From: mkfeil@bcrki9.bnr.ca (Max Feil)
Subject: Re: Plastic Spinners in Cold Weather
Reply-To: mkfeil@bcrki9.bnr.ca (Max Feil)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 16:53:27 GMT

I have never had a problem with plastic spinners in cold temps, but I have also
only used Goldberg spinners in cold temps. 

In article <1993Jan10.032627.22529@kronos.com>, ed@kronos.com (Ed Baker)
writes:
> 2. Most spinners come off because the propeller is losse.  Do not use a
>    4-way glow plug wrench to tighten the propeller - use at least a 6"
>    wrench.

I recall reading that it is not good to over-tighten a prop since the hub
will deform, and the prop will be weakened. This was in relation to APC
props, but I forget exactly where I read it. They said not to use a
real wrench.

I suspect more of a problem is that props hubs compress over time (especially
wooden ones) and need to be retightened regularly. Unfortunately I am too
lazy to take the spinner apart to tighten the nut, since it can be hard to
put it back together - especially in the case of Goldberg spinners. On the
other hand, it's even more of a drag to loose your spinner, prop, and all
your mounting hardware if the prop comes off in flight (I, for one, don't
have spares).

This thread (and the one I started) has reminded me of just what a pain
spinners are. Maybe we can start a list of pros & cons to the various
spinners out there.

0) Prop nut (i.e. no spinner): Not very safe, looks bad, and almost impossible
   to use with an electric starter.

1) Spinner nut: My favourite, but looks bad on many models. Is almost as
   safe and easy to use with an electric starter as a full size spinner.

2) Goldberg 3-pin plastic spinners: These always worked well for me, with
   wooden, master airscrew, or APC props. They were a real pain to take apart
   but only a moderate pain to put together. My favourite method of assembly 
   is one of those mallets with rubber/plastic on the ends. The main drawback
   of the 3-pin spinners was that you
   couldn't enlarge the prop blade opening enough for certain props, especially
   APC's, since one of the 3 pins was always right next to an opening.
   Goldberg has phased these out in favour of the new 4-pin spinners.

4) Goldberg 4-pin plastic spinners: These are more flexible in terms of
   prop & shaft sizes than the previous ones, but for some reason I am having
   a problem with the backplate slipping. I have not used these enough to
   say if this is a general problem, or just with my specific installation
   (which requires a washer for cowl clearance).
   These spinners are easier to take apart, but harder to put together than
   the old 3-pin spinners (until you get them worked in).

5) Master airscrew: These have a thin aluminum backplate, which is great for
   installations that have little cowl clearance. The aluminum backplate does
   tend to slip, however. It also takes a while to get good at putting these
   things together, since there are no alignment tabs to rest the prop against.
   I also don't think that these spinners come in as many sizes/colours as
   the Goldberg ones.

Please add to this list! I am very interested in finding the world's
best spinner!

> 
> 10. A little care and common sense will cure a lot of problems.  Always
>     balance the propeller and spinner.  Almost all radio failures are
>     caused by vibration.  A little care and your equipment will last a
>     lot longer.
> 
How do you balance a spinner anyways? I'm usually glad if I get the thing
on even half right, at least lately...

Max
--
Max Feil  mkfeil@bnr.ca | Disclaimer:
Bell-Northern Research  |   What do I know? I'm just a Nerd on the Big Ranch.
P.O Box 3511 Station C, |
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.| "Enrich The Soil, Not EveryBody's Goal" Peter Gabriel