How to Clean a Granite Surface Plate?

[Danzo187]

Windex, your surface plate is probably flat within only a couple of tenths anyway, if you want it shiny throw some car wax on it, Unless your checking stuff that's .00001 or less you could throw it in your pick-up bed and drive it threw the car wash, again Widex, when there's no friction when sliding a jo block over it then your good , clean and shiny.

 

[Susquatch]

Be extremely careful in introducing lapping into it. Most of internet is wrong, you cannot get three plates or stones flat with this by lapping, at least as many suggest lapping to be.

You are right to catch this @Mcgyver. I was using the term lapping incorrectly. I have adjusted my terminology. Unfortunately, at my age, that might be a temporary correction. Especially since I've used the term lapping both incorrectly and correctly for at least 60 years.

To me, lapping always meant using lapping compound. But that isn't correct. An embedding Lapp is also required. Of course, I probably have more to learn about the nuances.......

Waaaay tooooo much fun for an old man!

 

[justin1]

I’ll probably noodle around a bit to see if I can figure out how the “old guys” calibrated them before the fancy electronic gear was invented.

In Edward Connelly's book he talks about checking a surface plate with a camelback. If you happen to have one you could possibly check your plate using his method.

I've seen mention on PM there was ways of checking plates with master levels and piano wire but couldn't find any detailed methods of doing so.