3

My dad bought me a hydrometer and then left the country. Now I don't know how to read all measurements.

1st scale: 1-13% (I presume this is the potential alc scale) 2nd scale: 1-26 3rd scale: 1-28 (this one starts a little higher than the previous but ends on the same place)

Any clue what the 2nd and 3rd scale represent?

Thanks!!

Improve this question
5
  • 2
    I wish i could upvote you 100 times for the opening sentence. Dostoyevsky couldn't do better. Could you include a picture, perhaps, or something online that looks similar?
    – dax
    Commented Sep 24, 2013 at 20:51
  • 1
    Is there any point where two of the three scales line up? I'm guess you've got Brix, Baume, and Plato. Take a look at this calculator and maybe you can figure it out.
    – FishesCycle
    Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 1:07
  • So, I tried out the calculator, but none of the values correspond with the scales I have. Since I have absolutely no idea how to make a picture of a round hydrometer I made a video of it. I hope it can shed a little more light on the meter. youtube.com/watch?v=eiO4c26-Pko&feature=youtu.be
    – liekele
    Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 7:06
  • 1
    if you drop it in a vial of room temperature water, what do you get (on each of the three scales)?
    – dax
    Commented Sep 25, 2013 at 11:20
  • @liekele - did you try Tobias' suggestion about making a sugar solution and checking the reading against that? Some more information or feedback would help, or please accept the answer if it helped you figure out which scale to use.
    – mdma
    Commented Oct 25, 2013 at 16:28

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

My best guess is that the scale that goes to 26 is degrees Brix, and that one marked in % is potential alcohol. You can test the first guess by making a solution of 10% table sugar. Add 10g of sugar to 90g of water and mix well. The Brix scale should read 10.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.