From: wself@viking.emcmt.edu (Will Self)
Subject: Cheap hop scale
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 22:45:56 -0700

For the new brewer.

You can make a very inexpensive (free) hop-weighing scale, which
will be perfectly fine for the occasional brewer.  It is similar
to ones that were much used in the 60's to weigh a certain
botanical relative of the hop.  It is made from corrugated cardboard
and a small paper sack, and some paper clips and nails.


   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
-> . Corner C                   Hole A     Hole B .
   .                                o          o  .
   .                                              .
   .                                              .
   .                                             .
   .                                            . 
   .                                           .
   .                                          .
   .                                         .
   .                                        .
    .                                      .
     .                                    .
      .                                  .
       .                                 .
        .                                .
         .                               .   sack
            .                            .   hangs
               .                         .   here
                  .           |  |  | |  .
                     .        |  |  | |  .
                         .    |  |  | | .
                             .|. |. |.|.
                              -  -  - -
                         (nails pointing up)

Cut this piece out of corrugated cardboard with the corrugations
running vertically.  The actual distance from corner C to hole B
should be about 8 or 9 inches.

The curve running from Corner C to the nails should be an arc of
a circle centered at Hole A.

Make holes A and B.  A paper punch will do nicely.  With a small
saw, like a coping saw, cut off two 3/16 inch pieces from the end
of a cheap ballpoint pen and glue these pieces into the holes (as
little bushings) to reinforce them.  Put some glue on 4 12-penny
nails and push them into the corrugations of the cardboard, as
shown.

Tack a small nail into a wall.  You will hang hole A on the small
nail.  Punch a hole near the top of a lunch-size paper bag, after
first reinforcing the bag with tape, inside and out, where the hole
will be.  Hand the bag from hole B with light wire or a chain
of paper clips.

You will be marking a scale on the arc that runs from corner
C down to the nails.  This will be 0 near corner C and about
4 ounces down near the nails.  You may want to glue some white
paper along there before marking the scale.

You will need one mark on the wall to line up with the marks on
your scale.  This is shown by the arrow near corner C.  Friction
against the wall can be reduced by putting a couple of small
washers (of cardboard or anything) behind hole A.

You can use the following to calibrate:

1/4 ounce = 1 nickel and 1 dime (U.S. coins)
1/2 ounce = 2 nickels and 2 dimes
3/4 ounce = 1 nickel and 2 dimes and 4 pennies
1 ounce   = 2 nickels and 3 dimes and 4 pennies

To go higher, use multiples of the one-ounce equivalent, which
you will find to be quite accurate.  Be sure to have the sack in
place when you calibrate.

Will Self