oh thanks a lot. that was super helpful in understanding what is going on. i was getting lost at various points in the thread. so you have about 10x the variance than you want. .2 oz vs .02 oz. so yeah, that's a big problem. if it's possible to make a very simple cube as a test. that would help with measuring the density more. as a start to the whole process though, it would be a good idea to use whatever the stated density of lead is. that should be pretty reliable. using your measured density, at this point, seems too unreliable right now. i thought the model volume was well known and the weight measurement at least normal. i imagine your weight measurements are fine. it sounds like they have a way of measuring weight that they like. so no reason to change it. it is possible the lead density is varying, based on the unknown nature of your material and the debris that may be in there. hmm, tricky problem. not sure i can be of much help. it sounds fun though. i guess, right now, the only thing density is doing is telling you that there is probably a problem with your volume. of course assuming the weight measurement is decent. it's good that you are talking about low weights. the scales work better in that situation. you can find the scale resolution in the spec sheets. they also sell calibration weights. so that you can make sure the scale is working right. it would be very worthwhile to get those, at this point. they sell them on amazon. i think they are made of brass. sometimes they come in a set. having the set is nice because the scale error isn't always a constant.