• Psychedelic Drugs Welcome Guest
    View threads about
    Posting RulesBluelight Rules
    PD's Best Threads Index
    Social ThreadSupport Bluelight
    Psychedelic Beginner's FAQ
  • PD Moderators: Esperighanto | JackARoe | Cheshire_Kat

☛ Official ☚ The Big & Dandy Scale / Balance Thread - Part 2.000±

Does anyone know why a scale would start "counting down" one mg at a time a few seconds after weighing something? It will just keep going all the way to zero and then past there if you leave it for long enough.

Actually it does this even if there's nothing on the pan sometimes.

I'm not too concerned about it. It's initial measurements seem to be extremely accurate. But still, it seems like quite a dangerous habit for this kind of scale to have. One distraction or lapse in judgement and I could get a huge overdose of some nbome chemical.

It's a sartorious ay123 and it's only a few months old. I doubt there's anything mechanically wrong with it. I think I might have activated one of its programs by mistake when I was trying to change its primary measure to milligrams instead of grams.
 
That could be due to a change in ambient temperature and/or draft, but your description sounds extreme. If the settings on the balance are indeed correct but the problem persists, you may want to get it serviced.
 
Solipsis said:
For some reason it does not really look trustworthy but in the more expensive end of the price range at dealextreme you will find 0.001g scales that I would consider alright (I have one myself and I rarely have creeping or surprising reactions that could have been caused by inaccuracy).
And you will still be under 30$ 8) :D
Click to expand...

Whats the make and model of your scale, I need to get a new one that's about the price range I'm going for.
 
What about this one???
http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Gemini-20-Portable-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM/ref=pd_sbs_k_1

it dosent have to be accurate.. it would be no problem to have like a little more if i would weight up 1 mg 25b-nbome forexample... i have taken 2.5 mg of that stuff on blotters...
what about the first weight i showed u.. are u saying its that bad that it cant be used at all??? is it better to eyeball then?? 8(
i wanna do some mdpv tomorrow, can i just eyeball that?
 
It would be a terrible idea to weigh out a single dose of powdered 25B on that, about the same as eyeballing. MDPV would be similarly foolish but slightly better than eyeballing.

You need to be using volumetric dosing or you're likely to end up in deep water pretty quickly. There is a good guide here
 
jesuspeople666 said:
What about this one???
http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Gemini-20-Portable-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM/ref=pd_sbs_k_1

it dosent have to be accurate.
Click to expand...
Yes it does, unless you like going to emergency rooms and/or dying. And you are talking about weighing single doses of 25b? I wouldn't ever do that, and my scale cost me more than 10 times what that one costs. Use liquid measurements, please, and weigh at least 10mg to reduce the chance of OD.

No you can't really eyeball MDPV. Even with a lot of experience weighing RCs, which you don't seem to have, eyeballing doses that low is hard to do accurately.
 
jesuspeople666 said:
What about this one???
http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Gemini-20-Portable-Milligram/dp/B0012TDNAM/ref=pd_sbs_k_1

it dosent have to be accurate.. it would be no problem to have like a little more if i would weight up 1 mg 25b-nbome forexample... i have taken 2.5 mg of that stuff on blotters...
what about the first weight i showed u.. are u saying its that bad that it cant be used at all??? is it better to eyeball then?? 8(
i wanna do some mdpv tomorrow, can i just eyeball that?
Click to expand...

First scale I got, I would say its accuracy is approximately +-5mg. Use that information as you will, if you're happy measuring 1mg doses of nbomes then go for it, don't accidentally take -4mg of the stuff and become so sober that your so in touch with reality that you percieve things the rest of us can't and get labeled a nut job.
 
i think ill wait with getting a expensive scale.... seems like its not worth getting a cheap one at all....
i think about make a liquid solution with my 25b-nbome powder, its supposed to be 10mg i have.


