RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters  
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Tower Hobbies
Enter up to 4 keywords or Tower stock numbers
Logged in as Guest



Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
       



All Forums >> RC Boats >> RC Boats General Discussion >> RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters Page: <<   < prev  1 2 3 [4]

Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 1/24/2008 4:52:23 AM   
Justaddwata



Posts: 3541
Joined: 2/24/2005
From: RI-USA, RI, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: sushi2me

Also, always wear a paper mask (or better) and available at most dollar discount stores and/or paint/hardware stores and disposable latex gloves (at the same stores) because these are copper beryllium (and sometimes titanium also) props - when filing these props, beryllium can give off toxic dust.


http://www.berylliumdisease.net/

Worth restating and spending 5 minutes to become a little informed about the dangers of that shiny prop on the transom. In no uncertain terms - the metal it is made from can kill you. Not today. Not tomorrow. But 30 years from now you could suffer a slow early death as a result of inadequate protection and handling of the props. While we are not throwing a lot of metal around (and props are not 100% berylium either) the amount of the exposure required to develop the reaction is also small. Play it safe

_____________________________

One of the best gas boat picture sites - http://imageevent.com/justaddwata

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me .....

(in reply to sushi2me)
       Post #: 76

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 1/24/2008 4:52:45 AM   
Ron Olson



Posts: 13027
Joined: 5/10/2002
From: Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Status: offline 		Here's the Top Flite: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHY61&P=ML

_____________________________

Member, Southwest Michigan Model Boat Club.

(in reply to jetpack)
       Post #: 77

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 2/4/2008 5:28:48 PM   
jetpack



Posts: 1571
Joined: 10/2/2002
From: Portage, IN, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: jetpack

I noticed there are a lot of prop charts around, but none of them point where to start with sizes so I thought this would be good to add.


Here is an additional reference to the different characteristics of Octura props:

Attachments
Click to see fullsize image.
Click for fullsize


_____________________________

http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee247/jetpack_photos/

(in reply to jetpack)
       Post #: 78

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 5/18/2008 3:35:38 PM   
fuelman8



Posts: 180
Joined: 10/16/2007
From: Sanford, FL, USA
Status: offline 		I've been balancing my new prop. This is the first one I've done. I've followed this thread closely and tried to do things right. I made sure the prop was flat and square in the drive dog first.

I then sharpened and balanced it to the point where it stops at a straight horizontal plane on the balancer. Yet if I turn the prop in the balancer 180 degrees it wants to turn back to the original position. I'm not sure now how to or if I need to take any more off the prop?

Attachments
Click to see fullsize image.
Click for fullsize


_____________________________

Read the directions 3 times before doing anything!!

(in reply to Ron Olson)
       Post #: 79

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 5/18/2008 3:56:07 PM   
Ron Olson



Posts: 13027
Joined: 5/10/2002
From: Kalamazoo, MI, USA
Status: offline 		How fussy do you want to be?
I've got a gas boat prop that I've been working on and I'm getting pretty much the same result. From what I learned, you should be able to spin the prop and it should stop at a different place every time if it's perfectly balanced.
From what I see, the lower blade is just a hair too heavy yet but it's very close. If I got it that close I'd leave it as is.

_____________________________

Member, Southwest Michigan Model Boat Club.

(in reply to fuelman8)
       Post #: 80

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 5/18/2008 4:01:38 PM   
jetpack



Posts: 1571
Joined: 10/2/2002
From: Portage, IN, USA
Status: offline 		So far so good, Fuelman. The prop should not want to stay on that one side, you'll have to work on getting it so that whole side is lighter. That means the balance from tip to tip is ok, it is just that that whole bottom side of the prop needs lightening.

Try taking a little off the tounge of the one side, and a little off the back side of the other. In other words, wherever you take weight off the prop just be sure it is below the centerline of your balance.

The prop should have a very hard time finding where it should stop when it slows down from a small spin.

_____________________________

http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee247/jetpack_photos/

(in reply to fuelman8)
       Post #: 81

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 5/18/2008 4:05:49 PM   
jetpack



Posts: 1571
Joined: 10/2/2002
From: Portage, IN, USA
Status: offline 		True what Ron just said.

Another thought is have you checked just the balancer for balance? Is that what came with the Great Planes balancer? Mines longer and has plastic cones.

If the cones are out on your balancer, when you take your prop on and off of it several times and check it, the balance of the prop will show up a little different each time.

