Air Gage Care and Maintenance

Air tooling has no moving parts, so with clean air and a little care, a plug or ring lasts for years. Most of the upkeep is on the air supply and the masters.

Keep the air clean and regulated

• Drain the filter bowl regularly, and replace filter elements on schedule.
• Check the regulator setting and gauge; the supply must stay above the regulated pressure.
• Never feed an air gage unfiltered shop air. Water and oil clog restrictors and jets.

Look after the tooling

• Clean before use. Wipe plugs and rings with a clean, lint-free cloth. Blow off with clean, filtered air only.
• Don't force it. If a plug won't enter the bore, the part may be undersize or dirty. Forcing it damages the gaging surface.
• Don't oil the jets. A light rust preventive on steel tooling in storage is fine; wipe it off before use.
• Inspect regularly. Look for nicks around the jets, scoring on the body and wear on the nose of the plug. A plug's nose guides it into the bore and takes the wear, so thru-hole plugs last longest; blind and super-blind styles wear faster.
• Check hoses and fittings. Replace cut or kinked hoses and worn O-rings. A leak before the jets upsets readings.
• Store it protected. Keep plugs, rings and masters in their cases, away from chips and coolant.

Look after the masters

• Handle masters by the edges or handle, and don't hold them in your hand longer than needed; body heat changes their size.
• Clean before each use, and store with a light rust preventive.
• Recertify masters on the schedule your quality system requires. Every master we supply ships with a certificate traceable to NIST. See setting masters.

Master the gage routinely

Mastering is not a periodic calibration; it's part of using the gage. Master at the start of every shift, and again whenever the temperature, air supply or tooling changes. See mastering and troubleshooting air gages.

When to repair or replace

If a gage won't master, won't hold a reading, or gives different readings from its master checks, look at the air supply and leaks first. If those are fine, the tooling may be worn or damaged. We can build a replacement to the same size and spec; price it online or send us the part number.