Andrew

I was going thru some old props today and have a tendency to run each blade between thumb and forefinger just feeling for nicks and bumps. I usually flex the blade at the same time. The prop was an old Thimble Drome 6x3 that had seen better times -- I heard a crack during the "feel" test and when I flexed the blade more, it sounded like ice cracking. When I looked closer, the prop had 30 to 40 surface cracks running chordwise, leading to trailing edge, on both sides of each blade. Some cracked all the way thru at the trailing edge.

I haven't seen this before. If some of you have nylon props squirreled away, you might want to give them a good boiling before using or flexing them very much. I don't know if boiling would have helped this prop or not, but I will be checking my props more closely from now on. Shedding a blade is not high on my ToDo list. []

Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

Yeah Nylon props were scary. I remember when my rule was to use a different color food die in each batch I boiled so I could identify 'old' ones and toss them out. I actually had one blade stretch on a .35-powered CL combat model.

I miss the CL combat but not those funky props or open exhausts.

However, people being the way they are, I'll bet that in a couple of years you can trade old Cox props for Norvel engines. Save your Confederate money too - or to avoid stirring up someone's pot - should I have said "Commemorative".