Old balance scale compared to digital

[Ajmassa]

Been doing a job at a catholic girls HS all summer. Renovating The chapel, guidance office, bookstore and now the Chemistry/Robotics/Physics lab.

There's a ton of old equipment they are getting rid of and was told I could grab a few things. I was happy with just a couple beakers and such. But what do you think about one of these scales? I don't even own a digital scale and have just been wingin it with a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon and my eyeball.

Are these types more or less accurate than digital? I think it'd be pretty cool looking as part of my setup at the very least --but am I wasting my time thinking about using this????

 

[Kraffty]

They are Very accurate, we have few floating around here that we used to mix Printing inks. They were very expensive when new.
Great grab.
Mike

 

[Ajmassa]

They are Very accurate, we have few floating around here that we used to mix Printing inks. They were very expensive when new.
Great grab.
Mike

Thought so. To me, it would be easier to trust a balancing scale. The "hanging" one pictured has measurement to the hundredth. But then second guessed myself thinking nobody ever uses these types.
Unfortunately there's no old Vinmetricas or destem/crushers or presses laying around the science lab.

 

[dcbrown73]

Agreed, nice grab!

 

[mikewatkins727]

The OHAUS triple beam is what I used when I had my print shop some 25 years ago. I still have it and use it in my wine making. Kraffty is right, pricey when new and that's why I kept it. They are accurate.

The other Mike

 

[ibglowin]

Those are sorta like a cassette player from the 70's. Yea it will work OK but for $15 you can now get a digital one that will fit in the palm of your hand and be deadly accurate to 0.01 grams which is where most home winemakers are working these days.

And it sounds better than the cassette tape!

 

[Ajmassa]

Those are sorta like a cassette player from the 70's. Yea it will work OK but for $15 you can now get a digital one that will fit in the palm of your hand and be deadly accurate to 0.01 grams which is where most home winemakers are working these days.

And it sounds better than the cassette tape!

Thanks a lot Debbie Downer! But nobody keeps a cassette deck around for appearance or quality. I'm thinking vinyl would be a more accurate analogy.

This will work well, and even looks good amongst the equipment, just like turntables! Plus it's free, and right in front of me, which is really the only reason this came up.

 

[ibglowin]

The cassette tape was a huge improvement over the vinyl LP in so many ways. Very much like the triple beam balance was a huge leap in technology over old school pan balances.

In the end in this instance its how accurate it weighs. Not how "cool" it looks on your shelf or the fact that it was "free".........

Thanks a lot Debbie Downer! But nobody keeps a cassette deck around for appearance or quality. I'm thinking vinyl would be a more accurate analogy.

This will work well, and even looks good amongst the equipment, just like turntables! Plus it's free, and right in front of me, which is really the only reason this came up.

 

[Kraffty]

It will weigh a couple of pounds of sugar which would crush the pocket size digital scale though.

 

[Ajmassa]

In the end in this instance its how accurate it weighs. Not how "cool" it looks on your shelf or the fact that it was "free".........

For a scale? Cool, free and 'close enough' works for me. For bigger home wine operations I totally agree. But I'm not making wine like some of you are. I'm content with a few kits and 5-15 gal of fresh grapes and juice once or twice a year. So any type of scale isn't even all that necessary for me anyway.
As much as I enjoy making wine (even obsess sometimes), and strive to get better, this is still very much a hobby for me.

 

[Boatboy24]

For a scale? Cool, free and 'close enough' works for me. For bigger home wine operations I totally agree. But I'm not making wine like some of you are. I'm content with a few kits and 5-15 gal of fresh grapes and juice once or twice a year. So any type of scale isn't even all that necessary for me anyway.
As much as I enjoy making wine (even obsess sometimes), and strive to get better, this is still very much a hobby for me.

You have to remember, Mike is a chemist. So he's probably a little anal about precise measurements.

 

[sour_grapes]

Well, the modern digital scale is just so easy. For ~$10, it nearly instantly reads the weight down to small amounts, in any units you want. I can put some Al foil on it, then hit the tare button to rezero, then add my tannin powder -- easy-peasy. I use mine in grams for winemaking, and then switch it to oz. for cooking (and then troy ounces for melting down stolen gold.... wait, was that last part out loud?). It is so easy and convenient I cannot imagine going to an old triple-beam balance.

PS -- AJ, did you have Mr. Schwartz? He was the one that taught me to use the triple-beam balance in the first place.

He was a great teacher, but I had a funny experience with him. I had had him for both IPS and Physics, and thought he as a fantastic teacher. Years later, I went back to visit Judge, and sought him out, thanked him, and told him that I had gone on to get a PhD in physics. He was like "Oh, that's nice. Well, I gotta go." He seemed very uninterested, which surprised the hell out me!

 

[ibglowin]

True story, I rescued one of these from the dumpsters back in the early 90's........

This is a conversation piece for sure for anyone who comes into the winery.

That said, I use a $15 digital micro scale because it is dead on accurate especially in the region I am weighing in as most amateur winemakers are (100 - 5000 mg)

 

[Kraffty]

I'll play devil's advocate here and bet anyone here that if you place a tiny amount of Chems on a 15.00 scale 5 times you'll get at least 3 different numbers

 

[ibglowin]

Nope. Guarantee it will read the same 10 times. They are that good.

I'll play devil's advocate here and bet anyone here that if you place a tiny amount of Chems on a 15.00 scale 5 times you'll get at least 3 different numbers

 

[Kraffty]

Testing challenge accepted. Results tomorrow on my $22.00 scale. .005 grams fair enough number?

 

[sour_grapes]

Oooh, I just realized that I could rescue one like that myself. Do I even WANT to? Conversation piece? Check. Clutter? Also check....

 

[balatonwine]

Well, the modern digital scale is just so easy.

True.

But it is also easier to simply go down to the store and buy a bottle of wine than to make one.

Each to their own what parts of the wine making process they find enjoyable and why.

 

[balatonwine]

True story, I rescued one of these from the dumpsters back in the early 90's........

I like watching Jay Leno's Garage because he does not simply restore his cars, he drives them!

If I had a scale like that I would absolutely use it.

 

[NorCal]

I love tools with a story. My garage is full of them. Don't get me started in my vice. I say keep them and enjoy the story every time you use them.