beam scales

[Beekeeper]

I was given a redding beam scale and have checked it out and it is pretty good except it doesn't have a damper and does the swing-swing for a while before settling out.
Guy used it to weigh gold for his jewelry business.
Bought one in a glass walled case (so he could be like the old timers)

Has anyone ever used one?
are they worth keeping ?


Jim

[lurch]

My dad has an older Redding. It has a well in the support that you are supposed to put oil in. He doesn't and I never did when I used it. If you get it level, you can just look at the swing at the end where the pointer & hash marks are. If you get an equal swing up & down, what is in the pan weighs what the scale is set to. I am assuming of course thet this scale has the pointer and hash marks. I have seen on occasion that a dirty pivot can cause the scale to settle out a little off where if you look at the swing, you can get the correct weight every time. Of course, this works a whole lot better for weighing powder where you are trying to hit a certain weight with a trickler than it will for trying to find out what something weighs, like a boolit or case...

[462]

Beekeeper,
I have a Texan 500-grain scale without a magnetic damper. I took bits of beagling tape and partially covered the slot (top and bottom) that the pointed end of the beam fits in. It settles down a lot quicker.

I've been looking for an RCBS or Lyman magnetically dampened model that I can afford.

[Poygan]

I have a Redding scale with the oil damper I bought in the 1960s. Several years ago I bought an RCBS 505 and it agreed with the Redding within one tenth of a grain. BTW, the glass case may be to eliminate the effect of air movement. I know I can't use a small fan in the summer because it does affect the scale from settling down.

[1hole]

Our original powder scales were drug store types and they weren't dampened. Redding came up with the ideal of attaching a paddle to the beam pivot and sticking it in a puddle of light oil. Was okay, better anyway, but that had a slght "surface tension" effect that tended to cause slight errors. Eventually someone, Ohaus I think, came up with the idea of placing a copper vane between two magnets to electrically dampen the swinging and it's still be perfect solution.

Some people seem to think the magnets must have some sort of effect on the beam all the time but that's NOT so. The only time the magnets do anything at all to the (non-magnetic) beam or copper vane is when the beam is moving, the vane movement's countering electrical effect decreases as the beam slows and completly disappears when the beam stops.

[462]

Ah, ha! That's what that paddle and square hole that it sits in is for. I'm aware of oil dampened scales, but didn't know exactly how they worked.

Off to the reloading/casting room to add some oil. Man, this scale may just turn out to be the bee's knees, after all.

[462]

1hole,
Thank you!

Added some cooking oil and it IS the bee's knees.

You just saved me from having to buy another scale.

[lurch]

1hole,
Thank you!

Added some cooking oil and it IS the bee's knees.

You just saved me from having to buy another scale.

Just make sure you empty and clean it out every time... The reason we never put oil in was because it was a mess and would eventually find its way to the pivot and gum up the works... Tried it once and that was enough.

[462]

lurch,
Thanks for the heads-up.

[1hole]

462, try kerosene. I haven't done it but a guy I used to know used that in his. And he kept a hanky over his to keep dust out of the oil when he wasn't using it.

[462]

1hole,
If the oil doesn't work out, I'll give that a try. Thanks.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Read on the swing. One swing up, one swing down, mental subtraction, fast. I learned to weigh on a chain-o-matic in my professor's chemistry lab. Its the most accurate way, and of course takes only 2 seconds.

Dad gave me his Redding when he "graduated" to a magnetic dampned RCBS. I'm faster with the Redding than his RCBS. I wouldn't trade the Redding for a digital. I use digital balances at work and don't like knowing they can lie to you without you knowing it until you find it with cal weights. We verify the balances before we weigh then after we weigh and hope for the best between. With a beam balance, you get warning signs if something goes askew. They're more reliable.

[BCB]

Beekeeper,

The glass wall case is to eliminate air currents. I use a very top of the line (forget the name now as it was many years ago) beam scale in a laboratory. Used to measure chemicals to create severely accurate concentrations in solution. That type of scale was slow, but there was not need for rapid repetition as in power measurments...

I think that scale might be a hassle, but several suggestions might help. Limiting the up and down motion would be my first choice. I sure wouldn't use the oil/kerosene method, even though that is how it is designed. Probably in the long run would end up a mess on the ol' reloading bench...

Good-luck...BCB

[buckweet]

i have an older dillion scale, works ok.

[beemer]

I have two sets of oil dampened scales both work fine. I was young and didn't know any better and was given bad information by some know-it-all on those magnetic dampened scales. I bought a set of Pacific oil dampened scales, they do work fine and I still have them.

Try different weight's of oil till you get the action you want, keep them covered and change the oil often because it doesn't have a filter.

