Electronic scale?

Hello guys I would like some input on electronic scales.I am looking into buying a good scale for weighing 1/16 balsa wood sheeting up to completed planes.Or at least air frame.What are you guys using .Makes and rough prices would be great and also where you buy them.Thanks Dennis

I bought a digital scale from MicroMark.

One month later, it would not repeat a measuremeant...I replaced the battery with a new 9 volt, twice, two different brands...still no joy.

A few months later I threw it away.

I want to buy a used beam balance scale...my free flight buddy, an hour away, has one...classic "chemistry lab" scale...hate to pay for a good school lab scale new...$100 bucks plus...someone said to check out police auctions when they sell dope dealers scales, lots of luck.

I do not think low end digital scales are ready for "prime time" yet...still variable quality junk. Save your money for now.

No I am looking for a quality scale .I have went the value way on to many things.I have found it cheaper to buy quality once.Thanks for the input.
Dennis

Tom Morris sells a gram scale that works fine and is gareeeeeenteed.
Less than 40. bucks .
He is the stunt news editor and driving force.

Hope he isn't reselling the MicroMark scale...that is about what I paid...I dunno.

Keep your receipt and eat the return shipping. Or not, his may be a piece of gold. MicroMarks was not...could have returned it, but for another shipping charge did not bother.

Let us know how it works...! it may be good.

I had ordered some stuff from Tom Morris and I seen the scale but I am looking for some guys that have used some good scales that they recommend.I dont expect to see anything for under 100.00 that is of decent quality.Thanks Dennis

check ebay for ohas scales there good quality scales price isnt bad i use them in a dental lab

I have one called a "Fortec" (brand name if I ever heard one). I have had it for at least ten years and it is dead on, no problems. My only complaint is it uses six AA batteries, and if you leave it on the batteries will sooon go south. If you remember to turn it off again, no problem. (Oh, and it works for postage, too.) Matt has one of a different brand. Also works great. Each weighs up to 2000 grams in one gram increments (or you can convert the grams to ounces where it reads to 6 digits past the decimal) and cost us under $40 each. And, for the record, 2000 grams is 70 ounces, good enough for most planes complete. We weigh all the balsa we get--every sheet. Weigh the parts. Weigh the plane. If I got one I would want to make sure I got one that read in once gram increments, not two. Some of the thinner sheets of balsa do not weigh a lot.

On a tad different note, I don't have electronic scale yet, but I have one of those old postage scales that hold up to one pound, I bought it at a yard sale, and wondered if it was accurate? (50 cent investment) The next day I go to my friends house and he's throwing away junk out of his garage and out of the blue he has these little lead weights that have been certified by some lab as accurate weight measurements, so out of the garbage I picked out an ounce weight a 8 ounce weight and a pound weight, test my scale and the old rusty metal scale was within 1/4 ounce of being accurate. I can at least get a good idea how heavy the fuselage is or the wing, simple stuff like that. Not good for weighing balsa sheets.

LAST EDITED ON Nov-18-03 AT 00:07 AM (CST)
 
I remember now this question came up a while ago, here
is the thread. http://www.clstunt.com/htdocs/dcforum/DCForumID1/6359.html

LAST EDITED ON Nov-18-03 AT 04:45 AM (CST)
 
You have to decide what you need.

You can have scale as Len described. 1 or 2 grams increment and 2000g max load is good for model weighing or balsa density measuring. It is available as postage or kitchen scale. It is typically low-end quality with floating “0”. It means if you switch it on, and you slowly put small weight you have still “0” on it. It means it is not useful for epoxy mixing. It can be in range 20-80$.

Another choice is high precision scale with increment 0.05g with manual “tara”. That is big help for low volume mixing, or you can even precisively balance engine after rework or so. The problem is the max load typically 250 to 500g, so it does not allow full model load. I got pocket version for 80$ (chipest I have seen).

Go to www.conrad.de and search for Artikel-Nr: 124000

I decided to have both – one for every day dirty work, and that small for special purposes.

