Lee Loader

I might be the odd ball but I like the Safety Scale. Most of my handloading across a wide range of cartridges and I always seem to be tinkering with loads no matter how long I've shot a rifle or handgun. I usually drop charges with the Perfect Powder Measure, Auto Disk, or Auto Disk Pro, and verify those charges with the Safety Scale. Years ago, may be 15 years ago, I marked half and one grain increments deviations against my scale's zero indicator and it really helped me keep up with what I was working with.
Prior to marking the scale, I decided on a location on my bench (a shelf) and drew an outline around it with a Sharpie of exactly where it would sit. Then I zeroed the scale with a Lyman check weight scale and verified the zero with the check weight set all the way through 60.5 grains. Then I made the marks for ½ & 1 grain and checked those marks across the range of the check weights.

I seem to go back through and check the scale with the weight set about every five years and I just did it again and refreshed my marks. What I've found is that nothing has ever changed. The marks come it real handy for telling me if a dropped charge is good to go and they have also have shown me how the various Lee powder drop systems are quite accurate when used consistently.

A couple of other balance beam scales have come into my possession over the years and I use them for a bit but have ended up passing them on in favor of the Safety Scale.

I've never even thought of trying to mark a scale like that. Now I'm curious if I could recreate that on my 505 scale.

Silly side note, any idea why it's called the "Safety" scale? I get the Safety Prime keeps each primer in use apart from the rest so that a safety. But why the scale?

Not sure how you got the grain and half grain marks. Did you use the Lyme weights or some other way?

Safety as in verified safe charge measures.

I have 1 on the shelf but I'm partial to my ancient Ohause M5. I have 2. They have what amounts to marks over and under for .6 gr at .1 graduations .

62chevy wrote:Not sure how you got the grain and half grain marks. Did you use the Lyme weights or some other way?

Yeah, the Lyman Check Weight Set.

Great idea, RD, I keep that in mind in case I ever buy a beam scale.

Maximumbob54 wrote:any idea why it's called the "Safety" scale?

According to Lee it's because of the material they used to make it. I believe it's POM, or acetal, which is quite strong, but will break at some point without prior permanent deformation. Lee states that this will clearly show you that the scale is on perfect working condition, out it's broken, but it will never get out of adjustment because it was dropped, thrown over, out other things you shouldn't so with a scale anyway.

RD I liked the idea so much just had to figure a way to mark half and full grain like you did.

Zeroed the scale and made it level.
Set the scale to .5 grains.
Let it settle and used a tooth pick and black paint to mark where the pointer was.
Cut a tooth pick until it weighed .5 grains.
Reset the scale to zero and added cut up tooth pick, marked upper .5 grains.
Repeat for marking 1 grain.

This would never hold up for a lab and Rocket Science but if you want to know how close you are it's perfect.

62chevy wrote:RD I liked the idea so much just had to figure a way to mark half and full grain like you did.

Zeroed the scale and made it level.
Set the scale to .5 grains.
Let it settle and used a tooth pick and black paint to mark where the pointer was.
Cut a tooth pick until it weighed .5 grains.
Reset the scale to zero and added cut up tooth pick, marked upper .5 grains.
Repeat for marking 1 grain.

This would never hold up for a lab and Rocket Science but if you want to know how close you are it's perfect.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Just out of curiosity, do the marks on your scale hold the same relationship or position as mine do?

Fill the base of the scale with lead ingots and epoxy. Adding this weight helps keeping it from sliding when removing the pan. Also I like to remove the beam from the base to set the desired weight because my old eyes well just because of my old eyes.

daboone wrote:Fill the base of the scale with lead ingots and epoxy. Adding this weight helps keeping it from sliding when removing the pan. Also I like to remove the beam from the base to set the desired weight because my old eyes well just because of my old eyes.

The weight is a good idea if the scale is moving but where I have mine I don't have an issue with it. I too remove the beam on a regular basis to set it, more like everytime.