Sanding Propellers

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bernard
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Sanding Propellers

Post by bernard »

I've heard that balancing a propeller by sanding makes it more efficient. I tried it using 220 grit sandpaper on one of my Ikara props but it leaves a somewhat scratched surface. Does anyone have tips or a description of how you are sanding your propellers?
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Re: Sanding Propellers

Post by jander14indoor »

Why are you worried about scratches? Smooth mat finish will be OK. If you are worried that 220 leaves too rough a surface, get some 400 grit wet/dry paper.

Personally I've never had much success with sanding, I liked to scrape my props back before we found the Ikara props.

And since you can make your own props now, consider that instead. That way you can tailor everything and will probably save 0.5 gm or so.

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Re: Sanding Propellers

Post by bjt4888 »

Bernard,
On page 6 of the "Design" thread of this forum is a picture of the sanded propeller that my students are using. The propeller is the Ikara wide-bladed "flaring" style with the back portion of the blade cut off and the forward portion sanded from its original thickness of .010" to a progressive thickness of .007", .008" .009" and unsanded .010" near the spar. Sanding was accomplished fairly quickly with 150 grit for about five minutes w/ masking tape protecting all but the 1/2" from the leading edge towards the spar w/ the tape positioned in an arc to less towards the tip and center of the blade. For the second sanding step, the blade nearest the root is protected with a long strip of tape and again 150 grit is used for about five minutes followed by 220 grit for a few minutes and 400 grit for a couple of minutes. The result is a slightly textured surface and a prop that gets us an additional 15 seconds of flight time. The prop is repitched to between 12" and 13" (the students have props of several pitches for testing).

I also agree with Jeff Anderson, the highest performance potential may be with balsa propellers. My students have not gotten this far yet, but those that I have tested weigh considerably less than even the sanded Ikara and seem to have potential to generate longer duration flights.

Brian T.
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