prop balencing?
 

I have a 10-6 powerpoint prop and saw on the manual that it said it should not be shaved down or altered in anyway . however in my Avistar's manual is says specifically to make sure to balence the prop. i have no experience balencing props and want to know what to do. how to you even balence a prop? any info will be extremely helpful in deciding what i should do and much appreciated:D:D

RE: prop balencing?
 

You can buy a device - probably about $5 - that clamps the prop between two beveled nuts on a threaded shaft. Then you hold this between your thumb and finger and see if one blade is heavier than the other. Then you sand a little material from the heavy side. Or you paint the light side with a little clear paint. Or CA glue.

Quite frankly, on a 10x6 manufactured prop, it is probably balanced good enough to just go ahead and fly it. Sometimes props are not balanced from the factory, but in my experience, most of the time they are very close.

RE: prop balencing?
 

don't shave or alter in any way protects the company from a potental law suit....search the forums there have been very good threads to show you exactly how to balance a prop

RE: prop balencing?
 

With every prop I buy, I always check the balance. My opinion would be not to just use a prop without checking first. Plastic props do not need sanding or shaving to balance. I like a white or yellow tip, so the tip is very visible when the engine is running. I simply apply more coats of paint to the lighter tip, until I get a balance.

RE: prop balencing?
 

Is there a website for the powerpoint prop? I have never heard of it.

RE: prop balencing?
 

this is all they have,

http://www.top-flite.com/accys/topq5000.html

RE: prop balencing?
 

And Panzer, with a 10 inch prop, don't worry too much about it being balanced.

RE: prop balencing?
 

Mike, when you and I started in this hobby, I think the thinking was that you balanced any prop, because they were made from wood which could have differant densities from one end to the other. I think your probably right, a 10 inch composite prop likely will not be out of balance enough to cause a problem. From my own personal point of view; however, it takes so little time to balance and I have a great balancer to check it with, I'm just going to go ahead and do it. I have not found a glaringly out of balance composite prop yet. However, almost all could be and were improved by adding more tip paint to the lighter tip.

I also shave off and sand the edges of all the composite props I buy. As they come, they are very sharp with flash and just handling them is dangerous, let alone attempting any hand starting.

I've seen guys flying with Master Airscrew props with the price tag and bar code label still stuck to them. What do you guys think of this?

RE: prop balencing?
 

Don't get me wrong - balancing a prop is not a bad idea, and if you have a balancer and some spare time, have at it.

But a lot of newbies feel that they HAVE to balance the prop before they can fly because the instructions said to do it.

All I'm saying is, you don't. The plane is going to fly just fine. It's not going to shake itself to pieces, or anything else.

So like I said, if you have a balancer, go ahead. If you don't, don't worry about it (Again, especially on a 10" prop)

I don't even THINK of balancing anything under 18" unless I have made a drastic change in the prop (like trimming the ends off)

RE: prop balencing?
 

i painted the very tips of my prop. will this affect their balence signifigantly or does it not matter. ( painted from the top to 1/8'' down)

RE: prop balencing?
 

Don't sweat it

RE: prop balencing?
 

new question: when i was breaking in my airplane on the ground somting hit the prop and the very tip of one side was chipped. is there a way i can fix this or should i just go and get another. P.S check out this fourm for someting that i think might work.http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_66...tm.htm#6646187
think i could used this and sand/ balence the prop enough for it to work right? much appreciated

RE: prop balencing?
 

Never repair a prop.

Go out and get a composite prop - I recommend Master Airscrew for beginners because they work well and they're cheap.

Scrape or sand the TE of both blades to remove the sharp flashing from the mold or they will slice your fingers up if you flip the prop by hand (Even if you're not trying to start the engine).

If you really want to balance the prop, get a prop balancer. Anything less and you might as well not balance it - Which I wouldn't bother doing on a 10" prop anyway.