Here's what I've been using.

http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/Sku.asp?PageType=1&Sku=421800

C

Purchased at the same Staples here in in Canada. 9 Volt power for field use or the plug in power supply for home/office service. I believe it works well. Engine weights come in at advertise weights.
Check the rest of the on-line catalog for a unit in your desired weight use range.

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HTH Tony

If I remember right, Tony, the scale you show here reads in 2 gram increments. I bought one of these once because it was advertised as reading to one gram. When I got it and read the directions, I returned it because I wanted the lower reading.

These are good scales, however, and are available in office supply stores (which is another, although not always the cheapest, source--postal scales, you know.)

I have the inexpensive postal scale from Office Depot (Sunbeam SP5, $30). I believe these are accurate devices, but since they're mass produced electronic things, a certain number out of every batch HAVE to be defective.

SOOOO, consider getting one locally that you like, that makes it easy to replace until you get a good one. Mine is 2g increments, 5lb max, one 9v battery been in there a year and still going well.

Since that purchase a friend gave me a 60's vintage meat scale. 1oz increments (which means you can easily interpolate to the nearest 1/10oz), 25lb max, kinda wierd plate, hard to sit a plane (but easy to weigh a roast!). My little electronic scale and this thing (certified a million times by the state of GA judging by all the little stickers) are right on.

The little electronic ones can be had cheaper if you find ones with old postal cost conversions that no longer apply or ones without that feature all together.

FWIW, been looking for a little beam scale for years. They're not common, I got the little electronic one to tie me over, but am pleased enough to discontinue the overt search for a "good" one. Remember, I go by "Tools" with my friends, I set VERY high standards for the tools I use.

Tools

I also bought my scale at Office Depot. It is a Sunbeam and can't remember if I paid $40.00 or $60.00 but it was one or tother. I reads to 70 ounces in .1 ounce increments or 2000G in 1G increments. Have had it for 3 years with nary a complaint except it eats 9 volt batteries. I put it on a power adaptor which solved the battery problem but made it less portable.

If I want to get weird about measuring little parts, I also have a balance beam powder scale left over from my reloading days, seldom use it.

I used a 5lb postal scale for all of my building until I bought the electronic scale from Tom about 2 years ago. It is OK but now that I am becoming a gram freak, I really wish that I had a scale which weighed in 1 gram instead of Tom's 2 grams increments. I have a lot of old records of NATs winning airplane construction weights made with that postal scale. It is more important to make many weight checks and record the results than the type of scales used. Cheap spring/mechanical postal scales worked for me, they will work for you. A general weight consciousness is more important than having super scales. I don't see much practical value in having beam balances in stunt model construction. Electronic gram scales are nice, and, for now, I will get along with my 2 gram style. I weigh and mark all of my balsa and individual components and assemblies as I build. The old spring scale records are still useful and valuable when building a similar model years later. In fact, from these old records, I am coming to the conclusion that using CA instead of water thinned Tightbond is probably adding about 3 ounces to my airframes. Building identical structures, with weight graded wood, everything is coming out a bit heavier. Anyway use what you have, but use it.

Check out my article in Flying models on how to make your scale 10 times more sensitive when you need it. Nov 2003 issue.

The concept is to make a simple lever where you have a vertical arm drop down from it that rests on the center of the scale, and then the weight is suspended 10X as far away as the distance from the lever pivot to vertical arm pivot distance. That is the vertical arm drops 1" from the lever pivot, and the weight is suspended 10" away.

A couple of examples are shown in the article along with details of adequately good bearings, etc.

Works with just about any scale.

Just got my copy yesterday. Wow! I like it! I'd build mine out of yardsticks..

>Hello guys I would like some input on electronic scales.I am
>looking into buying a good scale for weighing 1/16 balsa
>wood sheeting up to completed planes.Or at least air
>frame.What are you guys using .Makes and rough prices would
>be great and also where you buy them.Thanks Dennis

Here we go again. www.balances.com is THEE place to check out scales. You want to look here first before you go anywhere else. Been that way for a long time.