Cats....grrrrrrrr. Now my beam scale sticks. It used to be so accurate.

[Land Owner]

The cats roam the house and at least one of them likes my reloading bench. I found my beam scale "disassembled", beam askew, pan missing, and now the scale "sticks" rather than gently dampen to arrest pan movement.

Zero point one grain (0.10 gr.) trickling reliability has gone out of the window. I have trickled as much, or more, than half a grain before the scale over reacted. I no longer trust the scale.

Is there a fix for this? I have tried to softly and gently clean the "knife edge" fulcrum and its agate rest. There is no dust, no dirt, no noticeable ding, twist, or bend in any part. I do not understand why it "sticks" rather than gently settle into balance.

Is there a dry lube? I am stuck...and disappointed. Live with cats and happy wife, or...

[farmerjim]

Use the oil from rendered cat fat to lube the scale.
I have 4 cats and love them all. But they can get into trouble often.
If it is sticking, something has to be touching, or the knife edge has a small ding in it. Try looking at it with a strong magnifying glass.

[DocSavage]

If it's an RCBS scale they might repair it for free or replace it,give them a call what's the worst they can say other than "No".

[Wayne Smith]

Or your beam might be slightly sprung.

[1Hawkeye]

Don't feel to bad. A buddy of mines cat used his big Dillon tumbler as a litter box for about a week cause he didn't put the lid back on it.

[William Yanda]

THAT'S why they make those covers for scales. I always wondered.

[onelight]

Don't feel to bad. A buddy of mines cat used his big Dillon tumbler as a litter box for about a week cause he didn't put the lid back on it.
That is funny .
Does he get rude comments about how his ammo smells ?

[jaguarxk120]

A friend accidently closed one of their cat's in the ammo locker!
For about six weeks he had to shoot downwind at his trap club.
The cat had to go and sprayed all of his trap loads.

[MarkW]

I'd aggressively but gently clean the pivot points with solvent then use a magnifying glass to inspect the knife edge. If it still sticks I'd second calling RCBS, they have outstanding customer support.

[Walks]

My Beam scale goes back in the boxes soon as the last bullet is seated.
46yrs going strong RCBS 10-10.

[Winger Ed.]

I used to keep my Hornady on the bench for years too....... until it trashed out like yours did.
Now I store the new one in a cabinet with the beam taken off.

[FISH4BUGS]

My Beam scale goes back in the boxes soon as the last bullet is seated.
46yrs going strong RCBS 10-10.

Ditto here. Probably 40 years though.

[Land Owner]

Not too-too long ago I bought a 10-10 from a member here at a "going rate" and not discounted. I had wanted one for a long-long time.
He must have damaged it and didn't say in the classified ad. I "fixed" the dinged part - the "zero line" at the fixed end of the beam - but that scale sticks too so as a "fall back" position, it sux.

I had not thought of RCBS Customer Service. I have needed them in the past, while reloading or in case prep, when I was deeply invested in it and something busted. they have rescued me a time or two. Honestly, I do not want to "abuse" them for something that I did (the cat or others that pawned it off on me). I know RCBS is no questions asked. I know if we gall it, mash it, ham hand it into oblivion, or for whatever reason that only God knows, it fails to function, RCBS will (ordinarily) fix or replace it - free.

OK, RCBS Customer Service praise over. I'll call them. going to be "down" for a little while in reloading, right when I wanted to get something done too...

[W.R.Buchanan]

My Beam scale goes back in the boxes soon as the last bullet is seated.
46yrs going strong RCBS 10-10.

I do this too with my 10/10. I also have a small Redding Beam Scale I bought when I started Reloading in 1971 It sits atop my loading bench and I blow it off with the air hose occasionally. It works just fine but my cat has never gotten to it. He doesn't like my shop very much and stays out mostly. He comes into visit occasionally but never stays too long. If the air hose is shot he becomes a AA Fuel Dragster . He does like to knock stuff over on my desk and other places.

He's a pretty good cat.

Meet Taz:

Randy

[Winger Ed.]

. He does like to knock stuff over on my desk and other places.

That's how we know the earth is indeed round/sphere-ish.

If it was flat, cats would have pushed everything off the edge by now.

[jim147]

I do this too with my 10/10. I also have a small Redding Beam Scale I bought when I started Reloading in 1971 It sits atop my loading bench and I blow it off with the air hose occasionally. It works just fine but my cat has never gotten to it. He doesn't like my shop very much and stays out mostly. He comes into visit occasionally but never stays too long. If the air hose is shot he becomes a AA Fuel Dragster . He does like to knock stuff over on my desk and other places.

