How to install leading edge tape on your wooden propeller. I use 2” wide tape from Wicks Aircraft. www.wicksaircra... Culver Props Shirts www.preferreda...
Watching your great care in the process of attaching a leading-edge protection took me back to my USAF days. I was a propeller repairman. Our blades were somewhat larger and metal, but the attention and care of any work is the same. Really appreciate your videos.
Hey Jerry cool to see you here. the two best craftspersons on youtube :) you two should do a collaboration. she could send you a prop to get binding and a carved rose on the hub. It would look awesome
Alaina, you’re awesome but don’t give away all your tricks and secrets! Leave something to the imagination so you can maintain the highest value for your craft. Otherwise people will just say “oh that’s easy, I don’t want to pay that much for it” they won’t value your work. You are an inspiration and a unicorn, I wish you all the best! Oh by the way... kudos for not having music blasting, earbuds in or any distractions like, oh I don’t know, a cell phone, in your shop. That’s the true sign of a very strong minded focused individual, I love it.
You are doing an the most important part of a prop plane and what a great mix of art and physics ! Be proud of your working art form. Looking forward to more vids
I wish she would talk to us & explain in words what she was doing. I love watching someone that's good at their craft but when its just silence, it's not fun watching!
She explained before she gets nervous talking and showing how she does stuff. She is very new at this RU-vid thing. But she learns fast and she does try to do a speaking video every now and then. Soon she will master this video thingy too I think. There is a longer video of a guy interviewing her, she explains and shows a lot in that video, look it up.
@@peterjansen4894 Yes I saw that video of the guy that interviewed her. That's the video that got me watching this channel. She does an awesome job here & wasn't trying to say she doesn't. Oh & By the way... It wasn't me that disliked the video. Just noticed that.
Alaina, you are so focused while you work. I don't think you even blinked once the entire time :-) I must be the worlds biggest geek, as I love watching the process you go through to make functional artwork. But, I have been thinking (dangerous thing to do) the Cessna that I fly all have real nice nicks, sand blasting, and wear on the tips of the blades. On a metal prop, it appears to be a job that the A&P can fix if it is not too bad. On a wooden propeller, as the blade tips wear just from normal use, the tape and the finish will wear off the tips leaving raw wood exposed (at least I think it would) It would be a fun video to just talk us through the process that you have to do to refurbish a prop and what you do as the prop tips wear over time. Also (lots of question, not expecting answers, but maybe future video's when you are stuck in the shop with 4' of snow on the ground) How bad can a propeller be damaged before you can no longer repair it? If I ground loop and the prop strikes the ground, either you were dern lucky, or you have a nick, or a fracture in the blade. Can you repair a prop that has had the top 4" broken off? Of is it expensive firewood? Last, How do you size a propeller to a plane / engine combination? I want a climb prop, or a cruise prop. Each has a different pitch. On a pusher prop, the blades will undergo rather large changes in stress as the blade leaves the dirty air of the wing and enters the clean air. Those are just some questions that I have. As I have said, please do not answer these question in this email. Some of these would be great science and theory of propellers. Plus, I love it when you talk in the vid's. Please keep making video's they are so interesting and you are one of the few remaining masters of the trade left. Those high aspect ratio nylon props are coming out and they sound like weedwackers in the air.
Hooray ! Mo useless music,must careful craftsmanship! Nice...is the tape similar to the protective plastic that one can apply to cars, to protect the finish?
I know why there is a fan next to the cabinet, she put that on while balancing, you know to get more authentic environment, it a airplane propeller after all.
Since it comes off so easy when you're installing it, do you have to do anything to make the bond permanent, or does it just set up over time? Also, hi grandma :)
Hi, I'm curious about things aero: Just have a question about propeller design. When you design the prop manufacturing CNC based on it's pitch (the theoretical advance of the prop through the air in 1 revolution), for each point along the blade, the circumference is changing but the pitch remains the same so the prop blade is advancing along a slope defined as Pitch/(2xPixR). Now, is the prop profile angle of attack (AOA) set so that zero CL aligns with the pitch slope, or is the AOA set to a specific angle/Cl above the pitch slope in order to produce the necessary thrust too say, maintain constant speed in level flight at the expected operational cruising speed, drag, rpm & power, or is there some other profile reference line used? Perhaps you just get a CNC file from the designer & can't satisfy my curiosity on this question, I don't know how that relationship works. I'v made many models and small props so I'm familiar with the basics but this question has eluded me a while.
