Letter scale

A postage scale is a Gertät to measure the weight of letters.

History of Postage Scale

With the postal reform of 1839, in which the charges for the carriage of letter of removal was converted to the weight of each letter, it had become necessary to determine the weight of the letters by postal scales.

Requirements

After nothing like it was still present, the English businessmen tried to create the simplest possible equipment for your everyday needs with the help of the weight of a letter could be detected.

On October 22, 1839, the postal reformer Rowland Hill wrote in his diary that the Finance Minister had commissioned him to let develop a machinery with which it was possible to determine the weight of letters. Of course, this should be carried out at a moderate price.

A first variant

Shortly thereafter was the brother of Rowland Hill, Edwin, who had an inventive vein, such a machine designed so that already on 26 October the Minister for Finance the plans could be submitted. After discussions with postal workers Edwin Hill was able to receive the contract to build about thirty to forty such scales. However, this patent and is then disappears just once brought by a statement to the public, the William & Mary de Grave & Son provides for eleven scales on 5 January 1840.

More suggestions

Of course, this scale was much more interesting than the post itself for merchants and individuals. Several scale manufacturer of that time then took appropriate products on the market that were suitable for home and office use.

One of the first manufacturers was the publicist and postal reformer Henry Hooper. Back in August of 1839 Hooper had filed a patent for a letter scale foresight. The scales were provided to a total weight of 4 ounces and had for each 1 /2 Oz, 1 ounce, corresponding to 2 and 3 oz markings.

There were other suggestions, but most were quite expensive. The candlestick letter scale by Robert Winfield could then be offered from Birmingham little cheaper. It consisted of a central cylinder, in which the spring was housed. This is what a piece was with a circular metal disk. A vertical sight glass showed the weights of 0 to 4 ounces.

A postage scale, which was manufactured by Ratcliff, was on 12 February 1840 by Robert Willis, a professor at Cambridge University as Pat. 8384 has been logged. It consisted of a metal part on a mahogany base. Here, although no weights were reported, but it was the respective fee level by inserting metal parts also be determined far beyond the 4-5 ounces out.

These structures show the broad resonance and acceptance of the new fees down. They also kept in homes and offices to their collection. In parallel, the postal reform developed.

Most of these postal scales work on the principle of inclination scales, postal scales were later constructed with springs or electronic measuring systems (see strain gauges ). Currently, however, are in private homes rather tilt scales and spring scales to find, in automated handling systems electronic systems.

Known manufacturers

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