Masonry Magazine June 2005 Page. 36
MASONRY LEVELS
of the vials are not distorted so they provide uniform light refraction and minimum reflections. Stabila makes its hairline indicators out of spring steel, placed into precisely positioned, machined grooves. The vial fluid is a family-owned formula that maximizes bubble versus line contrast, stands up to destructive temperature swings-as much as -5°F to 165°F - and eliminates the "bad read" problems associated with static charge.
Mechanical or Epoxy?
MASTER LEVEL ALSO USES an acrylic material but has a different way of mounting the vial in the beam. Reid explains, "It's all held in place mechanically, there's no epoxy used at all. Take the vertical vial look at the level and you'll see a little round hole above the vial. The vial hangs on that and has a spring tension screw so that it's like being on a pendulum. It's held in place with a spring with sufficient tension that it won't move. You hammer it, bang on it, do whatever you want, it won't vibrate out. But you have the ability to adjust it if you want to set a grade or if it does get knocked out of accuracy for whatever reason."
Kennison
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Continuing, he says, "The horizontal vial doesn't touch the top or bottom of the level; it uses the same principle. My vial holders rest on a lip in the side wall of the aluminum, held in place with a couple of springs. It basically floats. Because aluminum expands a bit more than plastic, if you laid our level out in the sun, the heat is not going to affect the accuracy because the vial is not touching the top or bottom. It's also not affected when a mason hammers the top of the level!"
Contrasting that approach, Fraser points to Stabila's level and says, "Stabila vials are definitely fixed, and definitely not adjustable. We permanently epoxy and weld them in place. We do not use any springs, screws, rivets, nuts, bolts, etc. The vial is assembled into a plastic housing. The housing is epoxied and welded in place. The accuracy of the level is set. Then it is checked about halfway through the curing cycle. Then, after it is cured, the accuracy is certified. Then the level is packaged and sold. There is no need for a prospective buyer to sort through the stack of levels, looking for the most accurate. They are as accurate as the label states."
Sighting the Bubble
ACCURACY IS AFFECTED by several factors, not the least being readability of the bubble in the vial. Empire makes its bubble easier to read with its blue end caps, Stabila