By Joe Zingali
Pres.
of J &Z Products Inc.
ZINGER
Modern manufacturing methods make it
possible to produce Propellers that require little if any balancing by the user.
Every Zinger Propeller is high - point balanced prior to leaving the
factory and, therefore, should not have to be adjusted, However, occasionally a
prop will require a little touch up before it can be considered to be perfectly
balanced. To catch those few props
that sneak out the door on us, it is wise to double - check the balance.
This is true of any propeller, regardless of the maker. No matter the type of balancer chosen, a properly balanced
prop will remain at the horizontal position on the balancer, when placed in that
position.
Warning, before you check the prop for balance, Be certain that the
balancer's shaft is firmly positioned in the prop hole.
Once in position, you should not be able to wiggle the shaft in the
propeller hole. If the prop appears
to be out of balance, you have a little work to do.
An unbalanced propeller will occur when one blade is heavier than the
other. The heavier blade will,
obviously drop to a lower position than the other while mounted on the balancer.
Just enough material must be’ removed from the heavier (lower) blade to
put the prop into a perfect balance. In’
most cases, all that is required is to remove a small amount of finish from the
heavy blade. I find the best tool
for this job is a simple, single-edge razor blade.
Once you have located the heavy side of your prop, scrape a bit of the
finish. From the front of the blade (where the printing is) along the center
line, between the hole and the prop tip, Do not work the tip itself with your
razor blade, just scrape a little finish from between the hole and the blade
tip; however, favor the outside half of the blade as you scrape. Normally, all it takes is just a touch of scraping, a little
at a time, to obtain that perfect horizontal balance. Remember... Take just a little of the finish off at a time
and check often for proper balance as you work.
And please, NEVER, NEVER, scrape the back of the prop.
Material removed from the rear surface of the blade will cause the
propeller's pitch to change, fomenting a whole new set of problems.
Also, never cut a piece from the tip of the blade to balance it.
If you wish, once the prop has balanced, a coat of clear finish can be
sprayed or brushed on the scraped blade, or just spread on a thin layer of CA
glue to reseal the wood.
I
hope this information is of value and that your use of Zinger Propellers brings
you many happy hours of flying. Oh,
and one more thing. If you have
problems balancing your Zinger Propellers, please send them to me, J & Z
Products Inc. 25029 So. Vermont
Ave. Harbor City, CA 90710. With a note. I
will double - check the balance and return them to you.
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