Derby Talk

There are emitters and collectors that are tuned, so that ambient light has little to no effect. John Shreffler at http://www.newdirections.ws/judge.html uses these in his Judge timer. He also has a version that can be used in direct sunlight. Maybe John can chime in with some additional information.

I built a car once for our leader. I took a large washer that just fit inside the rear wheels. I cut the washer in half with a hacksaw, then glued a half washer into each of the rear wheels. Other than that the car was normal. When it went down the track, it would go "Whoop, whoop, whoop ...&qu...

We made a special purchase of Micro Tungsten Cylinders, and we are offering them at a very low price. At $2.95 per ounces, it is the least expensive tungsten on the market today. http://www.maximum-velocity.com/pics/15046.jpg You can find them here: http://www.maximum-velocity.com/pinewood_derby_wei...

I once had a single lane Judge time from http://www.newdirections.ws. It worked quite well. Talk to John Shrefler at NewDirections.

Mine measures 33 feet. However, you do need 3 additional feet at the front to allow for staging (this area we restrict from foot traffic), and then a large buffer at the other end for foot traffic, and possible a video camera.

Just to let you know Maximum Velocity is having an Inventory Clearance Sale. Specifically, we are offering clearance pricing on: - Tungsten, including one ounce of tungsten for 1 cent (one per order, only 100 available), - Discount slotted blocks, - Formula One car kit, - Wheels Flares and Paint Ste...

The key is to insert the axle straight. From an installation viewpoint, whether the axle is blunt or pointed makes no difference. Blunt tips do not cause the wood to crack, in fact pointed axles are more prone to this as the axle is swollen right above the chisel point. I recommend: 1. Keep paint ou...

I concur that you need Micromesh MX for polishing steel. However, if you are only polishing the zinc coating, then regular Micromesh works - zinc is much softer than steel. This would be the case for axles that do not have flaws that have to be filed offer. So official BSA officials need the Microme...

Although I have not ran a test on this, from feed back I have received, around 10-12 ounces seems to be a point at which additional weight does not help, given standard wheels/axles (no bearings or similar). I'm sure the track length would also be a factor (shorter track less weight, longer track mo...

These canopies are molded using tungsten canopies, so they are the same size:

It was a hot summer, but finally the weather is cooling down. That means it is time to tell you about our hot new pinewood derby products. You can see all of our new products by clicking on this link: http://www.maximum-velocity.com/newproducts.htm Here are a few highlights: http://www.maximum-veloc...

1 Batches - Obviously, I don't know what batches the BSA wheels they come from. All I can do is buy a bunch of wheels and test them. Over the years, 2, 3 and 15 have continually been superior wheels. So I have to assume those mold cavities are the most accurate. Others vary, likely depending on the ...

When we measure wheels, we select 10 wheels from each mold out of two large purchases. Then we average the measurements. That is how we select the premium molds. In virtually every mold number, there are a few good wheels. But on average, the better wheels are the premium numbers. We remeasure the w...

You can certainly polish them. Generally you would start at about 1500 grit. Oil would work fine.

Nickel plated axles can be polished/bent/slotted just like other axles. The nickel plating is just a little more durable than the typical zinc-plated axles. It is a bit harder and shines up better.