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balance beam

_shawn_

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 16, 2011
372
38
49
Ft worth, tx
my balance beam scale seems to charge +- .2 gr every few days. is that normal? since i started reloading for rifles i started checking to see where it zero's out before i start measuring and some days it'll be 1.2 gr to as high as 1.4 gr with the little charge pourer sitting on it
 
Re: balance beam

Make a check weight that weighs exactly the same as your powder charge.

Zero the scale as anyone would normally do, set your charge weight, add the check weight to confirm "zero".....then every 5 or 10 charges put the check weight in the pan to confirm "zero" throughout a run.

That will circumvent any and all nits you may be tempted to pick......
 
Re: balance beam

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: _shawn_</div><div class="ubbcode-body">ok so i'm just nitpicking stuff now....thanks i'll keep that in mind </div></div>

Easy now....

My 10-10 sits on a wooden shelf above my bench, at eye level. It hardly ever reads the same perfect "zero", when put to zero, from one day to the next. I attribute that to movement of the wooden shelf due to whatever the humidity is at the time, and the movement of the wood itself. I cure the discrepancy simply by disregarding it, keeping my sanity, and using a check weight that weighs the same as my powder charges. The check weight can NEVER change, unless of course I add or subtract mass, and is always a trustworthy constant with which to set the scale.

ETA: Also, your scale likely has a magnetic dampener. It's been my experience that it is best to store the scale without the beam arm under the influence of the magnet, and NEVER with it setting down with no weight on it. Doing so may cause the arm to act strangely and skew the reading. I take my beam arm out of the assembly for storage.
 
Re: balance beam

think you misunderstood my previous post. i tend to get very anal about stuff and occasionally need somebody to smack me upside my head and tell me to chill out.
 
Re: balance beam

Also, beware of air currents. If the AC in your house comes on, it can affect what your scale reads. Same thing for electronics.
 
Re: balance beam

electronics really? uh oh i've been loading right next to my computer this whole time. i normally turn the fans and a/c's off while i'm loading. i noticed the air movement messed with it awhile ago
 
Re: balance beam

I think Old Tex is talking about electronic scales also being affected by air currents.
 
Re: balance beam

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: _shawn_</div><div class="ubbcode-body">my balance beam scale seems to charge +- .2 gr every few days. is that normal? since i started reloading for rifles i started checking to see where it zero's out before i start measuring and some days it'll be 1.2 gr to as high as 1.4 gr with the little charge pourer sitting on it </div></div>

Sounds to me that your scale is a bit sticky Shawn - A good beam scale should return to zero time after time and be consistent to well within +/- 10th grain.

I would suggest a good clean of the knife edges/bearing might be in order. If you have an RCBS scale the bearings should be loose (floating) in their housing, they can be removed and cleaned with a little alcohol/spirit based degreaser.

Also have a look at the slot where the copper damper fits - just check that there are no stray hairs of wirewool etc. sticking to the damping magnets.

Here's a good beam scale in action:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=HL1323385854&v=dnVOoGd1bDU
 
Re: balance beam

Lyman M5 Tuned by Scott Parker and a TargetMaster Powder Trickler.

M5Sensor2.jpg


Terry

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