Easy Tips for Balancing Propellers

When operating RC airplanes, properly balanced propellers are very important. Having a balanced prop helps prevent excessive vibration which can cause electrical connections to loosen, fuel in your gas tank to foam up, and can even cause structural damage. Balancing your propeller helps avoid all these problems and it is very easy to do by following this two-step procedure.

1. To balance blades, place the mounted prop on the balancer with the blades in a horizontal position. Remove material from the heavy side (the side that falls when placed horizontally), or add to the lighter side until prop stays in a balanced horizontal position.

2. To balance the prop hub, place the mounted prop on the balancer in a vertical position. Remove material from the heavy side (side that falls when placed vertically) or add to the lighter side until prop stays in a balanced vertical position.

Tips for Removing or Adding Weight

To remove material from wood or plastic props, scrape or sand material from the backside of the blade.

To add material use drops of CA glue, epoxy or “dope” (wood props). Also, light coats of these adhesives work as well.

That’s it. Balancing a propeller is very easy and it pays big dividends by making your model last longer and operate more smoothly.

Safety note: Don’t try to repair a broken or badly cracked propeller.

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