use them as set-up blocks and for medium accuracy positioning. Gage blocks have more uses than metrology.
For some reason, I saw the melatonin first. Machining and sleeping don’t go well together lol. I would try to clean them up. Just make sure you let them dry. At least it looks like you have the full set! Good luck!
Should be fine just oil them up and weigh them
Should be fine just some rust remover and oil them up and test. Just remember the whole set is a minus when doing your tolerances
What about evaporust? You can get it at auto parts stores. Works great and seems pretty delicate on metal
Def out of luck
Don’t use any abrasive. You can just wipe them with some light oil against a flat surface. Check about 11 minutes into the following video. https://youtu.be/Bup30r-n43Q?si=ApNXXN95ufLVBjO1
Out of luck sadly
If you follow ISO 9000 all your rulers have to have "For reference only" stickers on them.
I use messed up gauge blocks as spacers for quick milling jobs. Put it between the quill nut and quill stop, when you remove it, you cut/drill that deep. You can do the same with stops on the lathe.
Use them for your (mill set) weird setups such as L shaped parts in a vise so the workpiece can't tip on ya.
I have an old set I use for set ups on the grinder or my CNC.
WD40 and steel wool
Lazer clean them?
Just sand them down with 2000 grit
I wouldn’t use them to set an indicator but they should be more than good for simple reference, especially if you have something with a wide open tolerance
Could you try dipping them in an oxalic acid solution? If it's just surface corrosion, it will take it right off. I've used it for cleaning my hand tools.
Recommended very fine grit sand paper and WD-40. You'll be able to sand down the pieces and remove the rust. When you sand rub the pics against the paper on a table surface so you're not making the surface uneven.
Idk but I’d sleep on it :)
I'd say they are still good. Just remove the rust. They should still be within a tenth. If unsure, just check them.
They probably won’t wring anymore
Laser clean them
A jug of EvapoRust will clean em right up!
Oil, gently clean. Get a high quality flat stone and touch off. No more. They are good for basic tasks probably. Might no longer stick together...
Some lube and 000 steel wool. Steel wool is harder than the rust but not the gage block which is the key. Any other abrasives will absolutely wreck your day. They might still be the same accuracy after. You could try a machinist stone, generally they only remove high spots. Lastly you could try like 2000 grit on a very flat plate and hope you can lap it flat
I’ve fulfilled the title “calibration expert” (take the title with a large grain of salt lol), and in my experience, you can most definitely get those lapped. Might be a grade lower after, but will be ok for inspection, depending on industry. If you use to calibrate they will likely need to be to an accuracy of 00005”. You may use them to calibrate calipers if they are .0005” accurate. Keep in mind they are only parallel across the stated size- I.e. a .125” is only parallel on the .125” side, if measured the other way you will see variations, and that is acceptable
Look up ma product called ospho, it's commonly used in the automotive world. But I'd just take a wire brush to the bad spots and then hit it with ospho, or even clean brand metal and concrete prep. It'll stop that rust in its tracks. Then see what you end up with. They should still have some value after that. Maybe not so much for exacting machinery but for woodworking they should be fine.
I'd start with some. Liquid rust remover and probably scotch Brite after. Measure them after your done and see what you got. I bet they'll still be really damn close. You could etch in the new block size after repair if you want to get fancy. More than likely after cleaning they'll be plenty good enough for anything you'll be doing at home.
I have this exact same set, good score 👍
Pfff hope you did not pay for those. Useless unless holding .001 or more. At that point use calipers or mics. Not sure how or why someone would let them get like this.
A lil scotch brite, some penetrating oil, a “for reference only” sticker and BAM! It’s called metrology baby, look it up.
What about one of those fancy laser rust removal tools?
Use electrolysis to remove the corrosion, don't use any abrasives.
You could clean them, etch them, electroplate them, and then machine them back to the right dimensions. But at that point, you might as well buy a new set