Calibrate my Calipers

carpriver

carpriver

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I have three sets of calipers I use for reloading, I was trying to adjust the COL on some 9MM I was reloading . all three calipers gave a different reading, one was .05, .07 and .09 off, i was trying to get 1.150. I need to calibrate anyone got any ideas. If I was still in the Air Force I could take them to the PME lab for calibration. I was able to get a pretty good COL by converting to 64 of an inch and use a tool makers ruler. I came up with 1 10/64"
 
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Get a set of quality feeler gauges in the range you want to work in. They will be a 'standard' for your calipers. Use them as your 'standard' every time you want to be assured they are in your range of specification.

Or, you could buy a 'standard' for that purpose. It will be a bit costlier.

bdGreen
 
are there any machine shops in the area? sometimes they do their own calibration and some of them send out to have it done. check to see if there is any places that do calibration.

I should add that if the calipers vary that much it is probably time to get a new one and not a cheap one.
 
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My micrometers and calipers that go to .000" , I check with feeler gauges. In 35 years I never dropped them and I never needed to adjust them. My son does helicopter air frame repair, and has given me some Micrometers that he replaced. He seems to have no use for systems than only measure to the 1/1000th, but he has them out to 4" in 1/10,000th. Apparently he can judge metal fatigue with an accurate micrometer. He used to rebuild "Stablators" (18" section of tail wing) for Blackhawk and Seahawk helicopters, everything is +/- .0002 or less! (New price $400,000, Rebuilt right price $200,000!)

He has no use for electronic calipers. We were playing with a set, and if set properly, you can watch a piece of aluminum grow while you hold it! So specification's are not only to a thickness but at a specific temperature (which requires an inferred thermometer that is accurate within 1 degree+/-F) I hope reloading never gets that picky!

Ivan
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
My micrometers and calipers that go to .000" , I check with feeler gauges. In 35 years I never dropped them and I never needed to adjust them. My son does helicopter air frame repair, and has given me some Micrometers that he replaced. He seems to have no use for systems than only measure to the 1/1000th, but he has them out to 4" in 1/10,000th. Apparently he can judge metal fatigue with an accurate micrometer. He used to rebuild "Stablators" (18" section of tail wing) for Blackhawk and Seahawk helicopters, everything is +/- .0002 or less! (New price $400,000, Rebuilt right price $200,000!)

He has no use for electronic calipers. We were playing with a set, and if set properly, you can watch a piece of aluminum grow while you hold it! So specification's are not only to a thickness but at a specific temperature (which requires an inferred thermometer that is accurate within 1 degree+/-F) I hope reloading never gets that picky!

Ivan
Click to expand...
Agreed; I've never used an electronic caliper, but that's what I suspected. It's hard for me to imagine why some don't like dial calipers.
 
Dial calipers are generally zeroed with the jaws closed & zero the dial.

Make sure the jaws are clean.

Wandering zero is usually dirt in the rack & pinion.

Dirt can make the drive in electronic calipers slip causing random variances. I clean mine with alcohol and zero frquently.

rockquarry said:
It's hard for me to imagine why some don't like dial calipers.
Click to expand...

Ease, speed & bad eyes. A couple thousandths plus or minus makes zero difference in reloading.

Not a matter of "not likeing." It's a matter of "likeing something else more."
 
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All calipers are not created equal.

I typically use Brown & Sharpe, Sterrett, or Mitutoyo.

When it matters, I use micrometers. I have standards for one and two inch sets.

When I am not that concerned over true 'exactness' then I grab a handy set of vernier calipers. Digital or analog. I'm OK with either.

In my career arena we typically called the vernier calipers, "Very Nears".:D:D Close enough for government work. Yep. Handy to have laying around. Absolute? Nah. But, close enough.:D

Even your least expensive set of calipers deserve and demand attention to detail when wiping down and cleaning after use. Failure to perform is not an option in my shop.

bdGreen
 
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Fishslayer said:
Dial calipers are generally zeroed with the jaws closed & zero the dial.

Make sure the jaws are clean.

Wandering zero is usually dirt in the rack & pinion.

Dirt can make the drive in electronic calipers slip causing random variances. I clean mine with alcohol and zero frquently.



Ease, speed & bad eyes. A couple thousandths plus or minus makes zero difference in reloading.

Not a matter of "not likeing." It's a matter of "likeing something else more."
Click to expand...

Okay, I can understand bad eyes. But ease and speed?
 
bdGreen said:
All calipers are not created equal.

I typically use Brown & Sharpe, Sterrett, or Mitutoyo.

When it matters, I use micrometers. I have standards for one and two inch sets.

When I am not that concerned over true 'exactness' then I grab a handy set of vernier calipers. Digital or analog. I'm OK with either.