We CAN NOT eyeball your substances any better than you can. BUY SOME SCALES

As I have said, volumetric dosing will be plenty effective enough for you. Trying to guess the weight is likely to leave you in hospital or jail. Get some cheap scales and follow this guide to make a volumetric solution.

how mutch does it look like??
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I feel like an idiot for asking, but I suppose the possiblity of ridicule is better than the possibility of death...

I'm looking to buy a scale to measure substances no more potent than the NBOMe series (cue shock and awe). I feel like I have a fairly good handle on what makes a good scale, the confusion comes when you add volumetric measurement into the mix.

Looking at the Gem Pro Series subthread, for example, I see the JScale JS-VG 20 is a 'good' 2mg scale for $80. With accurate liquid measuring tools and 20mg of 25C, would this scale allow for safely accurate measurement? If not, would the MyWeigh Gempro 2 be enough?

For one thing, I feel like I may be underestimating the amount of safety that liquid measurement adds...
 
If you have a reasonably accurate mg scale then when weighing 20mg, it might actually be 24mg. If you dissolve that in 20mls of water then 1ml will be 1.2mg instead of the 1mg you expect.

If you use it to weigh 40mg then that could be 44mg dissolved in 40 mls and the 1ml will be 1.1mg instead.

I suspect most people would be comfortable working with a 10% error margin, so long as they are careful. Really I would always recommend one does not buy powdered NBOMes without an adequate analytical balance but in the meantime volumetric dosing does seem to be working.
 
Alright. I understand that there's no 'one true answer' and it's largely a matter of personal willingness to take risks (even with $20000 lab scales, to an extent)

The other, more general question is: Have there been any significant changes in 'the best scales' in recent times? Is the JS-VG 20 still the best for under $100? What about the Gempro 2? Even here, I understand 'the best scale' might be subjective, but I would feel silly if I'm an entire generation behind or something...
 
Last edited:
In my opinion, if you aren't able to get an "electromagnetic force restoration" balance (ie an analytical set) then i wouldn't worry about which ones you get. Accept that your balance is likely to be out at least a little and act accordingly. Generally, when dosing things above 50mg that possible 5mg error (10% at that level) isn't of much importance unless you like being really meticulous. I used a gemini-20 set as my portable ones for a while and they always served me well.
 
I must say, the Horizon Pro 50A scale is performing very well for me. So much better in comparison to my old Gemini-20. It even has a little circle level balance gauge and the 4 feet on the bottom are each adjustable to get it perfectly level. It's good stuff.
 
theflood said:
Alright. I understand that there's no 'one true answer' and it's largely a matter of personal willingness to take risks (even with $20000 lab scales, to an extent)

The other, more general question is: Have there been any significant changes in 'the best scales' in recent times? Is the JS-VG 20 still the best for under $100? What about the Gempro 2? Even here, I understand 'the best scale' might be subjective, but I would feel silly if I'm an entire generation behind or something...
Click to expand...

I love my js-vg 20. It stays in calibration, and i dropped a ~1lb tablet (nook color) on it the other day, and it came through unscathed. Diddnt even have to recalibrate, and it hit the tray platform and knocked it off. I was about to start raging until i found out it was just fine lol.

I suggest getting a tray, and knowing what it weighs, in my case an old metal tray from one of my gemeni's weighs 2.502g. I know that because 3 different mg scales with fresh batteries, all recently calibrated give that weight. And my vg-20 has been giving that value for a few months now consistently.

It works much better when you don't zero the tray for some reason, i find this holds true with my $20 gemini's as well. Its also a great way to know if your uncalibrated a few mg +/- since the tray weight would be off.

The vg-20 imho, is the one of the best sub $100 scales, and the 2mg resolution is ok with me, even for nbomes. You just need to weigh them out 50mg+ at a time and volumetrically dose.

I've only had to calibrate it a few times in the months i've had it now, and i find its more sensitive than my 1mg gemini's. Solid scale all the way in my book.

