[22SqnRAE]

A bit of a trivial quesiton, but its genuine. I'm wondering if anyone has any knowledge of the Webster brand of powder scales?

I've had this Webster brand beam scale since 1980. Bought from one of Brisbane's (Queensland, not California, Illinois or North Dakota...) more famous gunsmith brothers. A cranky old pair of codgers who delighted in arguing with each other in front of customers. Aaaah, the good old days when customer service actually existed.

I'm assuming that like most reloading gear, these were made in the US, as much of the stuff we buy is.

I'm wondering what era were these scales. The model is MB5, I assume that means, Magnetic Beam scale No 5. So that leads me to think Webster had another 4 models it produced?

I've recently repainted them, as they were getting a tad shabby. The darker red wrinkle paint finish was chipped and past its prime. The current cherry red is a little brighter as it's gloss and a more vibrant colour to the original wrinkle finish. I noted that underneath the red finish, there were traces of a green paint that was once used. Cant' say if it was primer, or a previous finish.

Here's what it looks like now:

Grateful for any info you might be able to share.

 

[DocAV]

You must be referring to the Kingston Brothers. Did their apprenticeships under Carl Scholtz, German Gunsmith in the 1930s. Both served as Armourers during WWII, Australian Army.After war, set up a locksmith and gunshop in West End. The senior Kingston ( Gordon) became the Doyen of Brisbane ( and Qld) gunsmiths, occasionally appearing in court as an expert witness when the Police either didn't have the expertise or were plainly wrong.
I knew him for many years. His brother was also a Dirt Bike Specialist, and was well known in that sport
When Gordon Passed, the families sold the business to a Sydney Locksmithing Company, who continued under the name in a new nearby Location.
The old shop, became the Gunsmith Cafe, in a
Ritzy upmarket West End precinct.

As to the scales, Unknown to me; it resembles most of the similar beam scales of the 60s and 70s...
Ohaus, Lyman, etc.

DocAV
Brisbane.

 

[22SqnRAE]

Ha ha! Well done Doc AV! Spot on.

The Kingston Bros cannot be overlooked regarding thier excellent work and competence. The theatrics of dealing with two cranky old codgers only added to the charm of thier business.

And you are quite right, the Kingston Bros Gunsmiths got turned into the Gunshop Cafe for the trendy and fey Brisbanites seeking a suitable location to be seen being seen having a coffee and smashed avocado on toasted sourdough...

Always nice to hear from some one in one's home town on this international forum. That's one thing we can be thankful for with improved communication technology.

 

[FGD135]

Post on Castboolits:

Webster Scale

1953 Model RS with box, check weights and oil bottle. Webster had a habit of gluing the instructions inside the box lid so keeping the box is imperative. Webster began offering reloading scales in 1952 after getting a patent for their balance design. They had four separate models, the RS...

castboolits.gunloads.com

 

[22SqnRAE]

Thanks FGD,

It looks like that one was well and truly one of thier early models. The gadgetry on it was a little more fiddly and complex than mine. Might be a 10-15 year time difference?

 

[Pressman]

That is one of the last Webster's produced. There is a corresponding Pacific (blue) model as well. Made around 1971/72. Webster started making scales in 1953 using the same pivot bearing design. Pacific was a big buyer of their designs as was Texan.

Ken