Birmingham Spirit Level

[iNf]

I've heard of a Birmingham screwdriver (and used one 'occasionally') but not a Birmingham spirit level

 

[Morrisman]

Looks alright to me.

 

[Mark 5]

Socket don't look level either.

 

[Mark 2]

Socket don't look level either.

Not now Morrisman's extraordinary
photoshop skills have made there self's known.

 

[carbonarc]

Someone has tried to do a good job in a house suffering from bad subsidence!

 

[iNf]

Someone has tried to do a good job in a house suffering from bad subsidence!

I'll have you know it's a high end establishment.......Birmingham Central Travelodge .....tbf it could be the floor is out

 

[bricol]

I swear your average tradesman working in hotels around the world, not just Birmingham either doesn't own a spirit level, or the one they do own is badly worn at one end. I suspect most of them don't own a tape measure either - or if two of them do, the one doing the measuring has one with a missing bit, and the one doing the cutting has an intact one - or there's some worldwide law I'm unaware of that requires all hotel doors to have a clear gap of 10mm/3/8" all round to the frame, and more to the floor if possible, to maximise the chance of sound in the hall to escape the passageways . . .

 

[m_c]

It probably was level to start with, but somebody will have leaned on it and bent the mounting bracket.

 

[DAPPH]

If it was mounted in to a plaster board based wall it was likely the reason for the tilt.
A place in Kilburn London by the underground station we stayed as an Air B&B for a week was sound proofed with the carboard honey comb between plaster boards . Every electrical fitting was badly out of level , the wall heater switched socket was hanging by the mains input cable at one end , the other end had a cavity wall anchor about to tear out the wall .
Both sets of single beds were strung up with white plastic cable ties in place of most of the mattress suspension system . They promptly snapped when I sat on the corner of the nearest bed & the other when our 14 yr old skinny fat rat daughter sat on her bed
The massive TV in the lounge was propped up with books at one end as the stand had been smashed at some time or other

 

[iNf]

It will seem level by the time we get back to the room

 

[Ian X]

The rad is plumb and the lekky socket, floor and skirting are way off, the floor must be pretty steep if it's a hallway. I am surprised there is no handrope to enable the ascent.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Obviously not the situation in this case - but it reminds me that I've lost count of the times when working in old buildings I'll come across some smart **** who will have installed something perfectly level.
Despite the fact the building has shifted over the years and everything else is now at a slight angle....
If you catch them at it, when you comment on the fact it sticks out like a sore thumb - the answer will always be, "yeah but my bits level mate".

I'll always check the obvious straight lines in a room, skirting, picture rail, coving, windows etc and just match it to that.
In my experience, unless its critical to the function, the customer doesn't care if it is level - only that it looks it.

 

[DAPPH]

We were having black out roller blinds fitted in the bedrooms the whole bungalow is four inches higher at the diametrically opposite corner , so you can imaginer having a two inch or more off / out of level concrete 2 mtr long lintel on each window made the slope look even worse
The guy who measured up a few week before hand didn't know where to take the measurements , so I suggested that he use the coving as a reference point at least it would draw the eye to something looking parallel and not a wedge of cheese.
Come fitting day I wasn't too well so sat in the lounge whilst the hunky blind man fitted them .

He called out, " Can you comer here and tell me what to do " , Alison went .
A minute or so later I hear this rhythmic banging noise and Alison calling out in response to the bangs , " More , more ,a bit more , no too much , no a bit more , more , more ! " .

I get on my crutches and go to the bedroom whilst she is still calling out in a breathless voice ,.

She is bouncing on the bed (In front of a pin pong ball eyed guy who thinks his boat has come in ) saying it's the only way to get them level " .


I laughed , " Al , the lying bas***d is not a blindman at all, he's watching your tits bounce up and down ".

Suddenly it dawned upon her what had happened , she fled off the bed calling me " illegitimate " & shot into the lounge slamming the door like a 25 pounder sounds when it's being fired .
Even now 12 yrs later it still brings out a lovely blush when we talk of getting new blinds or made to measure curtains from " The Blindman ".

 

[Farside]

I've heard of a Birmingham screwdriver (and used one 'occasionally') but not a Birmingham spirit level
View attachment 484706

I had a word with the installer, and he said it was fine when he left.

 

[Domdom]

That guy is an instructor at the local firing range.

 

[droopsnoot]

Obviously not the situation in this case - but it reminds me that I've lost count of the times when working in old buildings I'll come across some smart **** who will have installed something perfectly level.

That reminds me of when we had our company handyman come in and fit some monitor mounts to a wall in our server room, which had painted breeze blocks as the interior wall finish because it started out as part of the warehouse. He went and measured up, and before he started the job asked me "do you want them level, or matching the level of the breeze blocks?" Of course, if he'd done them level they'd have looked odd. I must admit I'd never have thought of it.

 

[Robotstar5]

That reminds me of when we had our company handyman come in and fit some monitor mounts to a wall in our server room, which had painted breeze blocks as the interior wall finish because it started out as part of the warehouse. He went and measured up, and before he started the job asked me "do you want them level, or matching the level of the breeze blocks?" Of course, if he'd done them level they'd have looked odd. I must admit I'd never have thought of it.

Like when we used to install robot welding cells, the guy who did the laying out was a stickler for getting stuff square and true, on one job the company complained the new cell wasn't square to the machine next to it, Alan said "it's square to the building, your machine isn't"

 

[8ob]

I've heard of a Birmingham screwdriver (and used one 'occasionally') but not a Birmingham spirit level
View attachment 484706

I reckon its been installed by an ex numberplate fitter.

Bob

 

[Morrisman]

That reminds me of when we had our company handyman come in and fit some monitor mounts to a wall in our server room, which had painted breeze blocks as the interior wall finish because it started out as part of the warehouse. He went and measured up, and before he started the job asked me "do you want them level, or matching the level of the breeze blocks?" Of course, if he'd done them level they'd have looked odd. I must admit I'd never have thought of it.

Mum and dad had this constantly with my dad’s DIY. He’d put something up level, whereas the house was anything but level. Mum would see it, and then the bickering would start.

 

[Domdom]

I reckon its been installed by an ex numberplate fitter.

Bob

Don't get me started on that one. Just put the Spanish plates on my car. Was Spanish originally, then came to the UK for a few years where the utter moron who fitted the UK plates opted not to use the captive nuts in the tailgate, but instead just ran some tek screws through the sheet metal. I, of course, drilled the new plate correctly and found some correct thread machine screws, but now i have to drill out the tek screw holes a bit to get rid of the rust, apply some paint and then grommet the holes. All cos some ignorant, ham-fisted, lazy, moron couldn't be bothered to do the job right.

And (some) mechanics wonder why Engineers hate them