Vince Pitelka on sun 11 dec 05
> You can also buy a set of weights that allow a triple beam balance to go
> up
> to 1500 grams, if your container can hold that much. About 7 years ago I
> bought a set of weights, one at 1,000 grams, and 2 of 500 grams each.
> These
> are counterweights that hang on an Ohaus, much as the little weight that
> offsets the weight of their plastic bin that sits on the "input" arm of
> the
> beam.
Bonnie -
The standard accessory weight set for the Ohaus triple-beam balance allows
it to weigh up to 2610 grams - it includes two 1000-gram balance weights and
one 500 gram. The best setup is the model that also has the tare-beam - a
fourth beam on the balance with a small sliding weight for adjusting for
different weighing containers. A one-gallon ice cream pail is an ideal
container for weighing large amounts, because it is light-weight enough to
be within the compensation range of the tare beam.
This does not apply to your post, but I have been surprised at the
"sparring" over which is best - the old mechanical triple-beam balance, or
the electronic balances. The digital scales are becoming very accurate for
a reasonable price, so it does seem a little odd to claim that the
triple-beam is still the superior choice. For the price of an Ohaus
triple-beam, you can buy a good digital scale
(http://saveonscales.com/digital_gram_table_top_bench_scales.html) that will
weigh up to 2600 grams, is accurate to one tenth of a gram, and will
compensate for different weighing containers. The total price of the Ohaus
triple beam with the tare beam and the accessory weight set is as much as
this digital scale.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
steve graber on mon 12 dec 05
no vince - equipment enclosures were found to keep body parts out of the machinery. basic safety. then, once guards were the standard in design for safety, it helped introduced another industry into the tooling industry: "industrial designers". (art degree people making real money).
so, two groups were now employed to design products. one for function, one for looks.
now, as for cheap & inferior products - THAT sits squarely on the CEO's who drive for increases in stock every quarter. reguardless of their understanding of the business they happen to be in. (many CEO's cross disiplines & don't truly know the business they are in).
all designers - mechainical, electrical, industrial, etc know full well how to design the best products, but when the rules set down from managment are for "under $10" out the door selling price, you get cheap products.
i noted in a recent light posting, of a lights of america product we sold to walmart for around $10 that walmart sells for around $30 to $40. the retail markup prices are real & most people don't know the magnetude of mark up is so high.
add to that info the fact that i designed the "dark sky compliant dusk buster" that sells to home depot for $6 (in the box, complete security light fixture with bulb) that home depot retails at $39.99. also note that i was the guy who used only 1 screw in the design (holding the lens onto the body) where i wanted to use 3 screws. the president wanted only one screw because .001 cents times 3 million units a year adds up to more money in his pocket... such discussions do happen, and we often loose to the dictates of the CEO's.
see ya
steve
vince wrote:
""Some people think that streamlined cowling covering the mechanical workings was done purely for reasons having to do with aesthetics and modernity. That is not true. The introduction of streamlined enclosure was a decision based entirely on production efficiency and profits - it originated as a way for manufacturers to conceal the interior mechanical workings on engines, typewriters, automobiles, etc., so that they could put far less attention into the aesthetic design and craftsmanship of those parts. ""
Vince Pitelka wrote: In my previous post on this subject, I might have given the indication that
I was advocating digital scales over the triple-beam balance. I'm not. I
was simply pointing out that you can get a high-quality digital scale with
the same capacity and for the same price as a triple-beam balance. I like
new technology when it is clearly superior, or when it is something entirely
new and wonderful is available, such as my laptop or my tiny Garmin Etrex
Vista GPS, or the PLB (personal locator beacon) I plan to purchase before I
hike alone in the wilderness again. But I do not see myself switching over
to a digital scale, because, like Lee, I just enjoy the mechanical
simplicity of the Ohaus triple-beam balance, and the "ritual" involved in
its use. I like knowing exactly what it is doing, because then I know
exactly what I am doing.
I especially like old tools and machines where you can see the internal
workings, where a fairly quick appraisal tells you exactly how they work. I
am a hard-core afficionado of antique machinery and technology. To me, the
development of streamlined enclosures around machinery and equipment was a
dark period in the evolution of western industry. Some people think that
streamlined cowling covering the mechanical workings was done purely for
reasons having to do with aesthetics and modernity. That is not true. The
introduction of streamlined enclosure was a decision based entirely on
production efficiency and profits - it originated as a way for manufacturers
to conceal the interior mechanical workings on engines, typewriters,
automobiles, etc., so that they could put far less attention into the
aesthetic design and craftsmanship of those parts. Before that, they were
proud of the appearance of the internal workings, and every piece was
finished with high standards of design and finish. Streamlined cowling
covered a world of sins.
But I digress . . . .
