starter or bendix that is the question

hey guys ,so i put my new pistons in and went to start the car and starter was bad i took it apart and graphite inside case was broken and inside was rusty.icleaned and put starterback together and its not engaging with bendix.i ordered a new starter but it wont be here till end of the week.the car started when i put it in the garage at the begining of the day so my question is do you guys think my bedix is bad or did i put the starter together wrong i moved bendix to see if it was frozen when the starter was out.is that how to check bendix?thanks guys im dying to know if i rebuilt the top end right[1st time].lol thanks guys this site is the s#%t