ESM wheelsets!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

You can use a cheap a$$ Harbor Freight meter to test what side does not conduct.

That's what I usually end up doing, but it adds another step to the process.

I like the idea of making a jig though. I like making jigs.

[peteski]

That's what I usually end up doing, but it adds another step to the process.

Use an Optivisor Luke.    Those insulators can't be *THAT* invisible.

[Maletrain]

If you really like jigs, it would be easy to put a piece of sectional track on a table power one rail with track power running through a 12v light bulb, leave the other lead ending in bare conductor. Put a wheel set on rails, touch the axle with the bare lead, and you know which wheel is insulated.

If you really want to get fancy, power both rails through light bulbs with the same polarity/phase, and the axle lead with the other polarity/phase, and the side that lights is not insulated.  This does guard against the (remote) possibility that neither wheel has a good electrical connection to the axle.

A jig might be fastest if you need to do hundreds of wheels.

But, for simple, Pete is right - may the Optivisor be with you always.

[bigdawgks]

So I've seen that the .553" axle wheelsets are arriving soon, but has there been any decision made on offering the bulk packs? I, as I'm sure is the case with many others, have a lot of cars I'd like to replace wheels on and it would be nice to buy wheels in bulk if it would save a bit on cost.

On another note, does anybody have any recommendations for efficiently painting lots of wheelsets? I've tried building my own painting jig but it only held one wheelset and wasn't much faster than painting by hand.

[bbussey]

As stated previously, the current demand doesn’t warrant bulk packs. When we do offer them, they will contain 48 wheelsets per pack which allows us to use the current packaging and not incur tooling costs (which is 4x the expense of tooling a new wheel) for a new clamshell blister pack. The cost savings on the FVM wheelsets is roughly $0.07 per wheelset on their 100-packs. We haven’t requested quotes yet to see what the savings would be.

[sd45elect2000]

For painting I usually use a thin tape and stick them to a piece of stiff cardboard, I’ve painted a few thousand that way.

RSS

[nkalanaga]

N Scale Supply sells "bulk packs", which do save a little over their price for individual packages.  All the "bulk pack" is, is eight clamshell packs, in a zip-loc bag, with a single part number.  That's they way I order mine.  You still end up with all of the clamshells to dispose of, but it does save a little, and make shipping easier for them, as they only have one "item" to handle, instead of eight.

[tehachapifan]

I prefer clamshell packaging over a bulk supply of loose wheels together in a baggie. Having found a number of wobbly wheels from a different MFR(s), where the wheels were loose in a baggie, I feel the clamshells provide better protection during shipping, handling, etc.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Eagerly awaiting the .553" wheels.

[nkalanaga]

tehachapifan:  True, loose-in-a-bag just invites problems, including the sharp axle ends tearing holes in the bag, and the wheels leaking out! 

The NSS "bulk packs" are still in the original clamshells, so that's not a problem, and, if demand ever warrants, that's why Bryan will go with 48-packs.  We both tried it, and that will fit the existing clamshells, needing only a new label card.