balance beam scale ?

[richejr]

Hi, I have a Redding balance beam scale that was new in the 60s. Was my dads, and I've been using it for years, however my dad or myself have never used any oil for the dampener, so its a little slow waiting for it to balance. My ? is can I use any kind of oil in the dampener pot, or just a certain kind.

 

[Oscar Orum]

rochejr, any oil will do from, 3 in 1 to motor oil. It will speed up your work.

 

[mrcooper]

I had one years ago best thing I ever did was put it in the archives, kept bumping or tipping it over and spilling oil, the ones with the magnets are a LOT better.

 

[chris in va]

I just bought a Redding on Ebay even older than that. It doesn't have a slot for oil. I have to stick my thumbnail under the indicator so it won't teeter forever. Still dead on accurate though, and I've been told the sucker is upwards of 60 years old.

 

[rcmodel]

Oil will certainly dampen it.
I tried it once in 1962!
Never again!

It will migrate out all over the frame and collect dust, dirt, and powder grains.

It really makes a mess!

Best to figure out another way to dampen it like chris in va mentioned.

rc

 

[ranger335v]

Oil was a good step forward at the time, until the magnetic damping idea arrived. The oil damped scale is still quite good tho. The oil is NOT critical, it just needs to be a fairly low viscosity and it needs to be replaced from time to time to keep the build up of dust from affecting things. Try a light vegtable or olive oil instead of a petroleum type.

 

[floydster]

Well, I have had my Redding beam scale with oil dampening since the 60's and have never had a problem with oil creeping onto the scale or anything else.
It's just amazing how people create thier own problems.
Some of the threads on this forum are beyond ridiculous, just like all the primer seating threads, seat the damn things and be done with it, when they bottom out that's it!
Smokeyloads

 

[ar10]

I never owned, heard, or saw an oil dampened beam scale. But I think the gunsmith in Ft Collins had one. That was back in the late 50's, guy loaded everything for everyone.
If I ever come across one I'll probably buy it.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Years ago I had an "oil" dampened Texan and the box suggested using transmission fluid instead of actual oil and it worked pretty good until I discovered MAGNETS!!!!!! I still have it around here somewhere.....

 

[loadedround]

Having worked in and around laboratories for almost 40 years, I can tell you that oil damped balances(scales) were a vast improvement over non damped balances that took forever to zero. Magnetic damped balances were again much more superior than oil damped ones. Now in the 21st Century, single pan electronic balances have replaced all magnetic damped and beam balances in the laboratory and are starting to replace the beam balances in hobby reloading also. Electronic balances are so much faster and much more accurate, and the only drawback is their price. Having bored you with a history lesson, I must saw that I have an old Redding oil damped balance with a weight set that I do use periodically to check my two electronic balances. I use 20 wt motor oil in it, same as my lawn tractor. My Redding is now approaching 50 y.o.

 

[ar10]

I use an Ohaus I found for 10.00, guy had no idea what he had, and use it as my primary scale. I found it had better accuracy than the Lyman digital and didn't have to be zeroed every time I weighed a charge. lights and electrical interference doesn't bother it at all.
I'd still like to find an oil beam scale one of these days.

 

[richejr]

Thanks guys, I have two of the Redding balance beams, one was my dads, the other I picked up at a gunshow for $10.00, I use them together to check if there accurate. Which they are so I trust them, its just that I never used them with oil. I recently picked up an Ohaus magetic, which is fast, and it weighs the same charges that my Redding does, so I'm beginning to trust it. But I can weigh 2 charges on the Ohaus, while my Redding, is just settling on 0, so thats why I was wondering about the oil, guess I'll try some. I don't trust powder measures so I weigh every charge I drop, and I can go pretty quick now with a couple of scales going.
To the moderator, sorry about posting on the other site, I thought I was on the reloading site.