Platform scales

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

I've got a nice set of accurate kitchen scales but they only go up to 2.5kg - they're great for hops and water chems but a bit of a PitA for the grain bill. The bathroom scales aren't ideal either because whatever you're weighing obscures the display.

So anyway these look good, and cheaper than I was expecting at £27... more deliveries for my poor long-suffering postie.

Anyone tried these or similar for accuracy and durability?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

@Markgee are these the ones you have, that you said have the sharp edges on the back that like the taste of human blood?

 

[terrym]

Why not just split the grain bill into manageable quantities and continue to use your kitchen scales, or with a bit of ingenuity elevate what you are measuring on your bathroom scales so you can see the reading.
But if you want to spend some money on scales, buy some 'drug dealer' scales (assuming you don't have them already) which are invaluable for accurately measuring small quantities of things like water treatment chemicals and hops. Here's an example
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-01G-50...ams-Small-Kitchen-Gold-Jewellery/373321388816

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

elevate what you are measuring on your bathroom scales so you can see the reading

Ah... devious! I like the idea, but not so much as I like the idea of having a new ‘shiny thing’

In fact I have tried to use the bathroom scales like that but it was a bit tricky trying to measure water into a 30L bucket because it has to sit fairly central. Also the boss doesn’t particularly like me nicking bits of household eqpt for my brewing.

 

[lancon]

salter and John Lewis both do 10kkg scales, Measure liquid with a jug?

 

[phillc]

Perhaps not optimal from a process point of view, but:

1. Stand on bathroom scales, record your weight
2. Step off bathroom scales, pick up grain bill in whatever convenient container you have it in
3. Step back on bathroom scales, record new weight
4. Subtract new weight from old weight to find weight of grain
5. Top up or reduce grain in container
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until desired weight in container

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Well I’m impressed with peoples inventiveness, that’s for sure

 

[Thatscold]

I think these would be useful for doing closed transfers to a corny keg, to make sure you don't overfill it.

 

[terrym]

In fact I have tried to use the bathroom scales like that but it was a bit tricky trying to measure water into a 30L bucket because it has to sit fairly central. Also the boss doesn’t particularly like me nicking bits of household eqpt for my brewing.

Assuming the wall of your FV is translucent or clearer, calibrate your FV using incremental quantities of water off the scales. That way you do it once and that's it.

 

[St00]

Perhaps not optimal from a process point of view, but:

1. Stand on bathroom scales, record your weight
2. Step off bathroom scales, pick up grain bill in whatever convenient container you have it in
3. Step back on bathroom scales, record new weight
4. Subtract new weight from old weight to find weight of grain
5. Top up or reduce grain in container
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until desired weight in container

If I step on the speak your weight machine it says "No coach parties please". . . .

 

[UKSkydiver]

For measuring grain I use kitchen scales that go up to 3 (or 5, I forget) and then put in a separate bucket.

For FV volumes, I can just about read the weight on my bathroom scales. I also then do a cylinder volume calc as a check and balance. Its normally within .5 litre

Edit: I've also put 'calibrated' sharpie marks on the outside of the FV.

 

[JockyBrewer]

I've got these: 50kg/2g Heavy Digital Postal Parcel Scales Platform Postage Shipping Weighing | eBay

They're marked SF-890 digital platform scale and take up to 50kg. Good for weighing lots of grain, although for that purpose mainly I use a cheap 5kg salter kitchen scale and use the platform scale for checking the contents of kegs and my CO2 cylinder.

I also have a 0-200g drug dealer micro scale for water salts, hops etc

 

[Craftman]

What about using luggage scales attached to the handle of a bucket - then just lift bucket off the ground using the scales?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

What about using luggage scales attached to the handle of a bucket - then just lift bucket off the ground using the scales?

Yep I’ve got some of those and they do indeed come in handy, but it must be said they are a bit inconvenient when you are trying to hold them with one hand and fill from the hose with the other

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

I've also put 'calibrated' sharpie marks on the outside of the FV.

Me too - it’s a good quick check, but I recently realised that with my wider bins the slight slope on the garage floor makes a surprisingly large amount of difference depending on what which way round it’s standing :-)

 

[terrym]

Me too - it’s a good quick check, but I recently realised that with my wider bins the slight slope on the garage floor makes a surprisingly large amount of difference depending on what which way round it’s standing :-)

Turn it round and take the average reading

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

... or bail it in with a thimble and keep count?

Only kidding - thanks for the suggestions, but I do like to look of these platform scales and I like buying tools. Just interested if anyone else had tried these ones (they pop up often on the ‘tinternet) and whether they had decent accuracy and durability :-)

 

[Leon103]

I've got a nice set of accurate kitchen scales but they only go up to 2.5kg - they're great for hops and water chems but a bit of a PitA for the grain bill. The bathroom scales aren't ideal either because whatever you're weighing obscures the display.

So anyway these look good, and cheaper than I was expecting at £27... more deliveries for my poor long-suffering postie.

Anyone tried these or similar for accuracy and durability?

View attachment 35516

I have seen these being used to weigh cornies whilst filling.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I bag my pale malt into 2kg and 3kg zip-lock bags from a 25kg sack. Don't worry too much about 500g of pale malt in my mash. Calibrated my kettle/boiler with an aluminium dip stick in 1 gallon increments for strike water measurement. Hops are measured on kitchen scales. Water chemicals on jewellers scales.
I like buying gadgets too or even better, invent and make my own!

 

[ppsmith]

I got these 15kg scales a few months back, no complaints so far and they're a bit more compact than the speak your weight machine

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HDTYR4X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Big enough to do all my grain bills, but they wouldn't handle a full keg obviously.