What counts as measuring tools?
Measuring tools include any instrument you use to capture a property of your workpiece as a number. That covers length and diameter, angles, temperature, and the hardness of the steel after quenching.
Measuring tools are often mentioned in the same breath as marking tools, but the difference is clear: measuring gives you a value, marking puts that value onto your material. So chalk, soapstone and a scriber belong with marking.
What do you use measuring instruments for in the forge?
In the forge, you use measuring instruments at three points: before the work, during heating, and after heat treatment. Beforehand you check the thickness and length of your material, so you don't discover halfway through that your steel is too short or too thin.
During the work, it's all about temperature. Steel is generally forged between 900 and 1,250 degrees Celsius, and that range is hard to judge by eye when you're working with a forge . Taking a measurement keeps you from working on too cold and causing cracks.
After quenching, you use a hardness tester to check whether the steel has reached the hardness you were aiming for. With batches, this gives you repeatability: measuring makes your second knife identical to your first.
Types of measuring tools at a glance
Measuring tools in the forge fall into four groups, each with its own quantity: length, angle, temperature and hardness.
For length and diameter you work with a caliper, a folding ruler or a straight ruler. A caliper reads internal measurements, external measurements and depth down to tenths of a millimetre, while a folding ruler is quicker for longer material.
You use angle gauges to set or check a fixed angle, for example the grinding angle of a chisel or a knife.
For temperature, you have two options: contactless measuring with an infrared thermometer, or measuring with a probe and a digital indicator. If you work with a melting furnace , pay particular attention to the upper limit of the measuring range.
Finally, hardness testers show the hardness of your steel after heat treatment, in scales such as HRC and HV.
Which measuring tool should you use and when?
Which measuring tool you use depends on the quantity you are measuring and the accuracy you need. The following situations come up in almost every workshop.
- checking the dimensions of small work: a caliper reads diameters and material thickness down to tenths of millimeters.
- measuring longer material: a folding ruler or tape measure works faster for pieces longer than half a meter.
- setting or checking an angle: an angle gauge gives you the grinding angle or the squareness of your workpiece.
- determining the temperature of glowing steel: an infrared thermometer measures without contact, so you don't have to get into the heat.
- monitoring the furnace temperature: a temperature probe with a digital indicator stays in place while heating.
- checking the hardening: a hardness tester shows whether your heat treatment was successful.
Not sure which instrument suits your work? We're happy to think along with you before you order.
Buying measuring tools
You can buy measuring tools at Parrot Shopping from a range focused entirely on forging and melting. Every instrument is selected for use in the workshop: resistant to heat, dust and a rough workbench.
We'll help you figure out which range and precision suit your work, even if a simpler instrument will do. If you have a question about a specific instrument, you'll get an answer from people who know the craft themselves.
Besides measuring tools, you'll find more than 1,100 specialist products for the forge. We ship orders of 50 euros and over for free.