In my career arena we typically called the vernier calipers, "Very Nears".:D:D Close enough for government work. Yep. Handy to have laying around. Absolute, nah. But, close enough.:D

Even your least expensive set of calipers deserve and demand attention to detail when wiping down and cleaning after use. Failure to perform is not an option in my shop.

bdGreen
Click to expand...

THIS!!! I was in Quality Assurance for over 45 years and I had definite preferences in my tools. My Dial calipers were Brown and Sharp and then the higher grade. They were harder and wore less than others. Starrett are my first choice in mics but not their calipers; they had an open rack and were susceptible to dirt / grit getting into the rack teeth affecting accuracy. Mitutoyo are good tools reasonably priced but I found their calipers to be on the soft side and would wear quicker than others. Avoid cheap plastic calipers. Also; I was never a fan of digital mics or calipers, make mine analog

Close your calipers and hold them up to the light, they should be parallel with no light showing thru gaps. If they are out of parallel from wear they need to be re-lapped or replaced.
 
I don't use electronic measuring tools, period, but do use Brown & Sharpe and Starrett dial calipers and a Brown & Sharpe micrometer. I've used the cheap stuff and they work very well - for a while. I have no idea if this has to do with hardness, general overall quality, or other factors.

I do a lot of handloading, usually daily, and my measuring instruments see much use. If I only had a need to use the tools occasionally, inexpensive ones would probably be fine. Like hand priming tools (often discussed on Internet handloading forums) amortize the cost of good equipment over time. Considering how much some of these tools are used, the cost of good equipment isn't any more, and maybe even less, than several cheap tools.
 
One type of micrometer use.

In the late 90's I bought a varmint rifle with a match chamber in 22BR (Remington). I formed cases from Lapua brand 6mm BR (Norma). The big difference is the Remington chamber requires .010-.012 neck walls and Norma type brass has .015-.018 neck walls. In a field chamber either will do, but in a match chamber I have to keep the neck walls below .012! I have a tube wall thickness micrometer sold by Lyman but made in China. Before I turned the brass the walls were too thick but some areas on the case were much worse than others. After turning you can roll a case in the tube mic, set the opening 1/2 of a 1/1000th and feel if there is a high spot! So I eyeballed a 1/4 of a 1/1000th and the neck walls would just glide through! I used a Forrester case length trimmer with the neck thickness cutter, and a drill set on low attached! All 200 were done in a little over 3.5 hours and every one is .011" Thick. Each case received 6 cutting passes (in, out, in, out, in, out) less than 45 seconds total each case!

I thought the Chinese mic would be flimsy, but it was rock solid!

I recommend every bit of equipment I used for that project. And a free tip: I had the trimmer already mounted to a 1x4x10" I set it inside a cheap cake pan and drywall screwed everything to the deck of my workmate. The early cut make a big ball of brass wire "steel wool", the later cut makes tiny short wire dust. The cake pan is like the bed on a lathe and catches all of it!!! (the wad of wool was about the size of a softball for all 200!)

Ivan
 
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Thanks for all the input, I did buy a set of feeler gauges as a starting point. I called 3 different machine shops they tend to send there measuring tools to a precision measuring lab for recalibration. I did find a company that sell measuring blocks for checking standards. $43.00 for the standard. I did check my tools two out of the three were right on the third was .05 off.
 
carpriver said:
Thanks for all the input, I did buy a set of feeler gauges as a starting point. I called 3 different machine shops they tend to send there measuring tools to a precision measuring lab for recalibration. I did find a company that sell measuring blocks for checking standards. $43.00 for the standard. I did check my tools two out of the three were right on the third was .05 off.
Click to expand...

Pick one of your feeler gauges and store it as your standard. Keep it clean and rust free. Ha.

Your third one was:
.050" off,
or
.005" off.

BIG difference.

But, you know that.:D

bdGreen
 
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oldman10mm said:
Anybody use jo blocks/gauge blocks for testing/calibrating ?
Click to expand...

I use relatively inexpensive Wen 123 blocks to check three Starrett 120 series dial calipers (6", 9", and 12") and an 8" Mitutoyo digital caliper. I also use certain micrometer-measured spot(s) on Starrett machinist square blades for smaller dimensions. So far, none have needed adjusting, over a span of a few decades.
 
When I first started learning about machining I bought a Swedish 1" micrometer made by Johansen for $20 bucks. I wasn't making much money back then. I've had that mike for close to 40 years now. I took a 1" standard and put in the nike. Right on the money. Have mike's made by Starret from 1" to 4" all have served me well for many years. All I know is my Kennedy machinists tool chest is so heavy I've given up hope of ever moving it from it's present location. I've come a long way since buying that Swedish mike. Good measuring tools are a joy to use. Cheap ones you buy twice. Once when you buy it, then again when you buy another better one to replace it. Frank
 
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