[76Highboy]

Today I found this scale at a local pawn shop and I scored. I had a bunch of mix and match reloading dies and two cheap-o brass trimmers that I stumbled onto for zero cost. I took the two brass trimmers and the reloading dies and traded for this awesome Vintage Redding Powder and Bullet Scale plus I made fifty bucks. The scale is two tenths off on the low end and the high end. It is a hydraulic scale and weighs twice as much as modern scales. It's like new and appears to have never had oil in it, nor has it been used much. It came with the original box.

 

[gdmoody]

That looks a lot like the first one that I ever had, but I think mine was made by Lyman (?).

 

[JLA]

I gave one exactly like that away last year at TFF GA meet.

 

[Bindernut]

Nice score! Yup, I agree it looks almost new/unused condition.
You've got what I think is the smoothest reloading-grade beam scale ever made. I like it over any magnetic damped scale that I've ever tried although I do usually grab my digital instead of the old Redding.

Does that one have the metal bearing surfaces or does it have agate bearings? I've heard that the later oil-damped models did have the stone bearings but mine is metal.

I use ATF (5w to 10w viscosity) in the chamber. I don't remember what the instruction sheet calls for but I tried 30w and it was a bit sluggish to read a small change trickled into the pan. It responds quickly and still settles nicely if I use ATF.

If you want to try to tackle the recalibration yourself, those double-nuts on the end of the beam are how you calibrate it. BUT...I'm pretty sure if you contact Redding they will still offer to recal the thing for you under their lifetime warranty. And if not, the price shouldn't be too much. Mine is about .05gr off (half of one graduation) according to my checkweights...I never considered messing with it though.

I like that big heavy glass scale base you've got there too. Where'd ya score that one? Is it tempered or just plain glass? Neat idea!

 

[76Highboy]

That looks a lot like the first one that I ever had, but I think mine was made by Lyman (?).

Any idea how old it could be? Like a date range?

 

[76Highboy]

Nice score! Yup, I agree it looks almost new/unused condition.
You've got what I think is the smoothest reloading-grade beam scale ever made. I like it over any magnetic damped scale that I've ever tried although I do usually grab my digital instead of the old Redding.

Does that one have the metal bearing surfaces or does it have agate bearings? I've heard that the later oil-damped models did have the stone bearings but mine is metal.

I use ATF (5w to 10w viscosity) in the chamber. I don't remember what the instruction sheet calls for but I tried 30w and it was a bit sluggish to read a small change trickled into the pan. It responds quickly and still settles nicely if I use ATF.

If you want to try to tackle the recalibration yourself, those double-nuts on the end of the beam are how you calibrate it. BUT...I'm pretty sure if you contact Redding they will still offer to recal the thing for you under their lifetime warranty. And if not, the price shouldn't be too much. Mine is about .05gr off (half of one graduation) according to my checkweights...I never considered messing with it though.

I like that big heavy glass scale base you've got there too. Where'd ya score that one? Is it tempered or just plain glass? Neat idea!

I picked the glass base up at a glass store for $2.50. It sure makes dialing the scale in a lot smoother. It is not smoother.

I am going to write Redding and see if they will recal it for free.

 

[Alpo]

I wonder who made it?

I know when I broke my RCBS, I emailed 'em and they sent me a return authorization, and I shipped it to OHAUS, in Joisey. They replaced the broken beam, calibrated it and shipped it back to me, on RCBS' dime.

Go big green. :thumbsup:

 

[Bindernut]

I'm pretty sure that Redding makes their own scales (as opposed to the Lyman/RCBS/Dillon that's made by Ohaus). I'm not 100% positive on that though.
It's not an Ohaus design.

The only other scale I've ever seen with that shape base & beam is the old Herters scale. It's identical except for the name cast into the base...both even the same shade of brown wrinkle paint. I'm pretty sure they come out of the same foundry.
I know that Herter's farmed out who made their equipment to outside companies, but I don't know where.

 

[howlnmad]

Nice score Jimbo :thumbsup:

 

[22WRF]

I use it's twin, sent it to Redding a couple of years ago for calibration, it wasn't free, but but it wasn't much.

 

[68c15]

I'm pretty sure that Redding makes their own scales (as opposed to the Lyman/RCBS/Dillon that's made by Ohaus). I'm not 100% positive on that though.
It's not an Ohaus design.

The only other scale I've ever seen with that shape base & beam is the old Herters scale. It's identical except for the name cast into the base...both even the same shade of brown wrinkle paint. I'm pretty sure they come out of the same foundry.
I know that Herter's farmed out who made their equipment to outside companies, but I don't know where.

my herters is in front of me and while it's close, there are differences. mine has 3 adjustable feet, a spirit level that swivels to get both planes set, and a manual dampener

 

[Bindernut]

Yup, I've seen those before too. Yours is probably a Model 2. I've seen both the 2 and the 5 with a spirit level, lever damper, and more than one adjustable foot.
The 5 is a rectangle base with four feet. The top of the line model.
The 2 is a tripod base similar to the B except with two or three feet. it was the mid-range model.
The B was the cheapie model. No level and just the one leveling foot, otherwise the same beam/poise setup as the 2.

I've got the base of a Herters B that is identical to Jim's oil-damped Redding above except it has the usual "Herter's Inc Since 1893 Waseca MN Pat Pend" cast into the base instead of Redding.

This old fleaBay auction shows the two side-by-side.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Powder-Meas...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Back to the age of Jim's Redding...
I think Redding switched to the light green in the early to mid 1970s. The older stuff was brown. I do know that the Redding powder measure I had before the fire was bought new in 1959 by a neighbor...still had the receipt in the box along with the instruction sheet but I forget the amount.

 

[wolfdog]

Nice find!

 

[76Highboy]

Nice find!

Thank you wolfdog.

 

[Shanghai]

Today I found this scale at a local pawn shop and I scored. I had a bunch of mix and match reloading dies and two cheap-o brass trimmers that I stumbled onto for zero cost. I took the two brass trimmers and the reloading dies and traded for this awesome Vintage Redding Powder and Bullet Scale plus I made fifty bucks. The scale is two tenths off on the low end and the high end. It is a hydraulic scale and weighs twice as much as modern scales. It's like new and appears to have never had oil in it, nor has it been used much. It came with the original box.

If its off the same way (over or under) set it a -0-, then use the knob on the left side of the base to make it read -0-. That should work. I have the same scale that I bought in 1965 and I still use it to check the accuracy of my modern scales.

 

[gdmoody]

Since this thread is two years old, I would hope that he would have figured it out by now!

 

[76Highboy]

Since this thread is two years old, I would hope that he would have figured it out by now!

Oh Moody, you know how handy-capped I am. I am the blind leading the blind. He, he.

Yes, I figured it out long ago. Neat scale but the modern scale is better. I will be running it on my channel with some other vintage Redding Reloading equipment that I have been accumulating.


Stay out of trouble Mr. Moody!!!

 

[mikld]

Mine looks a lot like the one pictured, but it's oil dampened, not hydraulic...

Jeeeze, I gotta start reading the dates of the posts...