Tool Talk
Woodworking Forum => Woodworking Forum => Topic started by: jimwrench on June 18, 2016, 04:12:53 PM
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The price of Stanley 36 levels seems to be going down. These are all 36G except the one next to bottom which is aluminum 36 (not grooved). I think I paid $30 for the top one and I know I paid $2 for the bottom one. Maybe it makes a differance where you buy them. Bought the first at an estate sale of a tool collector and the last one at an auction where there were almost no tools.
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They are cool levels. Have you figured out how to free up the screws that hold the level vials in place? I've got a one-foot level missing a plumb vial, and a two-footer that was cut down to 18" (probably broken in an accident) with a usable plumb vial; but the screws seem quite happy where they are, with no desire to move.
I recently did a herd-thinning on my levels, getting rid of several Stanley No. 0s and similar levels; but I held on to the levels above for sure!
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My last attempt to free up vial screwa on one of these was not successful. I'll have to see if its still in my garage.
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I have thought about - but haven't done it, there being so many, many other things above this particular project on The List - taking a suitable soldering iron, getting it to full heat, and applying it to the screw for a while, then letting it cool, and seeing if that had freed it up.
Were I to get them loose, I'd be tempted to find setscrews with suitable tips and Allen (female hex) openings on the end. Not historically correct, but easier to adjust in future.
A friend gave me a reprint of Stanley's Catalog No. 110, which describes these, and explains that adjusting them for level/plumb involves loosening the setscrew on the low side, inserting paper between the body of the level and the vial, and tightening the setscrew. A touch inelegant.
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Try applying a bit of heat to the screw head. Warm it just enough that candle wax will melt when you touch it to the screw. The melted wax will flow into the threads on the screw. Let it cool and usually the screw will come out quite easily. I used this method to remove the screw holding the nicker on a Stanley 78 and it worked really well. I learned this trick from a mechanic with lots of experience removing stuck screws and bolts. Good luck.
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Hello, Stanley also made a #236 (without eclipse vial covers) 24" only, and a #237 (with eclipse vial covers) 12", 18" and 24", both similar to the #36, but the bodies are aluminum. I have never had my eyes or hands on one. The #236 seems to command the highest value. The #36 that that seems to have the highest value is the 6" size. All of the above from John Walter's point of view. Regards, Lou