# Starrett No 199 Master Precision Level Cleaned Up Nice!



## coolidge (Apr 5, 2015)

I scored this on ebay recently for $289, yesterday I cleaned off all the sticky inspection labels and goo and it cleaned up real nice. Man but 3M adhesive remover stinks to high heaven.


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## kd4gij (Apr 5, 2015)

Nice you did good.


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## rgray (Apr 5, 2015)

Beautiful tool. I'd trade you my Chinese one for it any day.


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## george wilson (Apr 8, 2015)

I have one of those in mint condition. Be advised that those always have their bases scraped slightly hollow. When I use mine to level a lathe,I always make sure that I put the level on the parallels in exactly the same place when doing both ends of the lathe bed.

Not a bad idea to mark the sides of the level with a magic marker to show exactly where to set the level on the parallels consistently.


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## coolidge (Apr 9, 2015)

George I just cleaned the magic marker off the sides, I was wondering why it was marked up lol.


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## george wilson (Apr 9, 2015)

It is always cool when by some miracle,you can find out why some obscure thing was done to old equipment before you got it.


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## RJSakowski (Apr 9, 2015)

Nice level George.  It appears pristine.

I use WD40 for removing those pesky labels.  It is generally not harmful to plastic or painted surfaces and it doesn't have the obnoxious smell of the solvents.  It doesn't dissolve the rubber based adhesives but softens them enough to wipe them off easily.  Remove as much of the label as possible for quicker action.  Other light oils or mineral spirits will also work although, in my experience, not as well.


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## The Liberal Arts Garage (Oct 9, 2016)

Use Goof - Off--- best for this sort of thing..........BLJHB


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## co1859 (Oct 9, 2016)

Very nice find.


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## Uglydog (Oct 9, 2016)

George Wilson,
Please elaborate what do mean: 





george wilson said:


> those always have their bases scraped slightly hollow.


Where is the hollow?
Do you think this is intentional?
Why?

Daryl
MN


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## 4GSR (Oct 9, 2016)

Darly,

It's mainly done to prevent the level from rocking on high center on a machine way or table. You're only talking about a half of a tenth or so if even that. Ken


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## Uglydog (Oct 9, 2016)

4gsr,
Thanks I've got one with a divit. Presumably dropped. 
Really, I didn't do it.
Someday I hope to get around to scraping her in.

Daryl
MN


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## Sendit (Oct 10, 2016)

How do you go about calibrating these?

awesome find!


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## george wilson (Oct 10, 2016)

I could do without that annoying little hollow on the bottom of my Starrett Master level. I ALWAYS WEAR THICK COTTON GLOVES WHEN HANDLING MY LEVELS TO AVOID HEAT GETTING TRANSFERRED TO THEM. When setting the level across parallels on my long lathe,I always make sure I set the base of the level on exactly the same spots every time I move it. It is a good idea to mark 2 places with a marker on the side of the level,and always set the parallels there.

I also have the 12 inch" Starrett "Mechanic's level.(Mind you,I got these levels USED!)  The Master is so sensitive it can be a bit of trouble !  I sometimes use the Mechanic's Level to get started,then use the Master level once I've gotten everything close. In reality,if you are careful about exactly where the bubble is,you can just use the Mechanic's Level and be done with it. You could just mark where the bubble is with a fine marker before you move the mechanic's level to the other end of the lathe.

There are simple techniques to get the bed of your lathe straight WITHOUT the use of a level at all. Maybe I'll post how to do that so everyone can find it.

Daryl: hopefully,the divot will not affect the accuracy of your level.


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## Uglydog (Oct 10, 2016)

george wilson,
I ended up with two master 199s and a 98.
All used. Both the 199s are equally fussy. Sounds like the same fussy you have. 
I clearly don't need two! Was hoping to pretty it up and sell it.

Daryl
MN


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## Heckle and Jeckle (Oct 11, 2016)

Good looking tool, has a first class professional look about it.

Not to hijack the thread, what are anyone's thoughts regarding a digital level ?


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## Tony Wells (Oct 12, 2016)

Most of what are simply digital levels don't come close to a good precision bubble level. The next step up in measuring deviation from horizontal are inclinometers. Wyler is one of a few makers of such instruments. Here's a nice one, but better get your black Amex out.

http://www.penntoolco.com/wyler-fowler-nivelswiss-d-digital-inclinometer-formerly-niveltronic/


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## JimDawson (Oct 12, 2016)

Yeah...........That's a bit pricey


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## Tony Wells (Oct 12, 2016)

I have one of the Clinotronic instruments, and it is invaluable for what it is. It is NOT a precision level though. IIRC, it's accurate to <3 minutes of arc.I like it because I can use it for relative measurements. I can (without disturbing datum I) set it on a surface and zero it, then move it to another and measure the angle between those two. Or can switch back to the original datum and check their absolute angles relative to level. I have checked it against a precision level, and it reads in agreement to the extent of the travel of the level, which of course isn't much. These inclinometers usually can measure up to 45° deviation from level, some to 90° and some even 360°. It all depends on what you want to spend.


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