I know I have seen a simple conversion system for measuring small chemical amounts using spoons or whatever. Any help out there as to where I can find this? I will be doing carbon printing(or at least trying in experimentation) and need to measure grams & I don't want to have to buy more stuff to fill shelves in the darkroom if I don't have to. Thanks

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1997

Answers

Hi Dan,

I don't know of the conversion that you mentioned but I do have a suggestion. I have seen a very simple and small balance that consists of a good quality spring mounted inside a barrel with a clip at one end and a hook at the other. The outside of the barrel is graduated in grams and ounces. Basically you suspend the balance from a solid object and clip a small container (ie a 'Baggie') at the other end and fill it with the chemical. I have tested one of these against an accurate laboratory balance and surprisingly it was quite accurate over it's entire range. The problem with using volume to approximate mass, of course, is that it is not very accurate due to the different masses and densities of individual compounds and the smaller the amount that is being weighed the more significant the effect of measuring errors. I'm not sure where to find these (perhaps a good hardware store) but I understand they are popular amongst drug dealers!!!!

-- Anonymous, July 25, 1997