John B.,

Yes, you can paint or use another sealer on woodies. But unless you enjoy doing that sort of thing, it is more trouble than it is worth. There are many composite (fiberglass, carbon fiber, or a combination of the two) blades out there that are not expensive and of good quality.

Once, I ripped the heat shrink off a set and used finishing epoxy to seal them with. The sanding and re-coating got to be rather tedious.

Balance and matching weights are more important than what the blade is made of or covered with. The most expensive set of c/f blades with the CGs off will not "fly' as good as a set of cheap woodies that have been matched up properly.

The woodies mentioned above were a real chore to get matched up. I think that is because the various densities of wood used in the blades absorbed the resin at different rates; plus, there is no way that you can apply a perfectly uniform amount of material (paint, etc.) to the blades in the same places. I weighed the raw wood blades before starting; there was a gram difference. After the final coat of resin was sanded smooth, the difference had jumped to 2.2 grams. That is a very significant amount, especially on 53cm 30 blades. I had to use lead split shot sinker weights at the CG to get them right. That worked, but I was always worried about the lead detaching itself in flight. Lots of folks do this with no drama. But it makes me nervous.

The MA blade covering material eliminates all of this hassle. Naturally, you want the blades as close as possible BEFORE you make the effort. Nowadys, I won't even bother with a set that is one or more grams out. And the clear dope that I use to seal the exposed wood seems to soak into the wood at a uniform rate.

Here's the bottom line; unless you have the equipment (a good scale and a T-bar, or Koll Rotor-Pro; the so-called teetering "balancers" aren't of much value, IMO) and the knowledge to precisely balance a set of blades, you're much better off spending the extra bucks on a good set of composite blades. Many of these are true "bolt on and fly"; plus, a slight difference in weight or CG is not as critical on 30 blades as it will be on larger sizes.

That's why so many people have no major problems with the cheap woodies most 30 kits come with; a combination of plastic heads and frames and lower mass/inertia tends to absorb the slight imbalances of a less-than-perfect set of cheap woodies. And that's good news for the beginner.

Steve