Masonry Magazine December 2004 Page. 16
THE LEVEL IS A PRECISION INSTRUMENT THAT REQUIRES CAREFUL HANDLING to ensure its continued accuracy. But masons often treat them more like a hammer than an instrument. They drop them, tap or sometimes even hit them with trowels, let them get covered with mortar and grout, leave them in the dirt and mud, step on them, and then toss them in the back of the pickup at the end of the day.
In the morning, they pick that same level up and go back to work, confident it will assist them in laying straight and true courses all day long. How can you be sure that they are accurate? And what type level has the best chance of remaining accurate for the longest time?
First, a little information on the mason's level marketplace. Darrell Hammond, National Sales Manager for Stabila, South Elgin, III., starts out by looking at the needs of a mason.
"If I'm a mason looking to purchase a level, I'm looking for something that's durable, rugged and accurate," says Hammond. "For example, we use a rib reinforced aircraft-grade quality aluminum body and, to maintain accuracy, our vial is a solid block of acrylic, so as the mason taps the level, it's not going to break the vial. That vial system is all epoxied into place so there's no movement of the vial itself."
Al Karraker, Director of Marketing for Empire Level Manufacturing in Mukwon-ago, Wis., goes on to explain, "Masons, historically, have used wood levels because nothing sticks to the wood. It can be washed off, and you're back in business. It's been that way for over 100 years.
"In the last 10-15 years," he continues, "a number of masons in this country have moved to a European-style aluminum box level. It is rectangular in shape versus the carpenter style I-beam level. In masonry, you're going to get things caught inside the I, which is not practical, whereas with a rectangular level there's no 'inside' to the level where things can get caught, and it can be hosed off at the end of the day."
Tom Scott, Product Manager for Irwin Industrial Tools, agrees that the box-style level works best. In fact, Irwin introduced a new box level this year, in its familiar blue and yellow color scheme.
"One advantage of the thick extrusions we use," Scott claims, "is that it ensures the level will never twist, bend or warp. The walls of the level are very thick so that a mason tapping it with a trowel is not going to damage it. It takes 50 foot pounds of torque to twist our four-foot level. In other words, if you grab the ends of it and try to twist it, it would take 50 foot pounds of torque to do it-it's pretty much humanly impossible. I-beams, when they're dropped or if they're beaten around, they can twist and lose their accuracy. Ours is pretty much indestructible. We guarantee our frames against bending, twisting or warping, even after a two-story drop or 50 degrees of temperature change."
The challenge with box beam levels is putting the vials in them precisely so they retain their accuracy. The problem with the accuracy of box beam levels has little to do with the box beam itself, but in how the vials are inserted in the frame and held there. Scott brags, "We have a patent on how to mount the vials. They are suspended in the frame instead of using glue like most other companies do with box beam levels. So if-or maybe I should say when - it is dropped, since the vial is suspended in the frame, the vibration is not transferred directly to the vial, it's insulated from shock. We guarantee the accuracy for life, but if they ever do go out of calibration, ours can be recalibrated in the field."
When looking at the vials, how many is enough and when do they become too many? Hammond says, "Basically vertical/horizontal vials are enough. I'd say a mason might
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December 2004
Masonry
17