"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
.. .
I bought a set of inexpensive gauge blocks,
mostly to be able to check the accuracy of
my motley collection of calipers and mikes.

I spent about 2 hours cleaning the rust
preventive goop from them and then I went
over them with a rag wet with LPS. If I
keep them in the living area of my house,
is that sufficient protection to keep them
from rusting?

I noticed that in order to get them to wring
together, the surfaces had to be close to
perfectly clean. I assume they have to be
re-oiled after use.

Does anyone know what the accepted procedure
is for testing mikes and calipers? Some
sort of progression of blocks that serves
as a worst-case test?


Just an extract from a sales brochure note that they say the gauges are
cylindrical!! Hope this helps, by the way this is how I check my Micrometres

"The set consists of eight cylinders 3.1, 6.5, 9.7, 12.5, 15.8, 19.0, 21.9,
25.0mm diameter manufactured to ±0.001mm tolerance on diameter. The sizes,
taken from AS 2102-1978, are carefully selected to check a range of sizes at
different positions around the micrometer barrel.

In technical parlance the set enables tests for both systematic and
progressive errors. For example if the micrometer anvils were not square to
the axis of the spindle correct readings could be indicated at zero, 6.5,
12.5, 19.0 and 25.0mm with significant errors indicated at 3.1, 9.7, 15.8
and 21.9mm."