I would like to know what type of spinner most of you use on your SSC planes and where the heck do you get a 5mm spinner nut anyway??

OS has one. Their part number is 20824005. Tower Hobbies have them - their stock number is LXCC37. Recent packaging shows it is for the .15LA, older packaging shows it is for .10FP. I've been using these and they are perfect. DickB

Eddie,
I have been using DuBro 2" spinners on my Cobras. The spinner absorbs impact and spreads out the dirt thereby protecting the needlevalve in a dirtnap. The downside is that a broken prop in a match takes longer to change. I purchase 5mm hex nuts at the Ace Hardware store around the corner from my house.

Lou,
That's the reason I wanted to change to something else. It takes to long to get the dirt out of the screws that hold it on. I was thinking about the Carl Goldberg plastic one that snaps onto the backplate. Got any thoughts on that?

Tru-Turn makes excellent spinner nuts in a couple of different styles for the OS LA 15. I picked up a couple at Toledo for about $5/apiece. You can order them directly from thier web site. The only downside is they are not cheap- $9/apiece..

$9 each for a spinner nut is a bit pricy, but not that bad if holds up. I picked up some 5mm nuts from Bill Turner. They are solid, so they can't dent like the Dubro ones can. If the Trueturn ones can be dented, then I think that's a bit much. (fwiw, I use the Durbo ones on my B class planes. I like how they work with my starter and the pretty colors. But I've had to toss 2-3 of them now after caving in the sides in mid-airs).

I'm with Lou on the DuBro 2" spinners - I run them on all my .25s and .40s. The Goldberg snap-on spinners tend to be slightly out of ballance and they 'sing' at high RPMs (real hard on the radio equipment).

To de-dirt the screw holes, just jam a small piece of music wire (.03" or so) into the hole and twist. Most of it just pops right out, then do that the same way again for the allen head on the screw. Only takes a second or two with practice.

D

Oh, I should mention, if you don't mind causing the spill, I've cleared the holes and bolts on spinners by aiming my fuel pump at it and shooting a short jet of fuel at the dirt, usually after a quick jab with some wire like Darin describes. You can usually flush the dirt out that way. Carb cleaner is even better for this. (I didn't used to always have a can of carb cleaner, but I make sure I cary a big can of it now, the stuff is just way too useful).

Never thought of carb cleaner - I should give it a try. Does it melt foam? Some CL combat fliers use brake cleaner. Some carry a spray bottle full of water for the initial rinsing of dirty engines. Also useful if someone gets fuel in the eye, or something of the sort.

I've no idea if it melts foam. Given all the stuff in there and the way it smells, it probibly does.

no, the tru-turn won't dent- they are solid aluminum. I've nosed them pretty hard into rock & concrete, and the worst thing is that you scrape them up a little bit. There are several styles and sizes to choose from- one style and size in fact is similar to the Bill Turner product.

Home Depot sells 5mm cap nuts...2 for 29 cents. I saved up for months and managed to make the purchase!
Cheers,
Bob Edison
Anchorage, AK

This past weekend at Southern Fried Combat at the Dixie Nationals I finally gave up on running the 2" plastic spinners. They work well to keep the engine from getting damaged in a dirt nap but they take too long to make a prop change during a match. It took almost three minutes to clean out the bolts, get them out, put on a new prop and get the spinner bolted back up. Compare this to about 30 seconds for a machined prop nut and you have the difference between getting in the air and scoring or sitting on the ground watching the streamers all get cut off before you can get back up.

For practice combat I'll use the plastic spinners but for competition I will use the spinner nuts.

AP engines makes a 5mm bullet point spinner nut and the price is righteous. Check Hobby People.