Weighing things too heavy for your pellet scale

[lloyd-ss]

I wanted to weigh the hammer in my disco, but my digital scale maxes out at just over 50 grams.  So I used the age old wheelbarrow lever principle and can now weigh things up to 150 grams (about 2300 gns) on my 50 gram scale.

I had a thin stick about 14" long, and taped a piece of plastic pipe at one end to act as a fulcrum.  Marked the center of the pipe and then used 2-faced tape to put a little plastic cap exactly 12" from the first mark.  I then put marks and multiplication factors at 4" (x3), 6" (x2), 8" (x1.5), and 10"(x1.2) from the mark at the center of the plastic pipe. 

To use it:
Turn the scale on. 
Set the stick on it with the red cap right in the middle of the scale. (The stick should be level)
Press "TARE" and let the scale zero. (make sure you do this)
Put the part exactly on one of the lines and take the reading. 
Multiply that reading by the multiplier for that line to get the actual weight of the part.

I had the hammer on the 1.2 line, and the scale read 47.4 grams, so it actually weighs 56.9 grams.

If your stick isn't 12",calculate the multipliers for each location :  multiplier = total length / length from the plastic pipe to the measuring location.  In the picture, mine is 12", and the hammer is setting at 10",  so 12"/10" = 1.2

Just dawned on me, if you just used a 12" ruler and put the pipe at 1" and the red cap at 11", then at the 3" ruler mark would be x1.33, 4"x2.5, 5"x2, 6"x 1.67, 7"x1.43, 8"x1.25, 9"x1.11.
The smaller the multiplier is (closer to the digital scale), the more accurate the reading will be.

Congratulate yourself, you just saved the cost of another scale!  That's worth a few tins of pellets, at least!
Lloyd

[pjw]

 Geez Lloyd, if I was thinking that much my head would hurt.lol good idea

[lloyd-ss]

My wife says I'm hopeless.  

And ya know, they made you take all those math classes to make you a better airgunner !   

[glassman98]

Love thinking outside the box.

[airiscool]

Am I the only one who sees the irony of a guy who shoots AG's "cannons" has such an itty-bitty scale ?  

Just kiddin' ya Lloyd ! 

Paul

[Bullit]

Good Post Lloyd.

[lloyd-ss]

Am I the only one who sees the irony of a guy who shoots AG's "cannons" has such an itty-bitty scale ? 

Just kiddin' ya Lloyd ! 

Paul

Paul, so you bustin' my chops?

Well........ even though the scale is itty bitty, it will still weigh 50 grams, which is about 771 grains, which would be like shooting 100 .177 CP lights at one time............. OK, you're right.........needs to be bigger.  
Lloyd

[airiscool]

Paul, so you bustin' my chops?

Lloyd
[/quote]

Only,.. on a small scale ! 

Paul

[gene_sc]

Now I know why I did not take math past 9th grade... Thanks Lloyd, for the lesson in whatever math that is...