Is anyone aware of a company that rents thread gages or thread rings?
Please do not take this as self promotion. It is, but it is also a direct answer to Bob’s question.
When I started Gage Crib worldwide Inc in 1993 it was established as a Thread Gage Rental company.
I was working at a Fortune 500 company where I knew my time was short. The boss who hired me took a sudden early retirement and his replacement wanted me gone.
In December of 1992, while I was doing my job as a Technical Purchasing Agent, I needed arrange to have five 5”-12 UN-2A/2B connections validated. I was correctly told that thread gages were needed, and that they were a standard size, but the gages were not stocked by anyone.
I knew that after my purchase of the gages and their single use, the gages would be consigned to a back shelf in the gage crib until the company was dissolved and they were sold at auction. What a waste!
In my mind it seemed that since they were a standard size, someone must rent them. I started a national search for a gage rental company. I found no active thread gage rental companies.

I found several who used to rent thread gages, but had since discontinued the practice. Curiosity caused me to quiz them as to why they no longer rented thread gages and I learned the reasons.
I was a good purchasing Agent,

and if I could not find something, it did not exist. I also knew that if I had a need for this non-existent something, others did too. Knowing that my time with this company was drawing to a close; I saw this as a business opportunity.
I took the information gained and puzzled over it on my Christmas/New- Years break and devised a business model which would avoid the problems related to me by the failed businesses.
When I was released from my employment, on that very afternoon I began trying to rent thread gages. I tried for three years, but ultimately determined that it was a failed business notion, yet Gage Crib Worldwide Inc still exists.
Gage Crib Worldwide Inc was established as a green business, before green was in vogue, basically to recycle thread gages already in the market place. While the rental concept failed, used/surplus/reworked thread gages did prove saleable. Today new thread gages are the prime item sold at Gage Crib Worldwide Inc, but used/surplus/reworked thread gages continue to be readily available.
So after this long tale I can say that occasionally a company does come to our attention who rents thread gages, but that service always seems to end soon.
My best suggestion for you is to look and see if a used/surplus/reworked thread gage is available, and if not, bite the bullet and buy a new thread gage.
I know that your need was urgent, and that I am answering this far after the fact, but others may find this data useful.
Marc; feel free to remove this post if it is too promotional. I took efforts not to put links in the text and left no contact data in order to minimalize promotion. I tried to just relate the details. I thought a simple “no” from a random Wayne might not be credited. Thus the long story.
