Scales. What kind do you use and why?

[lloyd]

Well, then, take this as a tactful request: Please show us what you've accomplished.

 

Quite unlike what you wrote, I'm always open to new ideas. That's how I make my living.

 

You've made some very high claims. All I want is to see it in action (with enough detail such that nobody could claim the evidence was 'tampered with'). I happen to be agricultural by late upbringing and nature, also. I was an Army brat until age 11, then we moved to the country, and started growing crops and livestock for real. Not "large scale", but you can do a lot with 20 acres. I have a herd on the back-10 right now, and five in hay.

 

Farmers aren't 'lowly'; they're the backbone of our country.

 

C'mon! Get off your 'offended' position, and please show us. It's not an unreasonable request.

 

Lloyd

[Mumbles]

Mostly this has nothing to do with scales. The applications, and plausibility or not, really is totally irrelevant. I would greatly appreciate it if you could get things back to the topic of interest, or at least take your interpersonal matters to personal message.

 

I had this scale for a number of years, and really liked it for small scale measurements. I believe a combination of dust accumulation and accidentally setting something heavy on it finally killed it. It wasn't an option when I got mine, but comes with a windscreen now. It should help prevent any sort of feline attack.

 

http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-ibalance-201.html

[lloyd]

Mumbles,

I agree. But since it's also an important topic, instead of moving it to PMs, is there a way to perpetuate that portion of the thread under a new title?

 

I gave (and he acknowledged) some reasonable scale information in the process, but got distracted. A different thread would give the situation its proper place.

 

Lloyd

[CaverCork]

Thank you Mumbles. I was about to say the same thing, but much, much less delicately.

[CaverCork]

Seriously, what evidence would you accept short of the manufacturing details? I could put 20 grams of flash in a block, video it, and probably do the same thing and say it was my "magic substance". I could use ETN and do the same thing, but you are just going to whine and berate me. I might even use my new method for detonating Yellow Powder. I don't have any equipment for measuring pressures and speed, so what is the point? You are just being an asshole and don't like being called on it. I am done with you, so rant and rave and accuse all you want. Now if anyone would like to put this thread back on topic...

There! Said less delicately!

 

Caver

[lloyd]

I will move this to a different thread.

 

L

[schroedinger]

Caver, why do you get so upset, he didn't ask for all the things you implement, the easiest way would be to just take a camera and a phone. You film the phone with date & time all during the video using a website clock. Film the charge, the empty hole in the concrete (if you need one) go back and fire it up. All in one video without a cut and the clock to be seen all time and you have enough proof. And if you are concerned that someone claims you put to much charge in there, just weight it before inserting. But there is no reason to go on such a rant.

[MrB]

I had this scale for a number of years, and really liked it for small scale measurements. I believe a combination of dust accumulation and accidentally setting something heavy on it finally killed it. It wasn't an option when I got mine, but comes with a windscreen now. It should help prevent any sort of feline attack.

 

http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-ibalance-201.html

 

 

Looks like a good unit from the quick glance i gave it, but it only calibrates to 1 point, 200gr. Is a calibration weight included from the manufacturer, or is that a "Olds Wills" specially? Asking mostly since the quality of the weight is as important as the scale, and i didn't find any info on it. No clue is given in the manual which states that calibration should be done with:

**you must have an accurate 100 gram weight or combination of weights in order to calibrate**

But doesn't mention how to acquire them, which is what i'd expect, if that's your problem, not theirs. If they supply it, the wording generally is more along the lines of "use the provided 100 gram weight, or equivalent"

Anyway, if it's 0.005gr accurate, and gives repeatable results, at that price... that is not bad. Impressive, even.

B!

[CaverCork]

Well it is like this. It's not something I leave in a jar by the door and it takes about a week to manufacture, milling, nitrification, deacidification, drying time and all. It's not easy to make. It all began with a lab accident resulting in the loss of another batch of explosive. Upon disposal, the refuse exploded in open air, something I was not expecting at all. So I recreated and refined the accident into something workable. I don't need any right now and I am geared for an entirely different project, which is on hold due to a lack of a working scale. The lack of a scale means I can't produce anything right now, not even BP. He attacked me chanting liar and demanding proof, not the other way around. The block was reduced to rubble. The windshield was broken. Even I was a bit stunned by the results, but since the formula works very effectively in the field against very dense limestone that's impervious to other deflagrants that WILL crack concrete, I personally have all of the proof I need. My hypothesis, unprovable by me, so it's only a hypothesis, is the mix undergoes a DDT under pressure. I don't have another explanation as to why it performs so well. Since I do not have the facilities or equipment to prove this or anything to him befitting his Godly standard, I will not succumb to his little bratty witch hunt. And I have read his little tantrum thread and I thought this kind of behavior was prohibited here. I have already asked a moderator to address the issue or remove me from the forum. And given this is the third asshole I've dealt with, I prefer removal. This is my last statement on the issue. If it is not scale related, it will be ignored. Y'all can go have a field day on his post maligning my character. Really, why would I make up such a story? It serves no purpose other than to gain scorn. I'm not that stupid.

[rogeryermaw]

Umm...in my "blasted" days (hee hee) I might suggest checking your local "head shops". If you're anywhere near a major metropolis, they should be plentiful and you know those wacky ol dope dealers! Pretty nit picky about fractions of a gram. You could probably find a scale for .1 gram res and milligram res and walk away with both for under $100. Worth a look anyway.

[lloyd]

B,

You are correct that it's a good price for a scale that accurate.

 

I was surprised to find that the A&D balances I purchase for clients' machines read to 0.01g, but report out their RS-232 ports to 0.005g, and pretty repeatably.

 

It makes me wonder if some manufacturers put the same load cell mechanism in all of their scales of a certain limit weight, and only alter the precision of the display to meet their desired "price point".

