A.A. Jansson Field Trip - A Look Into Precision Metrology 

My father trained to be a gauge maker at C E Johansson in Eskilstuna Sweden. He emigrated to the US in 1947. I still have many of the Jo Blocks, micrometers, calipers, dial gauges he brought with him to this country. Some day I would like to drop in on AA Jansson just to talk about the stories Dad had of working at C E Johansson. I myself took up the tool and die trade and currently work as a tooling engineer in the Detroit area. Thanks for the RU-vid Video.

Kudos to you and A.A. Jansson for setting this up. My jaw dropped when I saw that pristine CEJ/Ford block set! The dedication and skill of the people at A.A. Jansson is wonderful to see. Thanks for this.

This is one of the best channels for anyone in the manufacturing industry. I have been in manufacturing for over a decade and an avid RU-vid watcher. No other channel cover a wider array of behind-the-scenes topics. I always learn something new. Keep up the great work.

Thank you for this video. I remember when my father, who was a quality control engineer, came home and told us about learning how to use gage blocks and optical flats in the 1950's.

i really like these field trips. :-)

Hey Don, Nice tour and video. Who would have thought it was all in a house basically. Thanks for sharing. All the best, Tom

A privilege indeed! Thank you for taking us there... Nice to have a peek at what it takes to work with metrology at this level.

Thanks Don and AA Jansson.

Very enjoyable to see that this kind of business and experts are still in demand. Thank you for sharing :)

In case you're wondering, it's 68 F because 20 C. Not only does the insulation protect against heat, but also sound and vibration. Most likely spun glass sound batting in there somewhere.

Another awsome field trip. Very neat to see this behind the scenes thank you again for sharing. Nice work.

Fascinating insight into the subject - now I want one! Would also be interesting to see how they measure to such tolerances, and the physics behind it.

Don! this is one of the best yet, truely vast amount of information. I personally don't know why or what would need that close of measurement. None the less it good to know that there a way to measure something that small. thanks you for sharing your knowledge and the people who share their knowledge with us. greatly appreciated!

I really enjoy your behind the scenes tours of various businesses supporting the machinery and instrumentation used in industrial machining and grinding. Thank you for taking the time to produce this video. Regards, Paul

Thanks for this, really enjoyed seeing some behind the scenes of the steps to maintaining high precision. I really enjoyed the field trip to the machine rebuilding facility you did before. Just found your channel within the past few days, great content that nobody else is doing, thanks for your efforts to share and pass on this knowledge and experience.

Very interesting video you have offered us. Thank you! Most kind of Jansson's folk to bring you inside to show us the work they are doing. Enjoyed and appreciated here.

Independent metrology studies brought me here. Such an inspirational practice when faced with chaos. Thank you.

Yes, very interesting indeed. Thank you for doing the visit & interviews of those fine folks.

Don, I find all your field trips fascinating to not only learn the history behind these companies, but to see what it actually takes for these companies to, get what they do, done. Millionths of an inch is really small, go watch "How thick is a sharpie mark?" On average a black sharpie mark with lines written on a gage block added 118 millionths of an inch to the gage block. So again one millionth of an inch is really small, you'd need to split that mark 118 times to get one millionth and a tenth indicator would only show roughly 1 and 1/3 lines on that indicator. That's intense. Thanks for sharing this Don, it really makes you think.

I love the art of metrology , preciseness is managing entrophy. Grtz from the Netherlands Johny Geerts

I work in the electronics industry, and we work with similar levels, perhaps even more, care in the environmental issues, with things like positive pressure clean rooms, 0.5°C temperature control, "airlocks" where one enters a first-level clean area, and put on tyvek suits, booties, hair nets, before entering our test area... And that's just in the printed circuit business ! Semiconductor manufacturing goes another order of magnitude. That said, it's clear that these people really care about the accuracy and stability of their products and work, which, indeed, form the basis of modern industry! So, thanks for the tour, and, if possible, it would be very interesting, to some of us, to see how they recondition surfaces, in detail, and maybe a bit more depth on the measurement equipment, itself, for those of the audience who work at similar precision levels.

These field trips are great... Hope you do more.

Incredible. Insane. Absolutley love it.

Super cool video Don...I work with tight tolerances and let me tell u...we take good care of our Gage block sets...very interesting to see what they do when we send them out for calibration...had no idea...the begining of the video shared some very cool history that I didn't know as well...thanks for the upload Don... your sense of humor and spirit is what keeps me watching your channel...Thanks again Boss

Fascinating stuff!!! I love these field trip videos; thanks so much for making them :-)

thank you Don for another great tour.

