Scott Parker's scale tuning method

[Nick Caprinolo]

I sent my Ohaus 10-10 to Scott. Yes it did take longer than I expected and a bit of reminders to Scott, to get it returned to me. That being said, it was well worth the effort and the time it took, to get it back.

Scale now settles very fast and is extremely accurate. Right down to the single granule of Vargat. I sincerely doubt, it came from the factory with such a quick recovery time and as accurate.

I think most of these scales are not stored properly. I know mine wasn't. Scott advised me to never store the scale with the blade in it,. and to keep it clean.

Would I do it again? Damn right I would.

 

[rogn]

I think:
The first scale I owned had a small paddle that was part of the beam and protruded into a cast in reservoir. The reservoir you filled with oil. I wonder whether that's really true or I'm confusing this. Anyway it sure was simple to see why the scale stopped oscillating unlike this Eddy effect. If it is true I guess I really didn't move the scale around with that oil.
Be nice to have someone chime in and say they remember that type. If not I guess I'm really slipping. (maybe into an eddy)

The first scale I had was the same Redding with the oil damper. It worked well but it was a little slow. One big problem with it though was the tendency for the oi to creep all over the stand and into the "V" blocks. So every time you wanted to use it after sitting for a while you had to clean the beam and the "V" blocks. PITA. It was brown, not the green of today.
I was probably using a detergent oil which would creep, should have used a non-detergent. Time was the early sixties.

I may have had a scale w/o dampening, but its too far back in the past for detail.

 

[rogn]

I sent my Ohaus 10-10 to Scott. Yes it did take longer than I expected and a bit of reminders to Scott, to get it returned to me. That being said, it was well worth the effort and the time it took, to get it back.

Scale now settles very fast and is extremely accurate. Right down to the single granule of Vargat. I sincerely doubt, it came from the factory with such a quick recovery time and as accurate.

I think most of these scales are not stored properly. I know mine wasn't. Scott advised me to never store the scale with the blade in it,. and to keep it clean.

Would I do it again? Damn right I would.

One of the worst things to do was/is to leave the scale balanced, every air current keeps working the beam and the knife edges.

 

[AccelR8]

wanna see something hilarious watch a bunch of nerdy engineering students in undergrad magnetics courses wrapping their hand around imaginary conductors to see which way their thumb points...

oh, wait....

that was me.

Ah, the Left Hand Rule. For conventional theory.

 

[chop house]

while we are all here, does anyone know the mass weight of the ohaus triple beam optional wts that gets the scale up to 2610 from 610 grams?

 

[sparker]

while we are all here, does anyone know the mass weight of the ohaus triple beam optional wts that gets the scale up to 2610 from 610 grams?

I do not but the approximate weight should be readily available form Ohaus

 

[BigJohnson2]

From Richard Lee:

”While I can't prove it, I think powder scales have caused more mishaps than they have prevented. A misread or mis-set scale or a scale with hidden damage can and has resulted in dangerous and harmful reloads. People judge a scale's quality by its sensitivity and accuracy, both of which can degrade with age, use and abuse. Powder scales are exces- sively sensitive and accurate beyond need, including the Lee Safety Scale.

The above is possibly an over reaction to all I've read through the years about powder scales, written by well-meaning but misinformed writers. No, I don't hate scales. In fact, I hold a patent on a powder scale, for which I received a generous royalty for each and every Lee Powder Scale sold or even given away. We proffer that it is the best Powder Scale. Presumptuous as that may be, it is necessary to use superlatives to sell a product. It is not without supportive evidence that the Lee powder scale is more accurate and sensitive than other brands. The fact remains, it is better than it need be for safe and accurate reloading.”

 

[Mad_Charlie]

From Richard Lee:

”While I can't prove it, I think powder scales have caused more mishaps than they have prevented. A misread or mis-set scale or a scale with hidden damage can and has resulted in dangerous and harmful reloads. People judge a scale's quality by its sensitivity and accuracy, both of which can degrade with age, use and abuse. Powder scales are exces- sively sensitive and accurate beyond need, including the Lee Safety Scale.

The above is possibly an over reaction to all I've read through the years about powder scales, written by well-meaning but misinformed writers. No, I don't hate scales. In fact, I hold a patent on a powder scale, for which I received a generous royalty for each and every Lee Powder Scale sold or even given away. We proffer that it is the best Powder Scale. Presumptuous as that may be, it is necessary to use superlatives to sell a product. It is not without supportive evidence that the Lee powder scale is more accurate and sensitive than other brands. The fact remains, it is better than it need be for safe and accurate reloading.”

If he says so...

 

[1066]

From Richard Lee:

”While I can't prove it, I think powder scales have caused more mishaps than they have prevented. A misread or mis-set scale or a scale with hidden damage can and has resulted in dangerous and harmful reloads. People judge a scale's quality by its sensitivity and accuracy, both of which can degrade with age, use and abuse. Powder scales are exces- sively sensitive and accurate beyond need, including the Lee Safety Scale.

The above is possibly an over reaction to all I've read through the years about powder scales, written by well-meaning but misinformed writers. No, I don't hate scales. In fact, I hold a patent on a powder scale, for which I received a generous royalty for each and every Lee Powder Scale sold or even given away. We proffer that it is the best Powder Scale. Presumptuous as that may be, it is necessary to use superlatives to sell a product. It is not without supportive evidence that the Lee powder scale is more accurate and sensitive than other brands. The fact remains, it is better than it need be for safe and accurate reloading.”

IMO the Lee scale has some excellent design features: The foolproof 10gr ballbeaing poise, the single point pan hanger, the hidden razor knife edge, beam self centering action, the approach to weight device and just 100 gn full scale range.

On the other hand: Poor damping, the abysmal vernier poise, tiny locking stud and the physical size of the thing let it down.
Over the 30-40 years since the Lee scale was introduced, Lee have introduced a whole bunch of new and improved measures and constantly upgraded and introduce new presses but the scale has remained unchanged.
The reloading world desperately needs a new, reliable well designed beam scale. The Lee scale was undeniable introduced as an entry level basic scale - if Lee were to introduce a larger new scale at a higher pricepoint it could be a real winner.