FABIAN
Celler egg grader

maker: August Fabian München-Großhadern, Germany bruine lijn

the Fabian egg sorting scale

This egg scale is from Germany and was made by August Fabian from München-Großhadern. The dating of this specimen is simple thanks to the verification stamps in the factory plate: 1956-1964. A lead seal through the house connecting screw and the base plate is missing. That lead seal shows a profiled year sign, and a banderole of the involved gauging office at the opposite side. I found a Gebrauchsmuster-application, a utility model application, that is a cheap German patent, with this egg scale design in the name of August Fabian. The application was made on April 19, 1956 and was made public on June 28, 1956. In full this egg scale is called Eiersortierwaage, meaning egg grading scale. The special feature of the weighing mechanism is the magnetic damping. This allows for a very quick, short weighing time. The Fabian scale was the first egg grader with this type of magnetic damping. Pretty soon it was copied and also applied to the Hartner egg scale. The dial of this egg scale goes from 30 to 80 grams. Above the grams are the egg weight classes in red letters. Klein = 30g-45g; D = 45g-50g; C = 50g-55g; B = 55g-60g; A = 60g-65g; S = 65g-80g. The parts of this egg scale are made very solid. The scale house is composed of magnetic steel sheet. The base plate is made of cast aluminum. The scale mechanism has knife edge bearings as the main pivots in order to move accurately and precisely. The Fabian has no transportation security. This type of egg graders was calibrated annually. The test weight of 50 grams was calibrated also and also received a verification stamp when approved. The control weight photographed here is not the original. The scale house fairly protects the mechanism and the pointer and the dial are behind glass. The dimensions of the base plate are 29.5 x 14.0 cm. The house is 24.5 cm high. The height including the empty egg holder is 31.0 cm.

back of the Fabian egg grader

The Fabian egg sorting scale complete with its test weight weighs itself 2630 grams. The nameplate on the front of the base plate indicates the function: EIERSORTIERWAAGE, has stamped the identification number 258, and at the left has the admission sign in the shape of an angular Z, with in it above the letter L, the distinctive letter for Eiersortierwaagen, and there at the bottom the authorization number 301p. This p indicates probeweise Zulassung, meaning a provisional admission. [information received from Claus Borgelt, chief editor of the journal Mass und Gewicht, for which many thanks]. Down on the nameplate is the name and location of the firm: A. Fabian, München-Großhadern. At the bottom strip are next to a banderole of a gauging office the year punches of 1956 and 1964. The base plate rests on three support points, the support at the center back is fixed and not adjustable, both front supports are easy adjustable to level the scale. The base plate is equipped with a good visible round spirit level. With the two adjustable supports and help of the spirit level one can quickly level the egg scale. On the front face is a Fabian logo with underneath the text: Celler Eiersortierwaage. I yet don't know how long Fabian sold these egg scales. An article about this egg scale will be written later.
Below some more pictures of this hefty FABIAN egg grading scale.

[move the pointer over the photo]
animation: with and without an egg
in the egg holder of the scale

[move the pointer over the photo]
animation: the control weight from in
front of the scale into the egg holder

front weighing mechanism	back weighing mechanism	test weighing a large egg in class S
the egg grader complete with its housing	weighing an egg of 56g = class B	weighing an egg of 71g = class S

the drawings of the Gebrauchsmuster-Anmeldung of April 1956

the dial starts at 30 Gramm	the easy to read dial has the egg weight classes and a scale in Gramm [grams]	the dial ends at 80 Gramm
top view at dismounted egg holder	mounted egg holder	egg in the egg holder
two blocks with knife edge bearings	brass auxiliary rod holds the egg rod upright	brass counterweight
check with the 50 grams control weight	weighing an egg of 56 grams	weighing an egg of 56 grams
the magnetic damping behind the dial	the Fabian logo	the mounted egg holder seen from above
the round spirit level	the nameplate	at the lower edge left a gauging office banderole and year stamps of 1956 and 1964
the control weight of 50 grams [not original]	this brass leveling screw knob is situated in the front left corner of the base plate	the bottom of the aluminum base plate