In my last column I beat up on the calibration of adjustable thread ring gages. Since I’m a nice guy, I thought it only fair that non-adjustable or solid thread ring gage calibration get similar treatment.
From time to time a customer will ask us to quote solid thread rings for standard threads due to problems being experienced with their adjustable counterparts. We are pleased to do so of course, but advise that their cost will be higher unless they are from unknown off-shore gage makers. And since they are rarely used in North America, they are not kept in stock. To make matter worse, masters to check them are rarely kept in stock by labs, making calibration of them a problem.