Masonry Magazine June 2005 Page. 38
MASONRY LEVELS
uses a special fluid formula and precise hairline spring indicators. Reid notes that Master Level "has a little strip underneath the vial that's fluorescent so it picks up light-you can always get some light, even in a dim area and it glows so you can read it almost in the dark."
Reid is also proud of the craftsmanship that goes into his company's levels. "We hand-set every vial, in every level. We don't rely on machinery. True, a person can mess up, but if he does and something happens, we can correct it right in the field. You never have to send a Master Level back for repair. Any of the stores that sell our levels, they've all been given training on how to check a level for accuracy."
It may seem strange to be talking about engineering, design and manufacturing tolerances with something that gets tossed around and hit with a hammer on the job. But, as they say, the devil is in the details, and all the level companies make certain they track each and every factor that can make the level accurate or inaccurate in service.
For example, Reid points to the size of the bubble in his vial. "Remember, the bubble is an air pocket. The day it's manufactured, that air pocket can vary slightly in size. You'll notice in our levels, the bubbles are fairly large, very close to the lines - about as close as we can possibly make it without having that bubble go outside the lines when it gets below zero. You see, air pockets expand as it gets cold. If you took our level and you set it on a surface that was off just a little, and you took someone else's level with a smaller bubble and it was off the same amount, their small bubble wouldn't show off nearly as much as our larger bubble would. The closer the bubble is to the lines, the easier it is to judge when you're accurate."
Fraser concludes, "If you take a look at levels, you'll find that there has been very little refinement and evolution, even within the concept of level, plumb and straight. I admit it: it's hard to get a guy who uses a wood level to switch to an aluminum level. But once they do, they never go back. It changes the way they work, and it usually takes only a week."
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