Isn’t it interesting that things which sometimes appear to be really simple are actually really complicated and test all of our abilities to get them to where we want them to be? Such is the case with the video below. A fascinating look at the restoration of a level from the 1870s which requires an amazing array of skills to get right. From welding cast iron right on down, this thing needs all the help it can get and the best part is it receives ALL the help!
It is amazing how ornate this baby is and when you get a look at the mechanism that truly makes this a “level/inclinometer” you’ll dig it. The thing is so crusty and old that it just looks like a decrepit hunk of cast iron railing before the restoration starts. Once it is done, the thing is functional art, which makes the whole process even more interesting.
So many times we love the projects that Hand Tool Rescue does because of their near Rube Goldberg complexity. This time it is the hidden complexity of an amazing tool that was made just after the Civil War!
