We get the same two questions almost every week about the CSC Bostwick Consistometer:
1) What angle do I use to set it up?
2) How do I level the Consistometer?
Principle of Operation
The principle of the CSC Bostwick Consistometer is based on the slump cone. In this procedure, a cone is filled with the material to be tested. It is then set on a level surface with the open area facing downward. The cone is pulled away and after a fixed time, the amount that the material slumped is measured. The thicker the material, the less slumping occurs.
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Topics:
"Ask Art",
Bostwick Consistometer,
Consistency,
Liquid Properties,
Bostwick,
consistency vs viscosity
The answer, like most answers in the crazy measurement world, is, “it depends”. To find out what it depends on, we'll start with defining viscosity.
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Topics:
"Ask Art",
Newtonian Fluid,
Measure Viscosity,
Viscometers,
Viscosity

Sieve testing, as I have stated many times, is the Cinderella of particle size analysis because it delivers more value than expected from something that’s so easy to use and relatively inexpensive. However, the problem with standard sieving techniques using wire mesh sieves is that they begin to exhibit accuracy problems in the lower micron sizes.
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Topics:
Sieve Shakers,
"Ask Art",
Sonic Sifter,
Micron-Sized Particles,
Particle Size Analysis,
Sieve Testing,
Sieving Process
Can you do a fast moisture test?
The answer is, “maybe”.
The direct methods of Loss on Drying and Karl Fischer have the benefit that between them they can get a good moisture content result on almost any product or material.
But these tests usually take several minutes.
When you need the moisture content in a truck load of grain while the load is being dumped, or when you need to check several hundred bags of coffee at an auction, or when you need to get a moisture gradient in a pile of corn, a faster test is crucial.
Can you do it?
The short answer is, “yes”. There are, however certain caveats to this answer.
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Topics:
"Ask Art",
Moisture Analysis,
Moisture Testing
Automatic digital tensiometers are expensive - three to four times more so than a high-precision manual tensiometer. We hope to clearly depict when an automatic digital tensiometer is not merely nice to have, but essential.
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Topics:
Wilhelmy Plates,
Automatic Digital Tensiometer,
Automatic Surface Tension Measurment,
"Ask Art",
duNouy Rings,
Tensiometer,
Surface Tension Measurement,
Surface Tension,
Liquid Properties
Visitors to our web pages often arrive with the question, “What is the Function of a Sieve Shaker?”
The simple answer is “to expose the particles in a sample to all the openings in each sieve in a stack”. A sieve stack is the result of fitting each sieve to be used in a given particle size analysis into the one above. The sieve with the largest mesh holes is at the top with each subsequent sieve of a tighter mesh size than the one above it.
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Topics:
Sieve Shakers,
"Ask Art",
Sonic Sifter,
Agglomeration,
Particle Size Analysis,
Sieve Testing,
Sieves,
Sieving Process,
Sieve Analysis,
Quiet sieve shakers,
sieve shaker
A question we get a lot is:
“How do I determine the moisture in my product?"
Of course, the answer is often “it depends”, and the method does depend on the chemical and physical composition of the product. There are several methods used to determine moisture content: Loss-on-Drying (also known as Weight Loss), Karl Fischer, NIR, and Radio Frequency.
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Topics:
"Ask Art",
Moisture Analysis,
Karl Fischer,
CSC Digital Moisture Balance,
Loss-On-Drying,
Moisture