triple beam scale
I’ve always wanted to experiment with glaze recipes and mix my own glazes some day. A couple months ago I got a step closer to making that happen in my very own studio when I purchased a triple beam scale. I wasn’t interested in paying over $100 for a new Ohaus scale so I monitored ebay for a while and finally got a used one for $20.44 which included shipping. For such a low price I wasn’t expecting it to be in mint condition and it wasn’t. It has a few dings and the metal tray or platform or “pan” is no longer attached. It also seems to be missing some weight under the pan which have been replaced by pennies and nickels. It didn’t come with the additional attachment weights or any other accessories.
The good news: it seems to function properly.
triple beam attachment weights
I found a cheap set of attachment weights at Digital Scales AZ but when I ordered they told me that the weight set was discontinued. So I finally bought a generic weight set for $24 from Parco Scientific. I didn’t see anything in the mail for about two weeks so I emailed them. The package arrived a few days later. These attachment weights will allow me to weigh ingredients up to 2610g (~5lbs.) instead of only 610g without the extra weights.
triple beam pan velcro
To keep the pan from falling off the scale every time I try to weigh something I had my wife buy me some velcro on one of her trips to the store. She got me the industrial strength stuff which I can now use to attach the tray to the scale. I could have used super glue or welded it back on but there was another issue I had to consider. I don’t want to pour dry powders directly on the metal pan to weigh them. I also didn’t have much money left in the ceramic supply budget to buy a scoop or cup set.
triple beam cup
To solve that problem I decided to convert a sour cream container into a triple beam weighing cup. Since it was a lot lighter than the metal tray I taped some nails around the outside so it was about the same weight as the pan and I wouldn’t have to mess around too much with counterweights and adjusting the zero knob a whole lot. The bottom is indented in the middle and it fits on the pan rest almost perfectly.
So I think I’ve got enough equipment to start weighing glaze materials pretty accurately. Total cost was about $50. After looking back there is an American Weigh triple beam balance on the Digital Scales AZ website which would be about $62 including shipping. It’s probably in a lot better shape and just as reliable but I can use the money I saved for extra glaze chemicals. Look for a new post with details about all the raw materials I recently purchased…