And get some of the expensive lithium non-rechargable aaa's. They last forever in scales, at least way longer than duracell aaa's, and aren't undervolted like nimh cells are. Best batteries you can get for scales.
 
Just bought the American Weigh Gemini-20 Portable Milligram Scale, 20 by 0.001 G. It's the cheapest mg scale on Amazon and seems to be the best cheapo mg scale on the market.

Will be weighing out doses of about 10-30mg. Anyone use this scale? Should I test smaller doses first like a couple mg lower than my target dose in case the scale is off by a few mg? Say I want to dose 15mg, would it be wise to start with 10 or 12mg on the scale seeing as these doses are so low and the scale is not going to be completely accurate mg for mg? Until I get a feel for the compound? 4-ho-mipt is actually all this scale is going to be used for.
 
Last edited:
I'd weigh out a sample, lets say 12mg (wise to undershoot with something like 40ho-mipt), then turn off the scale, put the tray in an airtight container (hydroscobic? could gain weight when it pulls h2o out of the air), then weigh it again a few hours later. Repeat a few times and see if your getting the same weight each time. Also, dont tare the tray. Turn on the scale, let it zero, count to ten, then put the tray down. Wait another 10s, note the tray weight, write it down if you have to, then add your sample.

IE, my tray weighs 2.502, so if i wanted 15mg i would go to 2.517. For some reason this is more accurate than taring the tray. As well, if you do this enough you get a rough idea of what your tray weighs, and can be able to notice if your uncalibrated by your tray weight being off. IE, if my tray weighs 2.496 after turning on the scale, i know its out of calibration and needs to be calibrated.
 
Personally I would use volumetric dosing for amounts below 20mg. Weigh out 50mg of powder, add it to 5mls of solvent and then drink 0.1mls for every 1mg you'd like to dose. Simple, safe, effective.
 
@seers_eye I have been using the same exact scale to weigh out doses of 2CI and 2CE since November and still haven't had to replace the batteries. In my opinion and from my experience, I do not use the given small metal tray as there is no way to center it. Instead, I just take the 10g calibration weights and place it directly on the scale without the tray. If you press and hold the on key once it is already turned on, the word CAL will appear on the scale. Then the number 10.000 will appear blinking on the screen. Place one 10g calibration weight on the scale until it changes to the number 20.000, and begins blinking20.000 on the screen. Balance the second given 10g weight on top of the current one until the word PASS, appears on the LED screen. The scale is now calibrated. Now at this point I take both weights off until it reads 0.000, and put back on one 10g weight and record what the scale says 10 times. The numbers will vary. For example, after mine is calibrated I weighed the 10g weight 10 times and got the following numbers. 10.000, 10.000, 10.000, 10.001, 10.002, 10.002, 10.000, 10.001, 10.002, 10.000. It is safe to say that from my experience, when calibrated this scale is accurate to +-3mg. It is a very good scale for 18 or 19 bucks plus shipping.

In order to weigh out the chemical I want, I use a small glass vial that has a diameter slightly smaller, or the same size as the part of the scale that weighs the chemical itself. First, I weigh out the glass vial empty 5-6 times which comes out to 3.356 grams, and then add my desired amount of powder until it reads 3.391 grams. The difference in the weight is the amount of chemical in the vial. In this case (35 mg,) but do to the scale varying +-3mg, it is safe to say that this could be 32mg or 38 mg. You will get a feel for the scale the more you use it. As with other "cheaper " milligram scales, the more you are weighing the more accurate it will be. It is a lot easier for me to weigh out anywhere between 20-45 milligrams of 2CI and 2CE, then it is to weigh out 10 or 12 milligrams for example.
 
Transform said:
.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of buying a used microgram scale off ebay (in order to get accurate measurements in the low-end mg range). Can these used scale and any resultant effects from transportation be trusted, and which ones currently on there should I go for (in US)?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top