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Hello Shane,
I place the order or medal on the platform of the scale after calibration. Then I hold the suspension, lift it and move it around until the connecting ring is not contacting the object on the scale. When the ring of the suspension and the order/medal don't contact each other, I get the weight of the medal itself. It takes some moving around and then a steady hand. But when the two are separated, the weight indication is stable.
Dietrich
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Daniele,
I think all your questions are quite valid.
Tanita is, as you said, Japan made. The quality and reliability of Japanese tools is well known, as is their sticker price.
I believe that, given the small difference in price, you should get a 0.01g scale rather than a 0.1. Precision is (obviously) better, and today the price difference is no longer relevant.
Make sure that the scale has a zero-reset function as well as a tare function. Apart from that, I can't think of other necessary features.
Marc
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10-17-2007, 04:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-17-2007, 04:07 PM by Kirchgoens.)
I picked up a couple Soviet-era Russian analog calipers. They are well within the precision limits we need, and far less expensive.
For a scale, I have a FlipScale F3.
As for the weighing, it's often not that tough to safely remove a medal from the suspension to weigh it once you get the hang of it, especially if it's on a non-soldered ring. With very well-worn ribbons or rusted/corroded 2-piece suspensions, it can be tricky to being a no-go. Also, I've now seen many early Stalingrads and Moscows that seem to have been made with brass suspension rings soldered closed (like with silver-made awards). I'd guess that practice with non-silver medals only held for the earlier runs and some of the 60's V3's, but a guy like Alexei would know much better than I.
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Great to see so much discussion in this area. It is something I also eventually plan to do with my collection.
As someone who professionally uses 2-5 decimal point balances daily (I am a research Biochemist) I would just like to remind everyone that most balances are designed to give their most accurate weight when the object to be weighed is in the exact centre of the weighing pan. This is especially true of the cheaper "low-end" balances which are generally less accurate.
I have no experience with any of the balances mentioned in this thread but I know that what I said is true for the 2 decimal point balances we have in the lab.
I suppose what I am saying is that at least the last figure in the weight your balance gives may change depending on where the medal is placed on the balance. This is particularly true if you have a small weighing pan such that the medal you are weighing hangs over the sides of the pan.
Simon
