RCBS 505 Scale Question
- Thread starter maxscm
- Start date
michaelnel
Old and In The Way
Send it to Scott Parker (google Scott Parker scales) and he will completely refurb it to where it works way better than it did when it was new.
CatShooter
Clean it well... there is nothing to oil, and oil will hold on to grit which will cause it to stick.
Flush the "V" bearings and knife edges with Ronson lighter fluid, and when you are not using it, keep the bearing area covered - even if its just with a folded piece of aluminum foil. it is grit in the V-ways that cause it to stick.
Flush the "V" bearings and knife edges with Ronson lighter fluid, and when you are not using it, keep the bearing area covered - even if its just with a folded piece of aluminum foil. it is grit in the V-ways that cause it to stick.
I would try cleaning the notches where the pivots set in with a toothbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol. If there's any grime causing it to stick, that will remove it. The alcohol will evaporate with no residue.
I also use the toothbrush and alcohol on the little notches on the beam where the weights fit. This removes all dirt, dust, etc.
Like another poster said, no lubricants of any sort should be used on these scales. They all leave a residue which will cause sticking problems.
Good luck -
Bayou
I also use the toothbrush and alcohol on the little notches on the beam where the weights fit. This removes all dirt, dust, etc.
Like another poster said, no lubricants of any sort should be used on these scales. They all leave a residue which will cause sticking problems.
Good luck -
Bayou
NO LUBE as others have suggested.
Use acetone, lighter fluid or brake cleaner on a Q-tip (watch out for cotton fibers left behind) to clean the pivot and its balance groove. Maybe the beam notches too but that's not where the sticking occurs; it's microscopic crap settling out from the air we breath that gets on those critical, small areas to create resistance.
I still have a 505 someplace in a box since I took the fork to electronic scaleville. Eyes got too old to read the indicator with any degree of comfort.
Use acetone, lighter fluid or brake cleaner on a Q-tip (watch out for cotton fibers left behind) to clean the pivot and its balance groove. Maybe the beam notches too but that's not where the sticking occurs; it's microscopic crap settling out from the air we breath that gets on those critical, small areas to create resistance.
I still have a 505 someplace in a box since I took the fork to electronic scaleville. Eyes got too old to read the indicator with any degree of comfort.
I may have missed it but it appears nobody has mentioned a very common cause of sticking.
Small metal particles, most often from using steel wool nearby, can get stuck to the damping magnets. The pieces I'm referring to are small enough to be moved around by air currents and the magnet grabs them right out of the air.
I had this problem once and was frustrating as all heck. Finally removed the beam and shined a flashlight between the magnets. There they were, just like a small piece of cat hair. It appeared that the "whisker" was actually a stack of small particles that grew alone magnetic lines of force.
I pushed a cotton ball between the magnets and the problem was gone. BTW, I also found that the "Paddle" that runs between the magnets was loose on the beam. Two drops of super glue were it joined the beam solved that issue too.
Scale is very well behaved now with no need to send it out for "tuning".
Small metal particles, most often from using steel wool nearby, can get stuck to the damping magnets. The pieces I'm referring to are small enough to be moved around by air currents and the magnet grabs them right out of the air.
I had this problem once and was frustrating as all heck. Finally removed the beam and shined a flashlight between the magnets. There they were, just like a small piece of cat hair. It appeared that the "whisker" was actually a stack of small particles that grew alone magnetic lines of force.
I pushed a cotton ball between the magnets and the problem was gone. BTW, I also found that the "Paddle" that runs between the magnets was loose on the beam. Two drops of super glue were it joined the beam solved that issue too.
Scale is very well behaved now with no need to send it out for "tuning".
CatShooter
spclark said:
DON'T use acetone - it can damage the finish on almost anything... and remove the markings on the beam (I have that tee shirt
).Pass on the Q-tips too... use plain tissue paper or toilet paper... or canned air if you need to blow out junk...
sparker
Silver $$ Contributor
The tiniest strand of 000 or 0000 steel wool will cause the most irritating behavior in magnetically dampened scales. I have a great number of experiences with this issue. It is both the first and last thing I check on a scale that I'm tuning and calibrating.
Scott Parker
Scott Parker
Seriously, you want to use KimWipes for cleaning
http://www.amazon.com/KIMWIPE-SM-4-4-8-4-280/dp/B001D8XLKE
Walk into any lab, there will be a box of these no more than a step away in any direction. They are used for everything from wiping out glassware to cleaning optics on million dollar spinning disk confocal microscopes. There is always a box sitting next to a balance, we always remove the pan and wipe everything off before we use. You can spritz them down with just about anything and they will not dissolve and leave fiber behind, and you can cram them into hard to reach crannies and not worry about them falling apart. They also do a very good job of picking up static, use them on eye protection to keep them from picking up dust.
Once you get used to having them around, you will wonder how you ever lived with out them.
I hold the beam off the agates and give the pivot a shot of compressed nitrogen (sold as a paint preservative) from about 6" away. I'm sure the compressed stuff used for dusting out computers would work just as well, but I know that nitrogen is 100% neutral, inert, and will not leave static.
http://www.amazon.com/KIMWIPE-SM-4-4-8-4-280/dp/B001D8XLKE
Walk into any lab, there will be a box of these no more than a step away in any direction. They are used for everything from wiping out glassware to cleaning optics on million dollar spinning disk confocal microscopes. There is always a box sitting next to a balance, we always remove the pan and wipe everything off before we use. You can spritz them down with just about anything and they will not dissolve and leave fiber behind, and you can cram them into hard to reach crannies and not worry about them falling apart. They also do a very good job of picking up static, use them on eye protection to keep them from picking up dust.
Once you get used to having them around, you will wonder how you ever lived with out them.
I hold the beam off the agates and give the pivot a shot of compressed nitrogen (sold as a paint preservative) from about 6" away. I'm sure the compressed stuff used for dusting out computers would work just as well, but I know that nitrogen is 100% neutral, inert, and will not leave static.
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