He's a pretty good cat.

Meet Taz:

Randy

Not to thread drift but I will. Have you seen the newest altered record? 4.92 with a zero at 304 mph.

[1hole]

Is there a fix for this? I have tried to softly and gently clean the "knife edge" fulcrum and its agate rest. There is no dust, no dirt, no noticeable ding, twist, or bend in any part. I do not understand why it "sticks" rather than gently settle into balance...

Look again.

The only thing that can produce your problem is something that slightly interferes with beam movement; something is binding the pivot shaft in the bearing cuts. The only things which can produce that effect in a clean Ohaus scale is a dinged or badly dulled knife edge, a broken agate V block OR a bent pivot shaft.

Do not lubricate anything on the scale, all that will do is collect dust.

People have their own opinion about the value of cats. Mine is they make a great media for testing the terminal effects of varmint bullets.

[Baltimoreed]

My wife’s Himalayan decided that my old lee lead melter needed to be ‘marked’. Why in the world did he think that was a good spot? My wife thought it was funny. Next time I cast it was pretty rough for a while.

[Mk42gunner]

That ranks right up there with using used kitty litter for a barrier on top of the melt.

I hope you had your wife in the same room when you heated it up.

Robert

[uscra112]

You don't want to know what they did to my model airplane workshop before I locked them out of it.

A shot of Brakleen on the agates might dislodge some bit of kitty litter the cat tracked in.

[Gundogx2]

I have a recipes and they skin like rabbits
Just saying[emoji81]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scrounge]

That's how we know the earth is indeed round/sphere-ish.

If it was flat, cats would have pushed everything off the edge by now.

Oh, yes! Woke to SWMBO bad-mouthing her kitten, who dumped a glass of water on her hair dryer thing she uses for artwork and her cell phone this morning at 0-dark-30. It was grumpy because she was doing art instead of petting the cat.

[Scrounge]

I have a recipes and they skin like rabbits
Just saying[emoji81]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do not say that where my wife can hear it. You will get shot repeatedly. Several times. In places that will hurt a lot, but won't put you out of your misery. She loves kitties. Even when they're being really bad kitties. ;)

[GregLaROCHE]

Cats can be really bad and destroy things. I wonder why we put up with them in the house, but we do.

[Scrounge]

Cats can be really bad and destroy things. I wonder why we put up with them in the house, but we do.

They help us put things in perspective. Sometimes they will even bring you a cricket. (Caused much screaming at the time, but would have been worse if it was a mouse. Poor kitty was most confused! :)

[Mr_Sheesh]

My Alpha Male back some time ago got his 18# self caught on the Ethernet 10Base2 cable between my 2 main computers, and started to panic, pulling hard to get free. He finally broke the cable, good because each of those weighed 80# or so (SCSI full height drives, heavy but live forever!) But that causes the LAN to crash so I had to replace that cable fast.

I made the computer room a "No kitties" room, and he abided by it, but didn't like it. He'd sit at the doorway communing with me. I probably will have one no cats room when I move, for chemistry / casting and other cat-unfriendly tasks.

I imagine small kids are as much a danger to a reloading bench as cats, and can imagine puppies could get into lots of trouble in the same area.

Best to lock costly things behind a critter-proof barrier when not in use, definitely.

(My younger critter is rattle-purring in front of me, the very picture of feline innocence, right now. Cute :))

[Scrounge]

My Alpha Male back some time ago got his 18# self caught on the Ethernet 10Base2 cable between my 2 main computers, and started to panic, pulling hard to get free. He finally broke the cable, good because each of those weighed 80# or so (SCSI full height drives, heavy but live forever!) But that causes the LAN to crash so I had to replace that cable fast.

I made the computer room a "No kitties" room, and he abided by it, but didn't like it. He'd sit at the doorway communing with me. I probably will have one no cats room when I move, for chemistry / casting and other cat-unfriendly tasks.

I imagine small kids are as much a danger to a reloading bench as cats, and can imagine puppies could get into lots of trouble in the same area.

Best to lock costly things behind a critter-proof barrier when not in use, definitely.

(My younger critter is rattle-purring in front of me, the very picture of feline innocence, right now. Cute :))

Tell me they don't know when you're talking about them. ;) Most of the kitties in this household love the mommie, and tolerate me. That's OK, mommie needs the love. I'm OK with the dog being the one who really, really loves me. :) They wander through the shop areas, but don't hang out there. Mr. Dog hangs with me whenever he can.

