The skill of making beam balance is a traditional skill project in the second batch of representative projects of municipal intangible cultural heritage in Huai'an. Historical origins The beam balance is a kind of scale. It is a simple weighing instrument that uses the principle of lever balance to weigh weight. It consists of a wooden beam with a scale star, a metal weight, a lifting rope, etc. The beam balance is the oldest weighing instrument invented by humans. Among the cultural relics unearthed from the Chu tomb in the eastern suburbs of Changsha, Hunan, China in 700 BC, there are various refined weights, beams, scales, silk threads and lifting ropes for tying the scales. In 1989, a complete wooden beam balance relic was found in a single kiln brick tomb of the Han Dynasty in Yaoshang Village, Changxing Town, Mei County, Shaanxi Province, China. It was made before the 1st century AD. The development of ancient beam balances has long been based on the use of rope knots, non-quantitative weights and wooden, bamboo and bone beams, and is made by hand and is still in use today. The skill of making beam balances in Huai'an City is mainly spread in Qinghe District. Content and Features The production technology of the steelyard is passed down through oral instruction and is a delicate craft. From material selection, rounding, soaking in alkaline water, grinding, nailing scale flowers and other procedures, no carelessness is allowed. If you are not careful, the scale will be biased. The wooden poles used for the scale are more picky, and fine-grained and hard oak, oak, mahogany and other wood are preferred. In order to ensure that the wooden poles do not crack, the selected materials must be stacked in a dry place for two dog days before they can be used. The wood is processed by chiseling and planing, first making a rough embryo, and then fine planing, to become a straight cylinder with one end thick and the other end thin. After polishing it with a fine oil stone dipped in water, metal skins are put on both ends, and the steelyard takes shape. Next, it is a delicate job to set the weight scale. According to the principle of leverage, the polished scale beam is hung on the scale pan and the fulcrum is determined, and then the weight is used for verification. This is an extremely meticulous process. The beam balance maker keeps gently moving the weight with the index finger of his left hand. When the wooden pole is in balance, he uses a foot rule to make a mark on the back of the wooden pole. This mark is called the fixed star. The rest of the positions of each scale star are inferred from this and recorded. After the position of the scale star is determined, a very delicate poke is used to drill holes in the mark. The number of holes is the number of stars on the beam balance. This procedure requires a lot of patience. If you are not careful, the wooden pole will be pierced and scrapped. Most beam balance makers have sunken eyes, which is mostly caused by excessive use of the eyes when drilling. After drilling the holes, insert sections of thin aluminum wire into the holes, break them, and file them flat, leaving a star point. Then soak them in alkaline water for a certain period of time, take them out and dry them, and polish them until they are smooth. After the beam balance is completed, it can also be colored according to needs. If you need a blue-black beam, crush the gallnut and alum and apply them with water; if you like reddish-brown, rub and polish them with soaked black tea residue and lime. It all depends on the customer's preference. The beam balance, with its low cost, simplicity and lightness, has become the main measuring tool for commodity circulation for thousands of years, contributing to the promotion of economic development, and has been continuously endowed with cultural connotations by people, who believe that it is a symbol of fairness and justice. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)