Redding Scale Beam Dampening

[paul edward]

My 1962 vintage Redding Powder Scale has a well for oil and a paddle on the beam to dampen swing movement. Recently noticed a tendency for the oil to wick out of the well and all over the scale and shelf on my reloading bench. Any suggestions on type of dampening fluid?

[lightman]

Lightweight machine oil is what most use. I run my Herters without any oil. It takes it a little while to settle without oil. I think Redding probably made my Herters scale.

[farmerjim]

If the pan is aluminum or brass, you can put a strong magnet under the pan. The movement of the pan will generate eddy currents that will slow down the oscillation of the beam.

[Pavogrande]

I have the same scale, same age. Stopped using oii a month after i got it. The wicking oil negated any benefit.
I read the scale while it is still moving anyway -- +5 to - 5 equals zero --

[Hardcast416taylor]

I have the same scale, same age. Stopped using oii a month after i got it. The wicking oil negated any benefit.
I read the scale while it is still moving anyway -- +5 to - 5 equals zero --

Same as with me and my #1 Redding scale. I got it in early `60`s from P&S Sales in Tulsa for about $10 as I recall. I still use the scale minus any dampening oil as I`ve become adept at `reading` the pointer swing for more or less powder.Robert

[paul edward]

Thanks for the feedback. I have also used this scale without the dampening. Must learn patience.

[Pavogrande]

It does not require too much patience -
All these small scales, at least i think so, are knife edge scales and should be read while still moving.
In fact they are often not accurate at rest --
I think this was taught in high school chemistry --- well in my time, probably use atomic or some such today.

[Walks]

I use 30w in mine. Got an old glass eye dropper to fill and remove oil from reservoir.

[TNsailorman]

Same here Walks, 30 weight oil and no problems. I too remove the oil and put it in a little glass bottle until I use it again. james

[DonMountain]

I always used my similar Pacific scale without any oil for dampening. Then, I decided to find out what oil would do for me and bought a small bottle of "sewing machine oil" from WalMart. What a difference that made. Measurements went much faster and seemed to make the scale more accurate. And I just made a cardboard box cover to put over it when not in use. Convenient on a flat table that is not cluttered with reloading stuff. And that induced me to completely clean up my reloading table and organize everything in a certain place! And that looked so good that I organized and labeled everything in containers in my entire reloading shop! And it doesn't appear that leaving this "sewing machine oil" in the scale makes it weep out. So, maybe different oils have different tendencies to weep up the sides of the paddle tub and out. Possibly the heavier oils weep more than a thin oil, without any advantages to speed of operation of the scale?

[gwpercle]

My 1962 vintage Redding Powder Scale has a well for oil and a paddle on the beam to dampen swing movement. Recently noticed a tendency for the oil to wick out of the well and all over the scale and shelf on my reloading bench. Any suggestions on type of dampening fluid?

I used a Redding #1 for 40 years with 3 in 1 oil...can we say messy ? Some druggie creep stole my scale and I replaced it with an RCBS 5-0-5 off E-Bay , magnetic dampened...can we say sweet and worth every penny ?
I wish I had replaced that stupid oil dampened scale years ago. You are supposed to empty the oil container after each use....but you could have a pinhole in the casting letting the oil "leak " out.
I started using mine dry....but it takes " A While" to come to -.5 to +.5 swinging zero ...trust me ...any magnetic dampened scale beats the oil dampener Seven ways to Sunday.
If I still had it I would try mineral/baby oil fill and remove with an eye dropper, I like the way baby oil smells...brings back some nice memories.
Gary

[ulav8r]

I use an oil dampened scale dry part of the time. I dump a charge in the pan, then stop the swing and bring the pointer near zero. I then release it slowly and 2-3 swings of the pointer show if it is high or low. Thinking about it now, if I supported the pan from underneath while moving it to zero, it might be easier to release without swinging by just moving my hand down. It works about as well as my Ohaus 1010.

[farmerjim]

What is the paddle made out of? If it is not magnetic, you could glue a couple of neodymium magnets into the sides of the well.