[Land Owner]

RCBS Customer Service says they no longer have ANY spare parts for beam scales made by Ohaus. That eliminates RCBS review and repair of the 5-0-5 and 10-10 as Mfg'd by Ohaus. So I will try brake cleaner on the agate surfaces, magnify the knife edges to look for irregularities, LIGHTLY stone any irregularity with a steady hand, double check for any binding. If all else fails, start fresh with a new beam scale to quiet my safety concern, KEEP THE CATS out of the reloading room, AND put the scales AWAY when not in use.

I enjoy my cats (her cats), who mostly tolerate me, one even bites (sometimes)! "Sissy" is on my list, as I try to quiet her "fraidy cat" defenses. As a dumpster rescue at 5 weeks old, she had acquired survival instincts that didn't subside in a cat friendly and safe environment. My "fraidy cat" is the biggest, potentially toughest, hardest biting, hardest clawing, no holds barred, but LOWEST self esteem cat I have known. She's an inside cat that slinks from room to room though there has NEVER been a threat to her here in the year and a half since her adoption. If someone knocks on the front door, she immediately hides beneath the couch. It is difficult to know or fathom what she went through to get so scared early in her life that it stuck after being rescued. She's in love with and will tolerate, to a degree, being pinned and "mouth mauled" by my Wirehaired Terrier, "Max". She takes HIS abuse, loves him still, purrr's at him, rubs up against him (which, like a GOOD DOG, he hates), and she even FIGHTS BACK when he pins her, but she DOES NOT GO for his proverbial "Jugular Vein" in her biting and scratching back at him - like playing more than afraid defense. Go figure.

[ioon44]

That's how we know the earth is indeed round/sphere-ish.

If it was flat, cats would have pushed everything off the edge by now.

Yes I can agree that.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Scrounge, I know they understand a lot of English. Older kitty will hop off me if I ask her to, with occasional grumbling as one could expect, if she was really comfy, and sometimes you have to wake her up first or talk her into it. Fairly often she hops back on right after I move or return from the restroom or whatever. She was from a hoarder house and she just plain knows she's safe here, and appreciates it!

Land Owner, they sell "Feliway" plug in scent units that can really help, they are like those fresh scent modules some folks use, but emit cat pheromones that say "I live here." to cats. That will help, as will having anyone who shows up feed treats to the kitty (maybe at first just put treats in a plate and put that where kitty can get to it after they feel safe.) It definitely takes time and energy and loving to help a cat feel safe, when they went through any sort of trauma early on. Same as for dogs or humans. It's good that she has a friend, that will help!

Older kitty still has nightmares but less and less often, I just gently stroke her and tell her she's safe, it helps, she calms down.

She doesn't know how to spell "t r e a t" yet but she sure recognizes the word. Those are a great resource for making a kitty or dog feel safe, don't make it the only one, use praise a LOT too, but it helps give them an excuse to get involved with you. Does Sissy accept treats if you offer them from your hand? Or set between you and her?

I, too, oopsed and had a scale "negatively impacted" by a furkid, trick is to learn and not do it again :)

[Ford SD]

One thing you can try is (dust off in a can) if you have a can of the computer spray

some of the brake cleaners might melt the part the beam swings on

Have a cat ... it left a single hair on the pointer end


a folded sheet of 8x11 paper goes over the scale and keeps the cat hair off

[Land Owner]

I treat Sissy along with her adopted (not actual) "sisters" and "brother" cats in the house. If she isn't there when the treats are placed, I go find her and give them to her. She bites the fingers that give them to her, but not in anger, just greedy. She also uses her claws to stabilize her "target" just before she bites. We will get her to trust us and this place in her own time.

[GregLaROCHE]

When one of my cats was a kitten, he would climb up my pants to sit on my lap. I usually wear Carharts with the double front, so it didn’t make much difference to me. Then summer came around and I was wearing shorts. Had to break that habit fast!

[jetinteriorguy]

When I first got married my new bride brought her cat to my house, that didn’t last long. My coonhounds scared it so bad it took off and turned up back out at the farm a couple days later.

[William Yanda]

When I first got married my new bride brought her cat to my house, that didn’t last long. My coonhounds scared it so bad it took off and turned up back out at the farm a couple days later.

Good dog!

[jetinteriorguy]

He was a good dog. I’ve seen him stick on a tree for up to 12 hours more than once. All the bark would be stripped and not a branch left within reach. That was over 35 years ago.

[onelight]

I think Elmer Kieth told a story about when he was a kid tanning cat hides to sell , he said ladies leather gloves were popular at the time and the hides made very nice ones [smilie=1:

[Mr_Sheesh]

OK, we get it, not everyone likes cats. Don't troll, though, please.