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
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Lee Love on mon 12 dec 05
On 2005/12/12 13:21:13, vpitelka@dtccom.net wrote:
> For the price of an Ohaus
> triple-beam, you can buy a good digital scale
I haven't heard anybody but pro-digital folks say that one is better
than another. On the other hand, I haven't heard any good reason to
replace an Ohaus if that is what you already have.
I like it as an object, for aesthetic reasons. The same reason I like an
analog watch or clock over a digital one. The same reason I like my
korean keiyaki wooden kickwheel over an electric wheel.
Maybe if they made the digitals out of brushed stainless steel instead
of plastic, they'd be a little more appealing. You can get the digital
scales here in Japan for a lot less than an Ohaus, actually.
--
李 Lee Love 大
愛 鱗
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://seisokuro.blogspot.com/ My Photo Logs
http://ikiru.blogspot.com/ Zen and Craft
"The way we are, we are members of each other. All of us. Everything.
The difference ain't in who is a member and who is not, but in who knows
it and who don't."
--Burley Coulter (Wendell Berry)
John Jensen on mon 12 dec 05
I'd like to weigh in on this subject. While I'm sure a good digital =
scale
has advantages over the triple beam balance (TBB), the triple beam =
balance
(TBB) has a couple of advantages of it's own. For one thing, you never =
have
to buy batteries for a TBB. A TBB is a lifetime purchase...electronic
devices have a way of giving up the ghost for no apparent reason. Also, =
I
wonder: If you came into possession of a digital scale which had no
instruction manual, would it be easy to figure out how to use it? I
inherited a drawer full of digital scales that don't seem to work =
properly,
but it could just be me (I've never spent a whole lot of time trying to
figure them out).
John Jensen, Mudbug Pottery
John Jensen@mudbugpottery.com
http://www.toadhouse.com http://www.mudbugpottery.com
http://www.mudbugblues.com
Steve Slatin on mon 12 dec 05
Vince, Bonnie --
Also check the 3001P Digital Table Top Kitchen Food Scale
on the same page. $35, 1 g. accuracy, 30 year warranty.
And, for a few dollars more, brushed stainless steel models
are available ...
-- Steve S
Vince Pitelka wrote:
For the price of an Ohaus
triple-beam, you can buy a good digital scale
(http://saveonscales.com/digital_gram_table_top_bench_scales.html) that will
weigh up to 2600 grams, is accurate to one tenth of a gram, and will
compensate for different weighing containers. The total price of the Ohaus
triple beam with the tare beam and the accessory weight set is as much as
this digital scale.
- Vince
Steve Slatin --
And I've seen it all, I've seen it all
Through the yellow windows of the evening train...
---------------------------------
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Vince Pitelka on mon 12 dec 05
> Also check the 3001P Digital Table Top Kitchen Food Scale
> on the same page. $35, 1 g. accuracy, 30 year warranty.
Steve -
What you pay more for is accuracy, and this model is only accurate to one
gram. As someone else pointed out, if you are weighing out a small test
batch and adding a powerful colorant, a one gram error is not acceptable. A
scale is not a place to skimp. For mixing large amounts of glaze, the one
gram error is negligible, but if you use your scale for mixing small test
batches, the accuracy is critical.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Vince Pitelka on mon 12 dec 05
In my previous post on this subject, I might have given the indication that
I was advocating digital scales over the triple-beam balance. I'm not. I
was simply pointing out that you can get a high-quality digital scale with
the same capacity and for the same price as a triple-beam balance. I like
new technology when it is clearly superior, or when it is something entirely
new and wonderful is available, such as my laptop or my tiny Garmin Etrex
Vista GPS, or the PLB (personal locator beacon) I plan to purchase before I
hike alone in the wilderness again. But I do not see myself switching over
to a digital scale, because, like Lee, I just enjoy the mechanical
simplicity of the Ohaus triple-beam balance, and the "ritual" involved in
its use. I like knowing exactly what it is doing, because then I know
exactly what I am doing.
I especially like old tools and machines where you can see the internal
workings, where a fairly quick appraisal tells you exactly how they work. I
am a hard-core afficionado of antique machinery and technology. To me, the
development of streamlined enclosures around machinery and equipment was a
dark period in the evolution of western industry. Some people think that
streamlined cowling covering the mechanical workings was done purely for
reasons having to do with aesthetics and modernity. That is not true. The
introduction of streamlined enclosure was a decision based entirely on
production efficiency and profits - it originated as a way for manufacturers
to conceal the interior mechanical workings on engines, typewriters,
automobiles, etc., so that they could put far less attention into the
aesthetic design and craftsmanship of those parts. Before that, they were
proud of the appearance of the internal workings, and every piece was
finished with high standards of design and finish. Streamlined cowling
covered a world of sins.
But I digress . . . .
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
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