Broken Machinist Level Restoration

Comments · 355

• IK

  @ikkentonda · 2 years ago

  2 year old video, but some of the comments are killing me. It's a Starret 98, not a museum piece. Great tool, but common as dirt and never intended for high levels of precision (the 98's divisions are 0.005" per foot, not the 0.0005" per foot or better with a master precision level). His process would have been just fine for a master precision level, too! He cleaned and repaired a broken tool, making it useful and pleasant to use again — a noble thing in my book. But snarky Internet geniuses claim that lapping the bottom lost precision, that replacing the japanning with paint was sacrilegious, that sandblasting the old finish off somehow created stresses that will destroy accuracy, that float glass isn't flat enough, that sanding the metal somehow damaged the glass vials, that paint without primer is guaranteed to wear off, and they complained that the cross-bubble was never calibrated (How? The original bore provides the only calibration that tube will ever have, and that tiny unmarked vial was only ever intended as a quick check, no more accurate than a carpenter's level). Foolish YT comments like these really bug me because they might discourage someone else from repairing, cleaning, or making a tool of their own. Tools are made to be USED!!

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• SP

  @spencereagle1118 · 4 years ago

  I remember an old machinist telling his apprentice that the bubbles in Starrett levels were actually goldfish farts, poor kid believed him.

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• GR

  @GrimmJaw496 · 1 year ago

  was given one of those as a gift,was in the same shape as this one sent it into starrett and they rebuilt for $65....works great now.

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• RO

  @robertmceuen3630 · 1 year ago

  Served a 4 yr apprenticeship for Millwrights local102 Oakland Ca from 1972-76. Used alot of 98 levels. Excellent job restoring that tool. Starrett- buy once cry once. I have Starrett tools that are over 50 years old and still accurate. Thanks.

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• CA

  @camdobson5433 · 1 year ago

  Wow, a new use for Better than Bouillon!  I love that stuff!

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• ZO

  @ZOMBIELANDTV666 · 3 years ago

  :face-red-heart-shape::face-red-heart-shape::face-red-heart-shape::face-red-heart-shape::face-red-heart-shape::face-red-heart-shape::face-red-heart-shape::face-red-heart-shape:

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• JP

  @jpdaddy678 · 4 years ago

  I work there..last week was making the brass inside and outside tubes for these

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• BG

  @BGRestore · 4 years ago

  Great Restoration! We're glad to see that you didn't sandblast the precision surfaces, and took care in calibrating it

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• SC

  @scroungasworkshop4663 · 4 years ago

  Well done, I used plaster as well. You sure made a nice job of repairing it. Isn’t it amazing how how little you need to adjust the bubble to make a big difference. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺

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• TE

  @testdriver3146 · 1 year ago

  I am thankful that there is not some YouTube rule that prohibit people with knowledge and experience from commenting on videos like this <br>Usually it is folks without any kind or real knowledge that spew out their opinions galore about how everything is to be done and they are the ones who know how to do it.<br>They are the ones who gives me the greatest laughs and entertainment.

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• JO

  @JohnLIpe1 · 4 years ago

  Sharp idea on drill to clean inside bubble

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• SK

  @skiman863 · 4 years ago

  I have 12&quot;, a 8&quot;, and a 4&quot; like this one. &nbsp;They are Starrett machinist levels. &nbsp;I setup pool tables and this is the type of level you need.

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