 

Lloyd

[MrB]

It makes me wonder if some manufacturers put the same load cell mechanism in all of their scales of a certain limit weight, and only alter the precision of the display to meet their desired "price point".

 

Makes sense. Especially if they can use (mostly) the same components in the rest of the electronics as well.

 

Slight diversion. When picking a scale, for working with weights up to, or just over 1 kilo, would you all go for a 300gram max, 0.005gram accurate scale, or a 3 kilo max, with 0,1 accuracy?

In an ideal world, i would pick two, and use the small scale to measure up the chemicals, and put them in a container on the bigger unit, to get the grand total of the composition. Even if the "error" of the smaller and more accurate scale is in the same direction every time, the total weight is still "more statistically accurate" then if simply using the larger scale. And i'f your a little high on half the cups, and a little low on the rest, your even better of... But the idea is to have one scale. Would you go with the larger capacity one just so you could check the over all weight of the composition, making sure you got everything, and didn't forget anything?

 

Just thinking out loud really, i got curious. As we already established, for pyro, we don't really need better accuracy then el'cheapo kitchen scales provide.

B!

[lloyd]

B,

There is hardly any reason in the whole art of 'real' pyrotechnics where anything need be measured more accurately than to 1/2-percent.

 

To that end, your 3Kg x 0,1g balance would weigh to within 1/2 of one percent at 20g.

 

Most successful factories get by with much worse, by dint of employees failing to weigh carefully.

 

Lloyd

[Mumbles]

The scale came with a calibrating weight. I have no idea of the mass any more. It took me a while to figure it out actually. It came in a white plastic case, and you could hear something rattling around inside, but the mass was way off. I figured they sent me some piece of crap. It was probably 2-3 years after I got it that I was playing with the weight, and realized it was a removable case. There was a brass weight inside. When I tested it, the mass on the balance read true to within 0.02g of it's stated weight. I don't recall the exact mass. I even tested it on a professionally calibrated analytical balance at work, and sure enough that weight was actually pretty accurate. Surprised the hell out of me. Maybe they got lucky on that one.

 

The design has changed since I had mine, so I'm not sure if it's still the same anymore. The one I had I was happy with at least. It'd be worth it to track down some more recent reviews, since I bought mine about 13 years ago.

 

I had that one for precision work, and just a cheap postal scale for bigger stuff. It wasn't perfect, but at about $20 a pop killing one wasn't a big deal. It was the one I traveled with, so something cheap and replaceable was a must in case of accidents.

[MrB]

There is hardly any reason in the whole art of 'real' pyrotechnics where anything need be measured more accurately than to 1/2-percent.

 

To that end, your 3Kg x 0,1g balance would weigh to within 1/2 of one percent at 20g.

 

Most successful factories get by with much worse, by dint of employees failing to weigh carefully.

 

Yeah, fancy scales for pyro is just an expression for the gadget fetish. But i still use an old Nokia N9 (phone, 5 years old) so to keep my self from looking like a fool running for any new shiny item, if i want to geek out it's likely to be something people wont ever see. A new addition to the PC, a pyro "tool" or a kitchen appliance. Cant let the people around me really know i crave new and "interesting" stuff just as much as them. I get by just fine on the vintage kitchen scale, but you know... "Oh, shiny!"

 

 

Text.

 

Thank you for sharing that information.

B!

[Zingy]

My most frequently used scales, are antique candy scales. They normally have a stainless steel pan, that will hold a couple pounds, of light density chemicals, like powdered Charcoal. The one I use most frequently, measures,from one eight of a pound to fifteen pounds. It is easily cleaned, and portable. They are purchased, in antique stores, for usually between eighty and one hundred dollars. Don't forget to haggle, like asking, for a cash discount. We are not usually dealing with minute amounts.

 

The stainless steel pan is a removable handleless scoop, that can be used to scoop chemicals out of a bag or drum, or have chemicals also poured onto the pan, while it is on the scale. The scales can also take a lot of abuse.

Edited March 1, 2016 by Zingy

[Brightthermite]

I use a mechanical powder scale and it works wonderfully for mixing small composition.

[usapyro]

I use a 0.01g accuracy 100g limit ProScale in combination with a 1g accuracy 8kg limit scale. All electronic...

 

Small one is great for accuracy when testing, and large one is great for measuring bulk!

Edited July 7, 2017 by usapyro

[dagabu]

I forgot my food prep scale at home last time I built but had my HVACR equipment in the truck and found my Robinair scale to be capable of 1 gram resolution (tested against a jewelry scale) and has a 110 pound capacity.

 

For the money, this may be the best scale out there. I do a LOT of small appliance repair and some of the mini fridges only take a couple ounces of refrigerant. Over filling blows the compressor so resolution is important.

[davidh]

I've had this scale for many years: http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-ibalance-5500.html

[passgas]

I use 2 scales. I reload and have a lyman digital reloading scale. Super accurate and great for the small stuff. Then I have a 6# digital scale from walmart. Good to the .1 oz. Between these two I have it covered.

[MrB]

I do a LOT of small appliance repair and some of the mini fridges only take a couple ounces of refrigerant. Over filling blows the compressor so resolution is important.

 

Cool. Not sure how much we run in the trucks (tractor-trailer kind of truck.) but the scale bought for the purpose didn't work out so well, and we found out that it doesn't really seam to matter that much. That said, most the time we "cheat" and just top shit up, rather then scavenge all the gas, and replace it. I've been worrying about the oil content but that to seams so far to have been for no reason. Got trucks running at this point that has had no further action taken in 3-5 years, with no issues. I've been thinking about taking my aquarium cooler out there since it seams to start having "problems keeping up" but that if anything would count as a tiny system, so perhaps that is a bad idea.