Level questions
Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
>Questions about two levels:
1. I received from my uncle's estate (four years back now, maybe five) a Stanley Sweetheart era 2-foot level, #03, missing the plumb vial. The little brass caps are there on each side of the hole, but the vial's long since gone. Are these still available? What's the trick to setting them? I know they're set in Plaster of Paris or something similar-looking, but how do you ensure they're level before committing to the plaster?
2. A local anteek store, now out of business, sold me a user Stanley #36 level ($5!). This is a foot-long cast iron level, with both level and plumb vials encased in chromed cylinders that are held in by pointed setscrews. These seem to be fairly slow vials -- the level reacts visibly to a .001" change. Are these in any way adjustable? If so, it seems like it might make a good precision-within-my-standards level.