Painting a spinner
 

Is it possible to paint a plastic spinner? I need a 3 bladed spinner with the front half red and the back half black. I found a 3 bladed black spinner but am not sure how/if I can paint the front red.

RE: Painting a spinner
 

Yes, it's totally possible to paint a plastic spinner. It's no different than painting anything else. You just lightly sand the spinner to make the paint adhere better, mask off the portion you don't want to paint, and spray. Painting over black will require several coats. First, paint the front of the spinner white, then spray several coats of red on top of it.

http://www.whitetyphoon.com/rc/miss_..._II/pic05c.jpg

http://www.whitetyphoon.com/rc/vq_p40/pic07g.jpg

RE: Painting a spinner
 

Richard L.,
Wow!!! Those look great. Do you have any problems with putting an electric starter on them after they are painted. or do you avoid the electric starter?? (I try to avoid starting my planes with the starter, but every now and then you get stubborn one). What kind of paint do you use? Top Coat? Have you tried any of the new "fusion" paints where the paint chemically bonds with the plastic?

Sorry for all the questions, but this has been on my mind for awhile and now that it came up this is the perfect time to try and get an answer.

Thanks in advance

ken

RE: Painting a spinner
 

Ken, I don't have any problems with using an electric starter on painted spinners, probably because my starter has a big soft silicone cup (from Miller's products) that doesn't leave a ring on the spinner. In fact, my painted P-40 spinner has at least 400 flights on it.

I used all types of paint, from latex to Testors acrylics to Lustrekote. They all work pretty well. Latex and Testors acrylics require a top coat, such as LustreKote clear. I tried fusion paint on a nylon prop, and it chipped. I have never tried it on a spinner though.

RE: Painting a spinner
 

Richard L.,
I almost had to paint for a P-40 spinner. I'm doing a review of the Hanger 9 P-40, and finding a 3-1/2" red spinner is next to impossible. Only one that I could find that ever made one was CB/Tatone, but they aren't making that one anymore. So I was going to settle for a Tru-turn P-51 aluminum spinner, but really wasn't happy about it. I had decided to try and paint it when I found an old dusty CB/Tatone red spinner on the wall at my LHS. But I feel sorry for others trying to find it down the road.

Ken

RE: Painting a spinner
 

I sprayed both my Dave Brown 3-1/2" aluminum spinner and CB/Tatone 3-1/2" plastic spinner with red UltraCote paint and let the spinners sit for five days since UltraCote takes that long to fully cure. I'm currently using the plastic spinner. After numerous contacts with the starter cone, the plastic spinner still looks new without any scratches from the cone. The trick is avoiding slippage between the spinner and the starter cone.

http://www.whitetyphoon.com/rc/h9_mustang/pic03.jpg

http://www.whitetyphoon.com/rc/starter/pam02.jpg