pwhite20

I should be getting my mixing system soon. I opted for the UltraMix 7400 Color Matching System since it seems like it would be more forgiving than a PC (Pigment based) system for someone new to mixing inks like myself.

I now need to get my gram scale and I'm torn between the following two. I've seen one recommendation on the boards for the Acculab scale, but I like that the VMC scale has twice the weight capacity and appears to have slightly better accuracy at .05g as compared to the .1g accuracy on the Acculab scale. The prices difference is fairly minimal between the two.

I'd like to get some opinions between the two, and if you've used either of them find out how you like them.

Acculab VICON VIC-1501 Precision Balance 1500x0.1g
Acculab VICON VIC-1501 Precision Balance 1500x0.1g - American Weigh Scales - Digital Scales Wholesale

VMC VB-302A Precision Balance 3000x0.05g
VMC VB-302A Precision Balance 3000x0.05g - American Weigh Scales - Digital Scales Wholesale

 

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PositiveDave

I got a set of kitchen scales from our local equivalent of Walmart for £8 ~ $13.
5kg @ 1g
That should be accurate enough for ink mixing unless you are doing ridiculously small amounts?

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Positivity Ltd.
UK Specialist in Screenprint imagesetting

 

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pwhite20

Since I'm just starting out and probably won't have a lot of big orders in the beginning I'll probably be mixing in pints or slightly less to start off with. Once I get my feet wet and the jobs get bigger that would probably increase.

 

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pwhite20

No opinions on the two scales huh? Well, maybe this will help me to make a decision between the two. Can anybody tell me the approximate weight in grams for 1 quart of ink?

 

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dk8100

I mix my own discharge colors with PC pigments. I usually use around 200 grams for 60 shirt orders. If you are mixing discharge in amounts of only a couple hundred grams make sure you get a scale with an accuracy of 0.01. If you are mixing full quarts a scale like the ones you linked to that goes to 0.1 will work fine. This is the scale I picked up. I ran into problems with accuracy reproducing colors in 100g batches with a 0.1g scale. I'm not sure how much a quart weighs but make sure you pick one up that has a max capacity that can handle the weight of not only the ink but also the spatula and cup that you are using as well.

 

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pwhite20

I'm not using PC inks, but I may be doing smaller batches so maybe I should play it safe. This 1000x.01 scale has better accuracy and would still be able to mix a fairly decent quantity of ink to serve my needs in the future.

Has anybody used any VMC scales to know whether they are a decent scale or not?

VMC VB-302A Precision Balance 1000x0.01g - American Weigh Scales - Digital Scales Wholesale

 

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jodyl2

this a pocket scale, does it give you enough space to measure an 8 oz container? How big of a container can you measure with this? thank you.

 

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dk8100

Im mixing up quantities of discharge inks between 100g and 300g so the 500x0.01g works fine for me. I have a 1000x0.1g that I bought before I needed the precision so I can use that if I'm mixing more than 500g. I mix in the quart paint mixing containers that they sell at home depot. They are similar in size to the ryonet quart containers. Also empty yogurt and cottage cheese containers work well. The scale I linked to in my post above has a 4" x 4" base.

 

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jodyl2

Just checking... this is the scale you are referring to? This will be accurate at 8 oz containers and it can hold a quart size container? thanks for the clarification and your response!

 

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dk8100

Quote: Originally Posted by jodyl2 Just checking... this is the scale you are referring to? This will be accurate at 8 oz containers and it can hold a quart size container? thanks for the clarification and your response!

Yes I have used it for mixing as little as 10 grams of ink for color testing purposes. It should work fine for small quantities of ink like that.

 

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jodyl2

thanks, but will it be big enough to hold a quart? or how large?

 

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