My new Hornady scales work great but if all I had was oil scales I would use them and not look back.The Pacific scales were replaced with the Hornady because they have the same lay out, they are basically the same scale.

Dave

[Pressman]

Herter's had an interesting idea to slow damper movement. A mechanical device positioned over the end of the pointer to limit travel. It was patented by them and the best part is, it works very well.
Most of the Herter's scales were probably made by Redding though Redding will not talk about it today. All parts are identical between them though Herter's had many more variations.

Another approach taken by Herter's and others, was a rod positioned under the beam to the rear, center under the pivot point. Turning a knob raised the rod, contacting the beam and slowing its movement. It works, but not as well as the mechanical dampner.
Pictured is a Herter's Model 5 with the dampner.

Ken

[462]

Isn't pretty, but the beagle tape reduces the amount of travel. The wife's fingernail polish helps the not-so-young eyes.

[1hole]

"Most of the Herter's scales were probably made by Redding though Redding will not talk about it today."

I rather suspect all of our beam scale makers get their base castings from a common source foundry. Not likely any of them have ever made their own iron stuff, (even presses) that's too costly for low volume makers of anything. RCBS gets their scales from Ohaus, an old line maker of quality scales for science, industry and medical users.

[GP100man]

I love & use my ole Webster Scales the oil container ain`t purty but works!
http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/WebsterScales.jpg

[chris in va]

I bought an old Redding off Ebay for $25. Still perfect balance, but absolutely no damping feature. Apparently it dates to the 50's.

[Pressman]

Chirs in Va, your Redding does indeed date to the early 1950's. The Redding scale as we know it today dates to about 1951. There are a couple of model variations in the early models but the design was settled by 1953 with the exception of adding/removing the oil damping well.
Getting all the dates finalized is another of those rainy day projects that keep waiting for the right rainy day.
Ken

[bbq223]

I will take my RCBS 5-10. 25yrs. not a hick up ever!

[adrians]

rcbs 5.0.5 beam it just works!!!:bigsmyl2:

[Finster101]

I have an Ohaus 505. It was given to me and has sat in box for quite a while. It seems to settle at different points with lighter weights. What can I use to clean the glass triangles where the pivot is? That is the only place that I can see that would cause it to stick. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

James

[BillP]

I have the Redding hydraulic dampened scale from the era when they were $14.95 and really like it. It's my go to scale for pipsqueak loads (+ - 2 grains) It's more repeatable than my RCBS 5-10 and past owned Hornady magnetic beam scales. As posted already, experiment with the fluid to get the results you want. I use 5w oil and have no problems with grunge or long term leaking or creep. As of recent times it sat over a yr under cover with the same oil and that's good enough for me. The glass case is a good idea and I may build one because the Redding is definitely sensitive. Quite frankly, I think these old Reddings are the best deal going in reloading scales...it blows the Lee away for about the same price. I see old Reddings at gun shows for $20-$25. Of course, even modern scales are seen cheap now because people are going electric.

bp

[adrians]

electric ...never,,,well maybe for boolit weight ,well actually not even for that so never it is .
have a great day.

[Beekeeper]

I have an el-cheapo electronic scale to weigh boolits as my beam scale doesn't go high enough.
Use the beam for everything else.
The reading doesn't have a damper on it and only goes to 300 grains but works great.
It is very susepetable to any breath of air so you have to be very careful with it.
I use dippers and the scale to check ever 5th charge.Keeps me on my toes.

Jim

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I've been using two Redding beam scales for 4+ decades and gotten good results with both of them. They are the model that has the oil damper feature. I tried using it a couple of times a long time ago and found it to be kind of a messy affair. The scales have maintained their accuracy. It takes a lot of patience to wait for the beam to stop swinging so I use the following method to minimize that. I keep a sharp lead pencil handy and place the point on the zero line where the beam arrow swings...when the powder is poured into the pan and the beam pointer goes up, it then can only come down and hit the pencil point..and bounce a little. This cuts down the number of swings it then has to or wants to make. It isn't the total answer or maybe it isn't as good as the oil...or a magnetically dampened arrangement, but it has worked well enough for me. A good thing to have around is a set of check weights. The quick way to get them is of course is to buy them if one can afford today's prices. Another good and cheaper way is to make your own, usually out of a few (clean) coins . Have the coins weighed by someone with an accurate scale. First choice would be a pharmacist if possible or any other facility that has an accurate reliable scale. Its a good idea as a matter of practice to test the scale with your weights every time before you use it, just to be sure. Scales and powder measures are tools that you want to keep honest. LLS

[Ozark Howler]

Have a RCBS 10-10 that been in service for many years without hitch, also have an old Herters for a backup comparison, both scales compare 100% to each other....the best part is neither ever needed batteries or an extension cord.