Hi
A friend gave me Stanley Sweetheart no. 36, 9”, cast iron spirit level, visibly used but in good condition. The japanning seems to be original. Most likely the plumb vials have been replaced as, in contrast with the center vial, they are just too shiny and bright, and the rings are painted instead of engraved as is the case with the center vial.
The frame carries no patent nos. According to the info in http://virginiatoolworks.com/2012/04/19 ... weetheart/ , the shape of the logo would indicate a date of manufacture in the range 1923-1932.
As I don’t intend to use this level, I still didn’t bother to check the alignment of the vials.
The level came stored in a very sturdy metal case (the case actually weighs as much as the level, 500g (17.5 oz.) each according to my kitchen scale), rather well made, felt-lined on the inside, perfectly fitting. Unfortunately, it has very obviously been “cleaned” by someone who didn’t know what he was doing, as in some places it shows deep scratches, also marks left by some kind of small rotary instrument. It bears no markings at all. I have no idea whether it was a production item – the very few catalogues I saw didn’t carry any mention of cases - or if it was custom-made. I only managed to find one picture of a case for a no. 36, but of a different design, in http://lumberjocks.com/topics/54373.
There always seems to appear a number of no. 36 Stanley levels for sale in the auction sites, usually of the larger sizes, from 12” on up. Not that many SW, though, and even less 9”, which usually carry higher price tags than the larger sizes (better forget about the 6” size...). I wonder why that scarcity of offers in the smaller sizes?
Anyway, there it is, and I am well pleased with this new toy.
A friend gave me Stanley Sweetheart no. 36, 9”, cast iron spirit level, visibly used but in good condition. The japanning seems to be original. Most likely the plumb vials have been replaced as, in contrast with the center vial, they are just too shiny and bright, and the rings are painted instead of engraved as is the case with the center vial.
The frame carries no patent nos. According to the info in http://virginiatoolworks.com/2012/04/19 ... weetheart/ , the shape of the logo would indicate a date of manufacture in the range 1923-1932.
As I don’t intend to use this level, I still didn’t bother to check the alignment of the vials.
The level came stored in a very sturdy metal case (the case actually weighs as much as the level, 500g (17.5 oz.) each according to my kitchen scale), rather well made, felt-lined on the inside, perfectly fitting. Unfortunately, it has very obviously been “cleaned” by someone who didn’t know what he was doing, as in some places it shows deep scratches, also marks left by some kind of small rotary instrument. It bears no markings at all. I have no idea whether it was a production item – the very few catalogues I saw didn’t carry any mention of cases - or if it was custom-made. I only managed to find one picture of a case for a no. 36, but of a different design, in http://lumberjocks.com/topics/54373.
There always seems to appear a number of no. 36 Stanley levels for sale in the auction sites, usually of the larger sizes, from 12” on up. Not that many SW, though, and even less 9”, which usually carry higher price tags than the larger sizes (better forget about the 6” size...). I wonder why that scarcity of offers in the smaller sizes?
Anyway, there it is, and I am well pleased with this new toy.
