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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Laidley, SE Qld
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    1,038

    Default Glass vial for old surveyor's level

    I'm hoping to find an 8" long vial for this marvellous old surveyor's level, I know some of you have sourced vials for various projects. Made by Troughton & Simms in London it was owned by the Victorian railways and was used in the early years of building the rail network.

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
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    71
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    5,942

    Default

    Hi Bob,
    Is it a glass tube that you're looking for??? If so, what diameter would it be?
    Found this on Google, might help you in your search, https://www.glassvials.com.au/13-glass-vials-clear
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Wodonga Vic
    Age
    38
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    633

    Default

    You might find a test tube with a screw cap in the size you need, I have some but I think they're a little bit small

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Hi Bob

    Would anything from this site help?

    https://www.leveldevelopments.com/products/vials/

    Grahame

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    283

    Default

    You could buy of course, but you could easily make. Same way the mfr did.

    Get a length of clear rigid plastic tube which will fit inside the brass housing. Shop around, but it won't be expensive.
    Then make a jig - wood will do, to put an ever so slight bend in it. Maybe 0.5 mm deflection in the middle. Now, bake gently in the oven for an hour or so. This will let the bend set into the plastic. (if you have bought a metre of tubing, you can have several goes at this.) Yes, the original was glass: they didn't have plastic in those days.

    Block one end - a plug and silicone sealant will do. 3/4 fill with suitable liquid - dyed isopropyl alcohol might be suitable. Check length of bubble when you place the tube horizontal and add liquid to suit. When it is right, plug 2nd end.

    Insert into brass tube the right way up(!) and stick in place with ... goolygum. You could use silicone sealant, although that would make subsequent servicing difficult. Or you could use a couple of rubber plugs to mechanically hold the tube in place. Or you could use Teflon tape at the ends. Make sure the tube is not going to move! If it does, you have lost calibration.

    Vital last step follows. Using a long water level (15 mm pvc tubing), adjust the levelling screw (last photo) to get the bubble central. If later on you drop the unit on the ground, check that it is still adjusted.

    Cheers
    Roger

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Far West Wimmera
    Age
    63
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    4,049

    Default

    How do you use the water level to set the vial level? When you say long I am thinking loooonng. I have used water levels to set a laser level over a long distance. I use a garden hose with clear at the ends. Also cheap valves on each end to stop the water from sloshing out, and evaporating when not in use. This way the levels are the same later on.

    Usually you just flip the level end to end to even out the position of the bubble.

    I recall a thread about a video where the liquid used in the vial was butane. It was decided that this person must have got a bum steer.

    Dean

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    283

    Default

    a garden hose with clear at the ends
    Sounds perfect to me.
    I doubt you can flip this one end for end: I think it has a telescope for sighting. But there is an adjusting screw.

    Butane? Well, you could: it has very low viscosity and would work OK, but sealing the ends WOULD be difficult. VERY difficult.

    Cheers
    Roger

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    54
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    825

    Default

    That's a very nice looking level Bob, I love old surveyors equipment, something about all that brass. It might be worth contacting the owner of this site:

    Old Survey Instruments

    I've been meaning to contact him about a couple of compasses in my collection but haven't got around to it yet.
    Cheers,
    Greg.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Far West Wimmera
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    63
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    4,049

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rcaffin View Post
    a garden hose with clear at the ends
    Sounds perfect to me.
    I doubt you can flip this one end for end: I think it has a telescope for sighting. But there is an adjusting screw.

    Butane? Well, you could: it has very low viscosity and would work OK, but sealing the ends WOULD be difficult. VERY difficult.

    Cheers
    Roger
    Yeah, I was just looking at the vial part. Forgot the actual use.

    Sealing the ends? Just hold it up to a fla poof!

    Dean

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mackay North Qld
    Posts
    6,446

    Default

    Bob's title specified a glass vial .

    The level vial is 8" ,some 200mm long and obviously very difficult to get.

    Normal size vials aren't so easily available so expect this one, some 4 x times times longer than most vials, to be exceedingly so.

    A plastic vial in place of a glass vial on a beautiful instrument such as this one would be sacrilege.I assumed that that Bob would elect to go for a high quality refurbish route on this one.

    The link provided

    https://www.leveldevelopments.com/products/vials/

    is for an English company that can provide glass vials even to the point of custom vial manufacture which I believe this level will surely require.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Charlestown NSW
    Age
    65
    Posts
    1,669

    Default

    Looks lovely all polished up, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was painted black when it was new. We have a display case at work in the Surveying dept with a variety of old instruments, at least one that is similar to this one and all the old ones are painted black.
    peter

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    sandstone point queensland
    Age
    69
    Posts
    182

    Default

    plenty of the stuff on ebay glass tubing ,shouldnt be that hard to bend slightly

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