It's good that you checked the drive dog slot before you started. Sometimes also, the lip of the bore on each side of the hub has a strange shape to it because of a burr from it being drilled and reamed, or a sink mark in the casting.

This affects how the prop sits on the cones, and can throw the whole effort off on balancing. Where the cones seat the lip of the bore should have a good shape to it.

Those cones are convienent to design to fit several size bores, but as far as being the best idea to locate something for true balance isn't the best approach. A more accurate way is to use just the rod which is a slip fit inside the bore and use no cones - but all that would need to be special made to fit proper and have the tips put on.

< Message edited by jetpack -- 5/18/2008 4:20:48 PM >

_____________________________

http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee247/jetpack_photos/

(in reply to jetpack)
       Post #: 82

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 5/18/2008 4:56:34 PM   
fuelman8



Posts: 180
Joined: 10/16/2007
From: Sanford, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Jetpack

Mine came with the rod and cones also, but when I checked the balance with just the rod and cones one of the cones was bottom heavy. So I tried the finger balancer and it was balanced perfectly, so I used it.

This is an ali prop so I may just leave it as Ron said and see how the boat runs.

Thanks Guys

_____________________________

Read the directions 3 times before doing anything!!

(in reply to jetpack)
       Post #: 83

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 6/4/2008 10:21:57 PM   
FE_Chris



Posts: 2348
Joined: 6/5/2005
From: Grand Blanc, MI, USA
Status: offline 		Yeah great reading guys! Nice thread! I just got done working over a x572. I sharpened, balanced, de-tounged, barr-cut and polished it up. We'll see how it works.......

< Message edited by FE_Chris -- 6/4/2008 10:22:13 PM >

_____________________________

BlackJack 55, go gas or go home! I should change my screen name to "Gas powered Chris" HA!

(in reply to fuelman8)
       Post #: 84

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 6/28/2008 11:44:11 PM   
Vinnystoolbox


 

Posts: 32
Joined: 6/28/2008
From: Bedford, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		I suspect you'll say i need a real prop as i have just got my first boat and doing some upgrades

I have the standard plastic props do these need balancing?

Should i bin them straight away

(in reply to jetpack)
       Post #: 85

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 6/29/2008 12:07:45 AM   
jetpack



Posts: 1571
Joined: 10/2/2002
From: Portage, IN, USA
Status: offline 		The plastic ones you're pretty safe that they are close to being balanced and lots of people change over to metal props. I think any nitro boat should use metal props, as I hear the plastic ones break and can cause a mess.

_____________________________

http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee247/jetpack_photos/

(in reply to Vinnystoolbox)
       Post #: 86

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 6/30/2008 1:32:44 PM   
Vinnystoolbox


 

Posts: 32
Joined: 6/28/2008
From: Bedford, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Thanks for your reply

I'm thinking of going brushless

I have received my hull setup and i think i'll need something stronger than the ones that came with that

(in reply to jetpack)
       Post #: 87

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 7/29/2008 1:11:32 AM   
toddlupton


 

Posts: 51
Joined: 7/6/2008
From: hendersonville, NC, AMERICAN SAMOA (USA)
Status: offline 		I used to machine blow plugs in a machine shop made from copper beryllium. They would attach to a machine that blew moulds for plastic bottles. Anyway when machining these pieces, it would always be done under a spray of lubricating liquid to keep any particles under control. When I do any work on my (dangerous) props, I do it under running water in my shop sink. Which I believe would control and get rid of any particles made. I also polish with wet sanding paper under running water. I've been reading these threads alot recently, and learning alot ,and haven't heard anyone speak of this procedure. Was wondering if this actually was a good Idea, or am I going to be dead in 30 years due to beryilium exposure due to metal particles soaking thru my wet skin polishing my props. Hopefully I'll have a smile on my face.

(in reply to Justaddwata)
       Post #: 88

RE: Prop sharpening & other tips for new boaters - 7/29/2008 4:16:07 AM   
jetpack



Posts: 1571
Joined: 10/2/2002
From: Portage, IN, USA
Status: offline 		I'm no expert but I think you're safe. I believe it is the dust and the fumes from machine polishing that I would worry about.

I use emery polishing sticks and wet polish with mineral oil. I stop to worry when the final polishing comes with the cream and the rag.

The old rag will hold old polishing compound that already has done its work, and holds copper also.

Flinging this around and having the dry compound dust up out of the rag with the copper is not a good idea without precautions. You wont have this problem if starting with a clean rag so I just keep patches and throw them out when I'm done.

_____________________________

http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee247/jetpack_photos/

(in reply to toddlupton)