Quick way to test a scales accuracy.

I've been think about this for a while.. How do I know my scale is accurate? How do I know my dealer's scale is accurate? These can be tough questions. It's really impossible to know unless you weigh something that has a known weight value such as a calibration weight. Well what do we know the weight of? There's not much. I searched my apartment for quite a while trying to find something I knew the weight of. Well I finaly figured it out.

A US QUARTER!!!!! I can look up the weight of a quarter, because their construction is very regulated and duplicated over an over again.. plus.. there are machines that can count change just by weighing the coins, so the weight must be very specific for each quarter!! Why didn't I think of this before???

Ok so down to business. here's a list of US Currency weight.

Source: http://www.usmint.gov/

Penny - 2.5grams

Nickel - 5.0grams

Dime - 2.268grams (This will show up as 2.3grams on a scale with only 10th of a gram sensitivity.)

Quarter - 5.67grams (This will show up as 5.7grams on a scale with only 10th of a gram sensitivity.)

I'm writing these weights on my scale with a sharpie so I don't forget.
I imagine it'd be ok if the scale was off by .1 grams, but anything more than that and I'd start to wonder how far off it would be at higher weights.

I think this is a great piece of knowledge because now you can test yours and other scales integrity by using something we all have a lot of----> Pocket Change!!!!

It would also be a really reasuring thing to show your clientel if you're a dealer. kind of a way to show people that you're not shorting them. If they say it looks skimpy you can weigh it, then if they question your scale you can put a quarter on and show them. If they don't believe you about the weight of the quarter have them look it up on the web.

Happy smoking everyone!!!!! :stoned:

I'm gonna pack a celebratory bowl. :stoned:

yea i use paper money too 1.0

I've always used pennies. One of these days I'll get a tripple beam balance because I also do a lot of experimental chemistry.

1 gram dubs
paper money = 1.0

very good fellow stoners
you know your shit

i always used a nickle because its easier to tell on a hand scale.

yeah, but if you buy a sack you should always weigh out of bag, or if u dont want residue on ur scale, just rip off the zip part of the bag because it ways alot.... my freind bought an ounce, and he weiged it in bag, and the bag was a big hefty with a easy zip lock, and the bag weighed 3.6.... and the ounce weighed out to 28.4 in bag

nickel is .5 not 5.0grams

no its 5 grams

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RaoulDuke45

no its 5 grams

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Yep.

or a nickel, a nickel ways 5 grams i believe, but i have a digital scale with the 100gram weight to calibrate it if it messes up anyway.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mastahaze

yeah, but if you buy a sack you should always weigh out of bag, or if u dont want residue on ur scale, just rip off the zip part of the bag because it ways alot.... my freind bought an ounce, and he weiged it in bag, and the bag was a big hefty with a easy zip lock, and the bag weighed 3.6.... and the ounce weighed out to 28.4 in bag

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Or else have 2 identical bags 1 to put the weed in for and then you wiegh the other to check wieght of the bags then minus that from the bag with the weed. Another way is to put the bag on the scale then zero out the scale and then put the weed in. And that dollar thing is a really good idea unless you have a fucked up dollar.

Okay, so if you have a hand scale and its say a half a gram off (it says the nickel I tested it with weighs 4.5) how would you go about fixing that little error?

there should be a way to calibrate your scale...my scales are all a little different, but easy to do.

its one of those pocket scales, the metal hand scales, I have no idea how to calibrate one and its half a gram off.

I use a piece of aluminum foil folded into a "boat". My scale has a tare so I utilize it.

As for accuracy, yes the coins work well. Just make sure you use the newest available coin since time and use usually equal wear. And they have changed weight of the penny quite a few times in recent history.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DaWikidClown

its one of those pocket scales, the metal hand scales, I have no idea how to calibrate one and its half a gram off.

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Like the little hanging scales you get at the post office?

The small digital scales use 50 gms to calibrate. don't have a weight? Use 10 nickles. they weigh 50 gms!!! RTFM!!! :S2: :thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RaoulDuke45

no its 5 grams

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not really. You can't use a nickle for accurate weight. Because some nickles can weigh as low as 4.8 and as high as 5.2 So it isn't always accurate. And having a bag weight .4 off isn't something that you want.

Check multiple coins or add the weight together.

I have always heard that there were 3 accurate weight standards out there... a brand new un-circulated Jefferson nickel at 5.000 grams, a post 1982 penny at 2.500 grams and any brand new un-circulated US currency bill at 1.0 +/- 3%. When you get a stack of new bills together, that +/- evens out pretty well, so that a stack of 50 bills is usually pretty dead on 50 grams, but within the printing office standards there is room for that stack to potentially be between 51.5 and 48.5 grams. It is easier and more accurate to go to your local bank and get new nickels or pennies though... and certainly cheaper than going out to buy a 50g standard weight at some hobby/science store.

All of the coins have changed drastically over the years. Pennies have had steel and aluminum in them, silver has been used in some coins over the years but no longer, the copper content of pennies has changed drastically until today they are simply copper plated zinc. The nickel is the only coin we have that actually uses 25% nickel in its mixture and this is why it is so carefully measured. The rest of the common coins in use today are a mix of 8.3% nickel and the rest copper.

Emmie