Newbee Questions Regarding the Home Microbalance

[AgNO3]

I have recently attempted a few endeavors that Rhodium once suggested. A few years ago, Rhodium acquired an article that explained the construction of a home-made microbalance. However, there are several problems that I must solve before I will be able to successfully construct and operate one.
It seems that calibrated masses below one milligram are hard to come by. I tried making my own calibrated weights by using my university's microbalance and weighing out gold, but, unfortunately I was not able to find a piece small emough to get into the 1-10 microgram range. I decided that if I found a piece that weighed the correct amount, I could place it between two glass slides. This would prevent any possible chemical reactions that the gold might encounter. If anyone has successfully made one of the delicate microbalances, I would like to know how to obtain the tiny calibrated masses.
Also, I'm trying to create the balance using information my memory, but the last time I used TFSSE, I was not able to find the original link. Did anyone postmark the link?
I will update my advancements in making the microbalance if more information can be provided.

[ning]

maybe you could use scraps of aluminum foil.

[Rhodium]

Check the sticky post at the top of the "Chemicals & Equipment" forum.