This metrology game fascinates the life out of me. Even in England many old engineers refer to slip gauges (our term for the little blocks) as Joansson blocks. The name is respected within the engineering world.Being self taught, I started 17 years ago with a ruler, then a vernier, then a micrometer, then a 1/10 micrometer.All these were fine and dandy until I bought a small grinder and watched every Don Bailey video on grinding.It was Don Bailey that taught me everything about the little nuances of the strange world of the "tenth".Everything became 10 times more difficult than working in "thou's".I spent a small fortune on new metrology. Granite surface plate, 10th dti's and new stands to hold the DTI's.I have a saying, "YOU CANNOT MAKE IT, UNLESS YOU CAN MEASURE IT"!Each time you need to go smaller, the job intensifies exponentially along with a hundred associated problems, (like heat and dirt).I would love to have seen the machines they use for polishing those gauges and what grits are required. Maybe Don could explain all of that later on after all, it where you go when your a grinder. To get fine finish.LOVED THIS VIDEO.

What fantastic history between A.A Jansson and Henry Ford and it is really mind blowing getting your head around the tolerances that are maintained. I have a set of AA blocks in metric and I now know just how much they can change in different temperatures. I only use mine for setting angles with my sine bar and checking my micrometers against the standards that come with them. A most interesting video enjoyed it immensely. Dave

what a treat!

Thank you for the video!!!!

Loved the field trip

As a swedish toolmaker by trade, that have used the CE J blocks, both in my education and work, this was an amazing history lesson. Thankyou so much!

Thanks for taking us along on this field trip Don! I always wondered what and how a calibration company used to reference the blocks that they are calibrating. It's was fun learning the History of the "Jo" block and their ties to CEJ and FoMoCo. Thanks again!

Love it. Would like to see gauge block´s made, had hoped Jansson did that too. Kind regards Gert

Just got a book on dimensional meteorology and love it so far. It's amazing how far we have come and I love seeing this behind the scene stuff. It's an eye opener. Good video. Best Matt

Impressive,Thanks

a thing of absolute beauty

These videos are great!

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing with us this very informative video!

Way to go, Don. Too many of us in the precision trades think what is close enough for them is plenty close enough for the rest of the world. These days precision bearings (or any other item) made in Brazil have to fit a spindle made in Korea, which plugs into a headstock ... and so on to final destination from Paraguey to Perth to Pakistan. What ever is made in house for in house can be made to any standard you wish. But soon as your stuff has to fit stuff made across the street an agreed on system of measures saves time, conflict, and money. That's where precision measurement references come in. You and the people of A A Janssen illustrated the requirements and interdependence of the precision metalworkers of the world on well regulated international standards of measurement and made them understandable to the shop floor worker. And we got an industrial history lesson to boot. Many thanks.

Fascinating video thank you guys. I was hoping to see how they calibrate the ring gages too.

Great Video...Very informative: Thank You!

Lovely vid. iv had the unfortunate pleasure of working with people that use gauges blocks as clamps, Iv seen them being milled/drilled and once someone welding one to a bench!!.. It used to break my heart knowing the care and quality that would of gone into making them. We have a few AA Jansson gauge sets in my old shop over here in England and all i know is that there really really old but still top quality still to this day.. . Top job really liked this vid right up my street.. Thanks

Awesome job! Thanks for the video.

Very interesting

Wonderful video Don. I very much enjoy the feild trip videos.

Thanks Don, GREAT video!!!!! Big thumbs up to you and A A Jansson . M.K.S.

Thank you Don, excellent video, very, very interesting....

GREAT VIDEO !!!

I loved it !

Thank you for sharing! great video.

Great video, fascinating

Great video.Very eye opening.I have never worked in a shop that had blocks to my memory ,sent in to be checked..

great. very interesting and informative. thanks. one less mystery in my world. thanks again.

very nice,i learned alot

really nice trip !

Awesome video, thank you for sharing. That Ford set was a work of art and I would be happy to own a set of them if they're even obtainable.

Really enjoyed this video Don. I have wondered how how this was done. Thanks

love it

Sure did enjoy the video Don. My only complaint is that now I want to track down an old set of Ford/Johansson gage blocks for my collection. Keep up the great work on the videos Don and company!

I recently acquired a 1.25" Johansson-Ford Dearborn gauge block, just the one, but I'm strongly considering framing it for my garage.

