Whats the best cheap scale for weighing rod componets? I have a digital postal scale and it's ok for complete rods, but what about the lightweight stuff, what do you guys use?

DR

Go to Harbor Freight ... they had a little one that was digital and went to 0.01 grams for $12.99 on sale. I kicked myself pretty hard when I saw it - only like a TINY fraction of the price of mine.

[www.harborfreight.com]

Ditto on the Cen-Tech scale from Harbor Freight. I ended up getting two of them. A neat little scale. Around $10 when it's on sale.

You may want to check around for a used reloading scale that weighs in grains as they allow you to weigh the smallest of components.

Stan Grace
Helena, MT
"Our best is none too good"

This little scale I mentioned, measures to a hundredth of a gram ... that is 1/2800 of an ounce.

I use a Postal Scale that that will go down to 1/10 of an ounce. I need one smaller than that. Harbor Freight it is .

J.B.Hunt
Bowling Green, KY

I found mine on @#$%& very cheap.

There was a post a while back were some one had brought info about a high quality scale for good price

Thanks Jim.

I was out and picked up that very same scale at HF, not a bad deal at all! I've toyed with it a little and it seems to work very well for me. Thanks again everyone!

DR

Hello Folks,
Wth all of this discussion regarding balances ( some call them scales), I invite all who use the CCS to think about converting from numbers of pennies to grams. For example, if you plot ERN vs # of Pennies, you can convert that plot to ERN vs. grams. This eliminates the need to count pennies. I did this because I discovered that the pennies vary in their weight or mass. This occurs due to several factors including manufacturing, but also corrosion and accumulation of skin oil and other debris on the surface of the penny. While the amount of weight from skin oil or other debris may be very small, it adds up when you are measuring out 50+ pennies. Now I simply add pennies until I get the deflection needed and then weigh the pennies. To me this is much simpler and I don't have a drawer filled with bags of pennies. Anyone that has Microsoft Excel can have the computer do your plotting and even generate a formula that will allow you to easily calculate the ERN from the mass of pennies. Just my $0.02 regarding the use of balances and the CCS process.

Mike Blomme

Watch out you are going to @#$%& off the CCS = pennies police.

I go to Harbor Freight website and search for Cen Tech Digital Scales and get three. Which one are you guys talkng about? None of them say the specs you quote. As far as I can tell none say to .01 grams or 1/2800th of an ounce. Could you please provide more description of the successful scale you have and the model number? I like the words about the $19 one but don't really know which one to buy.
Thanks
Jim

The one I have is Cen-Tech model 93543, which has a capacity of 500 grams and a readability of 0.1 grams.

Rob is correct, my specs were off ... it is 0.1 grams or 1/280 of an ounce. I can assure you that to get a nice scale (powder scale) that can weigh that accurately, or more so, would cost you MUCH more - it is a great deal for no more often than most builders will use one.

It is part #93543 and the current sale price is $12.99.

Thanks Loads. I see that is the cheapest one on their site when I ask for Cen Tech Digital Scales. The little black one. Sorry to drag this out. Really appreciate the quick answers. But.....what will they weigh.....guides, fly lines...etc? I know fly lines are measured in grains....like 185 grains. Soooooo....for the dummy here......how many grains is that little scale accurate to? How many grains is .01 grams?

I have a postal digital scale I just purchased and it is good for Reels, blanks, etc. A 9' 2 piece 10 wt blank I just got weighs 2.1 ounces on my postal digital scale.

I put a Battenkill LA II on it and the reel empty weighs 5.2 oz.

I put 10 guides on it and NOTHING on the postal digital scale.

Thanks

0.1 grams is 1.54323 grains. Here is a little internet based converter ... [www.metric-conversion.biz]

You CAN weigh fly guides, etc. on it with accuracy. The difference would even register between 9 guides and 10 guides.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2008 11:20AM by Jim Gamble.

Wow! And for under $15 that is a deal. If it can register the difference between 9 guides and 10 guides....it sounds like then it should weigh ONE guide. So so cool. Thank you Mr. Gamble and that conversion site is terrific. THAT became an immediate bookmark.

Thank you again all...and Mr. Gamble for info. Just exackery what I was looking for.

Jim

You are welcome ... I hope you are coming to High Point, that is where the REAL schooling takes place.

BTW, here is another really neat conversion site for you to bookmark ... [www.worldwidemetric.com]. I use this one to do all my other hard math.

Duane,
A perfect scale fo this type of weighing is a carburator float scale.
They may be a bit harder to come by now, that carbs are getting more and more obsolete.

Another option is to use a bullet - gun reloading scale. It is necessary to have very precise amounts of powder in gun cartridges; so these scales are very very accurate:
For example:

[]

Take care
Roger