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Fishing Scales


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i have a question about scales for weighing clay. i've had a difficult time finding a good scale at a decent price. i nearly always have to use christmas and birthday money to buy pottery stuff, so i can't really afford to spend 50+ dollars for a new one and the used one i got for christmas never shows the same weight twice for a single lump of clay so i'm a little hesitant to go that route again. my question is would a fishing scale work? you know, the kind you hook into the mouth of the fish to see much it weighs? i saw one at walmart that would weigh a fish up to 50lbs for less than $5.

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As an avid bass fisher(person), I can attest to the inaccuracy of inexpensive fishing scales. Mine is digital, but when the battery gets low, it doesn't weigh accurately. I have a couple of scales in my studio to weigh clay that I purchased at flea markets....the old fashion kind that has the big dial on the front....put the clay on a tray on the top. Sometimes you can get those very inexpensively....you might even check out eBay. They can be calibrated so they're pretty accurate.

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I use a precision balance for mixing glazes but just about any scale will do for weighing lumps of clay. For me rather than having an absolute weight I'm usually looking for repeatability since I want to be able to weigh out lumps of clay similar to each other so it doesn't matter if the scale is right on; at least not to me. I use a kitchen type scale with a platform on top and a big dial in the front. they are cheap and seem to last. A spring scale also varies with elevation so it measures differently in the mountains of Colorado than it would in the low deserts of California, that's why balances were used for trade.

 

Regards,

Charles

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