Well. I am the prop designer, and I do not have a CNC. I also do not need the term pitch defined for me. I believe you are the perfect example of someone who makes things harder than it had to be. The Wright brothers prop was 80% efficient, that is still the efficiency of props today. It just really isn’t that complicated.
@@CulverProps It's a reasonable aerodynamic question, whether pitch defines the Beta datum or the Beta+Alpha of the airfoil. I haven't found that defined in the literature, so I'm asking someone who should know. I defined pitch to clarify what I was asking. There's no need to get all defensive or to take offense, I'm not trying to teach you anything or be condescending. I'm just trying to be clear so I can get the right answer. I've studied aerodynamics in relation to glider design. But I've long wondered about this aspect of propeller design.
Hey look.....uuh, I know this is kind of quick and all, but, I think I speak for most of the men that watch your channel when I say, "will you marry me"? I Know, I know, I have four kids and a wife and a dog, but what's a little baggage?😁
@@CulverProps I know I thought I would be smart and buy a bright blue one unfortunately it just doesn't seem to have the same flex and get the air out as well. I never seem to lose that one though. I also have an amazing talent to lose pencils and spend entirely too much time looking of a particular screwdriver. I noticed you are as bad as me with the safety glasses but you have improved over me on that one . Keep up the awesome work and thanks again for sharing with us.
My favorite squeegee is an old credit card - just the right size and stiffness/flexibility. I have a whole stack of fake credit cards that come in junk mail.
...On a related note: When you are post-processing your video, could you use some color other than white for the captions. They get lost like your squeegee, against your white workbench, and then I see them just before they disappear. The shadow effect helps some, but a different color would be welcome.
Obviously that tape is a modern high-tech product if it can perform in such a location. What did they use in bygone days to protect the leading edges of props? Anything at all? Just wondering. (Thanks for the video, by the way. Very impressive.)
Oh WOW IF A PERSON HAS NEVER BEEN AROUND PROPELLERS BEFORE LIKE MYSELF. ONE WOULD NEVER KNOW 🤔 HOW MUCH & HOW DETAILED THAT THERE IS IN MAKING ONE ALAINA. EVERY TIME I TUNE IN ON 1 OF YOUR VIDEOS I GET [ SCHOOLED ] AGAIN.... ( KNUCKLE👊🏽BUMP ) Alaina/CulverProps
Firstly and just as important. Thank you Grandma for making sure we are all nice and warm while watching this video. Your awesome Grandma. How many flying hours is the tape good for? Before it requires changing. As always you make it look simple. I am not a pilot nor have anything to do with planes. But you and your artistic way of working are beautiful. Have an amazing day. Both of you.
Thank you! Grandma like to keep the fire going. She is a little bit of a fire bug. Lol But! I am not complaining! The tape just depends on the flying conditions. It may last the entire flying season, it may only last one rough flight. Judging by the amount I ship out, I think it holds up really well.
I'm guessing that the tape is for protection, but what is it protection from. I can imagine that at the speeds a prop rotates - especially at the tips - even a small piece of grit might cause a cut? Does it have to be replaced occasionally?
Once again amazed at your strength and ability to produce a prop this beautiful. 👍👍 my mother was a Rosie the riveter in the second world war, building aircraft in a factory in San Diego California. As I watch you I can picture her working on her assigned task in the factory. What makes it even more special, she was blonde and beautiful also.
I was thinking while watching your video. All that wall space would look superb with large vinyl prints of different airplanes wearing your props. You could run a photo contest for best picture to have the honor to be on your wall
Hi, I like to see your work because you are very thorough in what you do, I see how you focus on the small finishing details, very whimsical and it helps me build my engines because I am thorough too. Congratulations and prosperity.