Very fun. I work in a DNA lab, very interesting to see the similarities and differences. For what it is worth, a millionth of an inch is about 25.4 nanometers. In other words, it is in the wavelength of ultra-violet light, and comfortably above x-ray wavelengths.

Excellent video Don , i never knew that gauge blocks could be reconditioned . I wonder if having two extra bodies in that inspection lab caused a temperature spike ! I would fall asleep doing that kind of work , those ladies must have a lot of patience and concentration to do that day in day out !

Do they do the figure-8 superfinishing move?

I have a nice set of gage blocks that are labeled C.E..Johansson / Brown and Sharpe. Picked them up for $25.00!!

Don thanks for the trip, I still want a tour of your shop.

A long time ago I worked at a small shop that had a Ford gage block set. Now I know more about where it came from.

Fascinating video, as all your videos are, Don. We could have done with a close-up of exactly what goes on in the reconditioning room. I could partly see what I guess was a worker polishing the gauges on a lapping plate of some description, but it would have been good to have elaborated a bit further on this process, and to have shown exactly how they polish the business ends of , for example, a 12" block and how they keep them parallel during the process. I can appreciate that this might have been considered classified info by the company, however.

how are the blocks made from stock to assure dimensional stability (stress relieving) ?

What are the master sets made from? Some sort of ultra low COTE ceramic?

Most educational. I'd LOVE to see a similar video on the measuring instruments themselves. How do they sense length to the nearest .000001"?

Hello sir, How are you?? You didn't made any field trip videos in 2017???

Currently channels are running series on surface plate support. How are your plates supported at Suburban if I may ask? Dennis L.

That was educting! I wonder, would it be possible for you to visit a factory where lathe chucks are being made? That would be awesome.

😍

Actually the friction of the blown air molecules through the hvac system will cause slight deviations if not realized.

How do you use a gauge block and spell the cigarette paper that is 1000/inch...?

That was cool Don! Im curious as to why the sign in front of the lady cleaning said "gage cleaning" instead of gauge? Is that the way you guys in the US spell it? Loved the history behind it all. Thanks for sharing!!

I would like to see the machining that goes into resizing a gauge block and the machines they use.

It would have been interesting to talk about the cost of calibration or replacement of a gauge block

Hi Don, thank you for the show. Very interesting. I’d love to learn a bit more about the equipment used to measure those deviations. What kind of sensors do they use. What is the element touching the blocks made of, what kind of surface does it have and how are those calibrated.

If your blocks are calibrated by AAJ at 68 degrees how do you use them in your shop when the milling, grinding or lapping on precision parts is done at your shop temps and the coefficient of thermal expansion is quite large?

Very interesting... the talk about the temperature in the primary lab: did the temperature change much with 3 people in the lab conpared with only one person?

It would be interesting to see how the gauge blocks are made in the first place.

What actually measures the gage block. who makes it and how does it work?

if the gauge block is oversized, is possible to grind or lap them into spec? what do you do if they are under?

I would be interested to know more about the advantages and disadvantages of the various block materials. I think realistically anything past .0001" is beyond the realm of most shops since they lack the environment to be able to verify what they measure.

we used to joke about breathing and changing a mic reading by two tenths..........that is some tight stuff there!

What is the best way for us amateurs to maintain and protect our gage block sets?

how thick is a fingerprint?

Why wouldn't they use ceramic, glass, or optical standards?

HOW precise you trying to be? make transistors the size few atoms.

Great! Now I know how to calibrate my gage blocks at home! (As if...) 8^)

Use a sharpie on a granite block that's about 2-4 millionths

What does it take to make a complex part within 1 millionth

Always wondered how the accuracy is checked on a gauge block. Now I know. How much do they cost about a dollar a piece. Lolol

Just as well no one sneezed :-)

You missed telling the story of how C.E.Johanson in Sweden actually developed his method of producing extremely accurate gage blocks. I believe he took over his wife's sewing machine as part of his secret patented procedure.

You should try to explain manufacturing highly precise components to people who erroneously believe that a digital metric micrometer capable of displaying readings to four decimal places is accurate to that reading. The average job shop machinist rarely, if ever, manufactures components to a tolerance closer than +/- 0.005" or +/- 0.1mm. My manufacturing background is in the machining of components for scientific instruments and precision tooling where the tolerances were typically +/- half a tenth-thousandth of an inch and some critical components had tolerances to less than 10 millionths of an inch. This is very difficult and time consuming, requiring a controlled environment and strictly working to a sequence of operations with specific techniques. Even then, it is impossible to produce such high precision components without certified precision gage blocks.