[Land Owner]

I took a stone to the both beam knife edges after looking at them through a headset magnifier, lightly cleaned and dusted the agate seats, and for the time being, it looks as if the 5-0-5 and 10-10 are balancing correctly and without hesitation. I won't know for certain until I start to trickle a charge of powder for load development. I don't have any powder on my bench at present as I am extremely focused on getting started in Powder Coating, but that is another thread.

[redhawk0]

Check real close at those plastic V blocks that the knife edge sits on. I have one that had a crack right in the V. It caused the stickiness that you describe. I bought another used 5-0-5 as a replacement.

redhawk

[jaguarxk120]

Those "plastic" V blocks are agate a stone or mineral.
If you broke one then the scale was miss treated very badly.

Many of the mechanical scales agate as a pivot point,
unless dirty or miss treated!!!

[greenjoytj]

Check that copper vane that’s used for damping beam movement. See if it got bent slightly, it maybe rubbing inside the frame.
Maybe spider web material could be in the vanes swing path.

[Land Owner]

"Plastic"? I have looked closely at them and they look like agate (stone) to me. I'll go look again...

[LATE NOTE] The 5-0-5 "V" blocks are semi-opaque (nearly translucent) and highly polished stone (agate). The 10-10 is opaque, white hard, PLASTIC. Both are tooth brush and tooth paste clean and seem to be working much better. I will know when I am throwing charges again.

[Three44s]

Oh, now I get it! ....... Your scale got a CAT Scan!

What sticks in my mind is what Richard Lee writes about his scale beam. He states that his scale they sell has a beam made of a hard snap able material. Either it’s OK or it’s snapped in two.

Are the beams from your two scales able to swap just to test for a “bent” or tweeked beam?

We love our cats and dogs, the things they do that annoy us are far less offensive than the void we experience when they are no longer with us.

Just a thought

Three44s

[Land Owner]

The 5-0-5 and 10-10 beams are not interchangeable. They are of similar but significantly different designs.

5-0-5 on top; 10-10 on the bottom

https://i.postimg.cc/qMMxK3m3/5-0-5-10-10-Beams.jpg

[jetinteriorguy]

"Plastic"? I have looked closely at them and they look like agate (stone) to me. I'll go look again...

[LATE NOTE] The 5-0-5 "V" blocks are semi-opaque (nearly translucent) and highly polished stone (agate). The 10-10 is opaque, white hard, PLASTIC. Both are tooth brush and tooth paste clean and seem to be working much better. I will know when I am throwing charges again.
According to Midway, the 10-10 scale has agate bearings just like the 505.

[Land Owner]

I am not sure I want to test whether the 10-10 bearings are hard plastic or stone agate. I just want the beam scales to work properly, and that Jury is still out (I'll explain).

Yesterday I put together some 150 grain 30 cal. reloads in 30-06 cases. Cases were prep'd and primed. I threw a series of Ball powder "ladder" charges of H380 and Win 748.

The very FIRST charge thrown on the 10-10 was not "quietly" placed on the pan and "excited" the beam to its upper limit, where the copper damping plate STUCK against something and HELD the beam. That was unforeseen and a condition I did not repeat. I did not, at the time, investigate the cause of the interference.

I "tamed" my powder charge introduction to the pan to investigate scale operation, which was flawless with no sticking as I trickled up to the pre-dialed charge. I moved the 10-10 charge to an electric PACT digital scale, notorious for being 0.10 grain high, for "confirmation", which I received, and next moved the charge to the 5-0-5. I noted consistent readings from each of these scales, with the PACT 0.10 grain high.

I have not, as yet, determined the cause of the damping plate sticking on the 10-10. Life got busy yesterday, so that is on my plate for today. I also did not investigate the 5-0-5 in trickle charge mode, but suspect it will be OK, now that it is clean again, the knife edges sharp, and not sticking yesterday.

[gwpercle]

I do this too with my 10/10. I also have a small Redding Beam Scale I bought when I started Reloading in 1971 It sits atop my loading bench and I blow it off with the air hose occasionally. It works just fine but my cat has never gotten to it. He doesn't like my shop very much and stays out mostly. He comes into visit occasionally but never stays too long. If the air hose is shot he becomes a AA Fuel Dragster . He does like to knock stuff over on my desk and other places.

He's a pretty good cat.

Meet Taz:

Randy

Taz is one COOL CAT ... show more of him when you can !
I like cats
Gary