That must be some pretty tough tape to withstand grass, bugs, rain, and the occasional bird that finds its way into the big fan blade!!! You must have the patience of a saint, that looks like a simple job, but I know its not!!! I used to put company logos on truck doors... And there's NO way I would have recorded the audio, way to many unacceptable words would be heard ;-) Well done mam :-)
lot of detail goes into to taping who knew, almost like tinting. You still hate the camera 😂 🙈 lol? You always do great! Took me time too felt weird talking to myself at first haha.
Lol, I talk to myself all the time, nervous about everyone hearing it!!! 😂 there are several comments about it though so I will talk in my next one. (For better or worse) 😂
I often train a lot of people how to work on race cars. I like teaching people and I often show them all the little tricks I have learned over the years. So I get called back a lot because most people won’t teach people to be better than them selfs because of pride. A true master anything knows it’s the Indian not the arrow 💪🏼😎. I love watching your vids because you are very genuine and extremely educational . If you and your family ever want to see a drag race there’s vip tickets waiting for you any time!!!
You can count the dislike's on the video,s as a blessing, because we all can not be perfect , but you can see how close to perfect you are by the dislike"s. Very nice work. Thank You !
Wood is lighter and that can be an advantage when it comes to the weight and balance of the airplane. Wood will also absorb more of the engines vibrations and run smoother. Wooden props will only break if you hit something with them. They are also a more effective price point.
I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE WHEN I CAME ACROSS THIS. I'M RETIRED AND USE TO FLY AIRPLANES. HEALTH ISSUES GROUNDED ME. MY VISION IS POOR BUT I STILL ENJOY GOING TO THE AIRFIELDS, TO WATCH. MADE ME SMILE SEEING YOUR TALENT!
watching you clear tape I thought you would but extra seal or varnish on the edges cool. have you ever tried a rubber squeegee what is the edge tape for
Hiya to you and Grandma... you are both working so hard. I love this video with multiple angles, close ups but no vocals yet, it's ok I saw your comment about doing it soon, can't wait. Does the tape stretch as you are installing it? I'm guessing it's to protect the leading edge? Others have already asked about how many hours it lasts but why does the wood not like rain, are rain drops miniature meteors, ie rock hard? How many props have you built in the year since you started at age twenty? OK, OK two years, though how many a year do you build? You make it look so easy and straightforward but your videos show the amount of very high skill you have and use at every turn of the prop on those great jigs... Looking forward to the next and next and next and... I can't fly a plane but anyone displaying anything like the very high degree of skill and ability like you do fascinates me and many like me. Allowing us a peek into the very demanding work life of anyone like yourself even when we know nothing about the subject does lift us, so thank you for letting us share your absorbing job even if only at a distance.
Thank you!! 😁 rain itself is not bad, but the tip speed of this props is around 700 feet per second, so the rain acts more like sand when it hits it. It eats away at the wood pretty quickly. The tape does stretch. I give it a little pull to help shape around the airfoil. I think I have made around 600. I have carved more than that, and glued up more than that. Gluing was my first job. We put out about 120 a year. Thank you for the questions!
Thank you for the answers. I love that you didn't just learn to make the props by rote but you know the why...tip speed of around 700 feet per second on that prop etc... it's a refreshing change. That is a lot of props and a huge responsibility. I've just watched the video about the two place and met your daughter, she is delightful, like mother like daughter then. Do you fly? A more complete history of your delightful story. It explains more about Granddad and why he purchased Culver props in the first place. I've had two heart atakes so I really get why the change in direction from crop dusting. @@CulverProps
You are a TRUE specialist Lady! 🌹🌹🌹 This Mylar front egde film is not allways cooperative as it can looks like! Believe me! - I have used this stuff on other aircraft applications!
It may sound like a dumb idea but wouldn’t a heat shrink tube over the entire blade be a good solution. Fast , easy, replaceable, full coverage and like bullet proof glass laminate add a little strength in a bird encounter? You could even put patterns in it. Like water bottles.
@@FrancisoDoncona I would be concerned about heat shrink tubing keeping water in though if the tubing got nicks it it and then got wet. They do make "clear" tough so you would be able to see that way.
3M vinyl tapes really adhere best if gone over with a hot blow-dryer after installation. Activates the adhesive and adds moderate tensile strength to the vinyl when shrunk. EDIT: Most leading edge tapes are polyurethane and most likely PUR shown in the video.
