Exploring Industrial Supplies

It is no small task to find a thread plug gage for sale, especially if you have never tried before. You may find that there are dozens of industrial supply places that carry this specific piece of hardware, but limited knowledge about thread plug gages can leave you hanging on the edge of a cliff. There are dozens of options, and here is how to wade through them to get the gage your boss asked you to get.

First, Is It Metric or Standard?

Like all things with a thread plug or screw end, your gage either needs to be in metric or standard measurements. That means you need something in millimeters to a centimeter, or in inches and fractions of an inch. If the gage you are looking for does not have the size imprinted on the length of the body, pull out a trusty ruler and check. If the measurement in inches is a little weird (e.g., 6/16), it may actually be a metric thread plug gage that you need. Measure with a metric ruler and order that size instead.

Second, What Subtype Is It?

It helps to examine the barrel of the gage and match it to the pictures you see online or in the supply catalogs.

There are about a half-dozen different subtypes of thread plug gages:

• Helical coil (STI) plug gages
• Large Trilock
• Taperlock Chrome
• Reversible Chrome
• Unified inch

All of these should have the name of the manufacturer, size and type on the barrel of the gage, unless it has worn off. Some are quite obvious, like the large trilock gages, which will have triangular-shaped barrels and be longer than two inches. Others, such as the helical coil, will be less obvious since they are named for internal components. If the gage your boss has told you to replace is so worn that it does not say what it is, go by the shape, size and description.

Third, What Is the Tolerance You Need?

When discussing tolerance, you are talking about pressure, force, speed and/or electrical conductivity. If you are not sure what tolerance you need, have all of the information in hand regarding the machine from which you took the gage. The sales representative on the other end of the phone line or chat line can look up the machine you have and find out what the tolerance level is. This bit of information is, perhaps, the most necessary bit after sizing, since the wrong tolerance can negatively impact your machine.

For more information, contact companies like West Port Corp.