wonwinglo

Propeller balancers are one of the most useful things to have in your workshop,many people are put off by their high costs,dont worry they are the simplist thing to make from items used in any household,if you have never used one then you will probably not appreciate the value of perfectly balanced fans that do not wreck your engines bearings or shake the model to pieces ! you can also balance helicopter rotor blades,flywheels and fans,anything that spins around in fact.
For this tool you will need to gather together the following unlikely items- 2x Clothes pegs of the nip variety,2x single edges razor blades,a block of balsawood and some cyno,suitable rod to fit into the respective item to be balanced,2x small tapered plumb bobs drilled on a drill press vertically to fit and slide over the rod.
Method.
1/ glue the two pegs into slots 2 inches apart ( for most prop sizes,for larger ones space wider) onto the balsa with cyno,but first cut off one leg each side of the peg,this allows you to spring the pegs apart on the base,all will become clear in a moment.
2/ Simply slot the two razor blades into the jaws of the pegs so they are level.
3/ Place the device onto a flat surface,glue a small spirit level onto the base for a luxury version !
4/ Slide one of the cones onto the rod followed by the propeller then another cone,just press together to centralise.
5/ Place the gadget over the edge of a table and spin the prop,note which blade is the heaviest ( which it will be !) then mark it.
6/ Use Tip-ex or similar correction fluid and apply to the light blade,re-spin and keep adjusting with fluid until the prop balances just level.

Note: Really out of balance props ( usually those that have air holes moulded into them need discarding ) if they are new take back to shop for replacement.
Try to avoid removing material on the heavy blade unless the amount is minimal,avoid nicks as these exacerbate blade failures which can prove dangerous,best to sand the blade with wet & dry paper.
For moulded plastic or fibreglass props it is best to boil them for a few minutes in water to relieve the stresses in the blades.The best thing to use for this is one of those long tin cake tins,buy one dont nick it from the kitchen !
Never use defective propeller blades,use these for stirring paint because that is all they are good for.
To balance flywheels first place a mark in red paint anywhere,spin the wheel and mark the heavy side with tip-ex,remove any material as necessary.
No excuses now to be out of balance.

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

wonwinglo

Ammendment-A suitable substitute for the two drilled out plumb bobs could be two hard rubber tapered feet,the type that are sold for small furniture etc and sold in D.I.Y stores,just make sure that if you do need to drill out the holes they are accurate,the rubber grips the rod nicely as a bonus,a variation on holding the metal plumb bobs in place would be to slip silicone fuel tube either side of them.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

wonwinglo

Just discovered another item that could be used with the propeller balancer,the plumb bobs could be replaced by two plastic stoppers from Fairey liquid containers,these would work fine when used in conjunction with smaller propellers and above all are ready made for the job,make sure that you get the right tops as there are a few varities in use.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Malcolm Fisher

Balanced props are a "must".

I like the idea of a DIY item, but many years ago I bought the cheap and cheerful SLEC version - would recommend this to anyone if it's still available - I wouldn't be without mine and it works as well as much higher priced jobs which use the same principle

Malcolm

wonwinglo

*** I had one of those too Malcolm,sadly SLEC are no more,their accessories were excellent,do you remember Micromold as well ? a very early pioneer in the moulded plastics field for modelmakers.
I wonder what happened to all of those dies and moulds from these companies ?

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Bluewavestudios

Barry,
SLEC are still in business, I contacted them not so long ago regarding my tank and got a reply. The company changed hands in 1987 but is still going.
Their website can still be found at www.slecuk.com
click on the plastic/metal accessories link and you will see the prop balancer straight away....also their fantastic square fuel tanks...I reckon these were the best fuel tanks on the market...I bought loads of them and still have a few knocking about now.

Regards........Mark