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Granite Square sourcing

I bought one of those surface plates at BB yesterday a bit of an impulse, but now all I need is a height gauge and some bluing fluid and I'll be scribing aluminum like the big boys:). One of the reviewers had suggested keeping the shipping crate to keep it clean and I think I will do that.

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Chip Maker said:
Windex works great a keeping granite surface plates clean.
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Windex is ok but not the best as the water used is not distilled. Use pure Amonnia, just a dab wipoe down and repeat till nothing comes up on paper (Suburban Tools YouTube). This is how I clean my surface plate. 24"x36" from a retired machinist friend of mine. wt 500lbs.
 
Degen said:
Windex is ok but not the best as the water used is not distilled.
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I buy ammoniated wipes to maintain my surface plates. this way, you always have a very clean wipe, and the ammonia takes any finger oils out of the pores - oil is the enemy of granite.

I'd buy a 'cheap import' but they are far too expensive for what you get. I think I'll be grooming a friend in California to buy a reject square from Standridge or Precision (for me and then ship to me). - They reject for any tiny imperfection that I can easily ignore. And they are actually cheaper than an import granite square.

I'm a bit of a cheapskate, an so in the mean time I'll be using my toolmakers' square as a reference, and wait for a bargain.
 
Dabbler said:
I buy ammoniated wipes to maintain my surface plates. this way, you always have a very clean wipe, and the ammonia takes any finger oils out of the pores - oil is the enemy of granite.

I'd buy a 'cheap import' but they are far too expensive for what you get. I think I'll be grooming a friend in California to buy a reject square from Standridge or Precision (for me and then ship to me). - They reject for any tiny imperfection that I can easily ignore. And they are actually cheaper than an import granite square.

I'm a bit of a cheapskate, an so in the mean time I'll be using my toolmakers' square as a reference, and wait for a bargain.
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Interesting about the rejects , I'll have to keep that in mind.
 
Mcgyver said:
Starrett are fantastic, will talk to you and sell to you
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Well: I may have to get in touch with them. 3K KM separates me from Athol MA: even if they are interested in working together on this, shipping on a chunk of granite is going to be expensive.

If possible; I'd really love to find a Canadian supplier. Distances aren't going to be any better given where I live, but the less international shipping I have to do the better.

Mcgyver said:
I feel like I'm probably coming across as argumentative; thats not the intent
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Not at all!

This is a problem many people know about me (IN PERSON): I often come across the same way on the internet; being efficient tends to imply to many people that it's an "argument" or whatnot.

Super glad for any input you can provide and please don't ever stop being you!

Mcgyver said:
I've just got a fair bit of experience with this and am trying explain how it works and so on
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Awesome; VERY much appreciate it!

My question here is sourcing products and material. I'm fine with the actual physics of squareness and measurement: I just don't know who (ideally a Canadian business) wants to sell a one-off to a hobbyist.

Mcgyver said:
If you have specific applications, myself and many other skilled guys can give ideas on how to measure and check squareness
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Like I mentioned; I'm looking for a project.

Apologies if I was unclear about this, the project is not "some abstract thing that I need a granite square for": the project IS a granite square. After building/reworking + calibrating + knowing that I can trust (and recheck it!) THEN I'd love to use it as a source-of-truth for other projects in the future.

I'm looking for "does anyone know any businesses that make and sell hobbyist-grade granite squares; ideally a shop that buys Polycor, Nelson (or some other Mern-like) sourced granite, and manufactures products from it: that might be interested in one-off products."

If it comes down to it; I'll buy a cheap import and work it myself, or hell, maybe I'll just buy a cheap 9x12 granite surface plate and cut it in half diagonally; then work on the square faces and bore a hole myself.
 
You guys using ammonia on surface plates: Interesting.

Don't you find ammonia wipes on the expensive side? I've never had any luck locating them without shipping them in (which I like to avoid)


I've always just used generous isopropyl on shop-towels. It's cheap and plentiful to get a hold of, and is so useful elsewhere that it's one of the few cleaners I use.
 
I buy my ammoniated wipes in a large round plastic tub at Superstore. The call them 'cleaning wipes' check the ingredients. One of them has extra ingredients, the other is 100% ammonia
 
Starrett and Mit both have offices in Mississauga, and as mentioned KBC will get anything for you they make. If you want a cheapo (relatively) Amazon lists one https://www.amazon.ca/HHIP-4901-2705-Precision-Granite-Square/dp/B01ABWVNPW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=granite+square&qid=1642247828&s=industrial&sr=1-1&th=1 as was as a few on ebay.

If you are interest in learning how to lap and create squareness, and hence are going to work those surfaces anyway, may be go to monument shop and get them to rough out an offcut.

There are a few ways to create squareness than I'm aware of and have done, but most of the time squareness for a machinist means comparing an item to a known square. To generate squareness (to .0001/6" or better) One way is via grinding, the other via scraping however both require working with a cube, or at least a rectangular prism vs the usual triangle shape a granite square comes in (L shape for a steel square).

If the project is the granite square, how do you propose to check it, calibrate it etc? You could originate squareness with a reliable plate, tenths indicator and square shaped piece of granite (vs an triangle), say a 10x 10 by 2" thick square to start with. However you don't just have to achieve squareness, you have to get three sides very very flat which is by itself not trivial, especially if using a lap (how do you tell where to remove material?). Lots of challenges, none of which are insurmountable for a determined man, but lots of big challenges.
 
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Tom O said:
I cover mine with the crate also it works good.
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Too bad I wasn't a member back when I got my granite block (not sure what to call it now). I threw away my crate.

I keep one of those thin plastic kitchen cutting sheets custom fitted on it. But I've always been concerned about volatolized plasticizers potentially affecting it. (Same way they coat the inside of your cars windshield) a wooden crate has to be better.

Dunno about using anything with a solvent in it. Never even thought about it to be honest. My needs are just not that precise. I'll have to noodle this bit. Molecular composition of granite, reactivity to various solvents, etc. On the surface (no pun intended), it "feels" like there might be a whole lot more to this than meets the "eye". (whole lot of sensory stuff going on there.....) :rolleyes: :)

combustable herbage said:
now all I need is a height gauge
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I have not needed such a thing until recently so I don't have one yet either. I've been using an indicator holder with parallels or 1/2/3 blocks etc for now. That has to change. I've looked around and have not found anything I really like enough yet to spend any coin on it. I also have Kijiji, ebay, marketplace searches open for a good used one. Please keep me posted if you find something decent and I'll do the same for you.
 
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