Tri-square (engineer's) small and stainless

[PerranOak]

I like to use a small (say, 50mm blade and handle - internal) engineer's square for squaring thin rails and so on. I tend to leave it out in the workshop and so my current one has become rusty.

I can't really clean it without affecting the square so I would like a new one that is made from stainless steel.

I ordered a set from Rutlands but these were of poor construction and, even though they said they were stainless steel, they came packed in oil.

Anyway, does anyone have an idea of a make/supplier of a stainless small square that would do please? Nothing too mental in price but I'll pay for quality.

Cheers.

 

[Notch7]

Something like this from Axminster?


https://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-precision-engineer-s-square-50mm-105417

 

[PerranOak]

Cheers mate that's the sort of thing but the reviewer says it's 50mm outside measurement rather than 50mm inside. It's a poor description on their site.

 

[Burnerman]

Your original square must have loads of corrosion to actually make it 'out of square'......have you tried a clean up with wire wool and oil?
John

 

[PerranOak]

Oh yeah, I see what you mean.
No, it's not that the rust puts it out of square but that if I start rubbing surfaces with abrasives maybe I will put it out?

 

[JohnD]

To de-rust metal, wire wool will do less damage than sandpaper. If it is light, try a green pan-scourer.

Dry immediately afterwards and rub with a cotton rage and a trace of light oil or WD40

 

[Burnerman]

You wont make the square inaccurate by cleaning.
You could, of course, buy some Aldi squares.....perfect for marking out right angles of 87degrees
John

 

[PerranOak]

OK cheers, I'll try to clean it.
A non-square square would drive me bonkers!

 

[blup]

I found the faithfull squares to be good quality:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0006J39B2

Blup

 

[Deleted member 174758]

BTW the correct name is try square, not tri-square, because it is designed to try (check) for squareness. A minor point, I know.

The main problem I can see with stainless steel as opposed to hardened steel is that the stainless stuff tend to be rather soft, so it wears more rapidly and can more easily be deformed if dropped, etc

 

[PerranOak]

Cheers blup.

JobAndKnock: you're absolutely right and will save me further embarrassment. I'll tri and get it right in future.

 

[conny]

You can check for 'true' by laying it flat and drawing a thin pencil line. Flip it over 180 degrees and draw a parallel line as close as possible to the first one. It should be parallel. If they converge or diverge then it is out of square.

Alternatively draw the second line about 1" away. Measure the gap to see if it is the same all the way along. Any difference means it is out of square.

If we dropped one in woodwork the teacher would throw it in the bin and we had to pay the price of a new one. Found out at a school reunion he attended that he never bought new ones. He would clean up and polish the wooden stock and the metalwork teacher would true the edges up. They shared the payments between them. (Bar stewards were on a good screw!)

 

[PerranOak]

Cheers mate.
Yes, I don't doubt it! My metal- and wood-work teachers used to have a little cabal in the stock room. I heard them talking about designing, making (at school) and selling all sorts of stuff.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Nice to know that I wasn't alone in experiencing that particular "wheeze"