From: muratlanne@gmail.com   
      
   "Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m134ag6ay9.fsf@void.com...   
      
   Thanks for that expert guidance on accuracy and mess measurement.   
   It's the thinking process I see value in.   
   With this improvided activities there is a high risk of damage / loss of   
   equipment, so am getting seemingly "good enough" quantitative   
   categorisations with low-cost things.   
      
   -----------------------------   
   I do that too if necessary, I've weighed by balancing the unknown against US   
   nickel coins (~5 grams) on a wooden ruler. I try to give a satisfactory   
   permanent answer as well as a cheap temporary one, like the drill pump. I   
   assume that like me you do non-paying projects on the cheap and watch for   
   deals on stuff you can use, which is why I mention possibilities. I'm not   
   trying to shame you into spending on high end lab equipment but after it's   
   too old to be calibrated it may sell very cheaply. I found an older model of   
   this for $50.   
   https://americanlaboratorytrading.com/lab-equipment-products/met   
   ler-toledo-mechanical-analytical-balance-h54-ar-19775/?   
   A 1980's 5-1/2 digit Fluke voltmeter cost me $25, a resistance meter that   
   reads to 0.00001 Ohm was $15. It easily shows that modern copper wire is   
   near the thin limit of its specification.   
      
   When you stumble onto a possible deal on something better it helps a lot to   
   understand if you can make good use of it, or not, especially when entering   
   a new unfamiliar field. I often have to estimate on the spot if the reason a   
   find is for sale is obsolescence or damage, and if so is fixable, like a   
   carburetor rebuild or a bit of welding or machining, all of them plus belts   
   needed for my snowblower. The older model variable speed motor I just bought   
   has a reputation for failure if used at its rated power, so I'll have to   
   watch the current draw.   
      
   While I was working I made frequent build/buy decisions and did some   
   volunteer work building theatre scenery, where I had neither time to seek   
   scrap lumber nor money to buy it and so had to improvise and make do. I   
   understand that situation too.   
      
   Weighing looks and often is simple, the difficulty is controlling the   
   sample, knowing it's dry and not losing any in handling.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)