Epoxy your grips correctly OR ELSE

[DebianDog]

This is the result of not putting the right mixture of epoxy in the right place. As you can imagine it is no fun trying to keep a helicopter with one blade flying.

- Take off the blade ends
- Cut off the plastic around the ends (with an exacto knife or razor) so the edges of the plastic will be locked in place when the end is re-installed
- Mix a GOOD STRONG epoxy and spread evenly
- Make sure to cover the back end of the blade also (keeps them from drying out and cracking)
- Re-install the blade ends and screws wiping up any excess epoxy
- Let dry COMPLETELY
- Balance your blades
- Do not run more than 2000 RPM with woodies

Tip: Mark one blade with an 'X' also mark one of the blade grips with an 'X'. This way you will always put the same blade on the same grip and it will help you when you are tracking your blades. :)

[Charliedontsurf]

This is the result of not putting the right mixture of epoxy in the right place. As you can imagine it is no fun trying to keep a helicopter with one blade flying.

- Take off the blade ends
- Cut off the plastic around the ends (with an exacto knife or razor) so the edges of the plastic will be locked in place when the end is re-installed
- Mix a GOOD STRONG epoxy and spread evenly
- Make sure to cover the back end of the blade also (keeps them from drying out and cracking)
- Re-install the blade ends and screws wiping up any excess epoxy
- Let dry COMPLETELY
- Balance your blades
- Do not run more than 2000 RPM with woodies

Tip: Mark one blade with an 'X' also mark one of the blade grips with an 'X'. This way you will always put the same blade on the same grip and it will help you when you are tracking your blades. :)

I'm of the opinion that "ARF" Heli kits should come with these "Woodies" dis-assembled for safety...For newbies or people who don't research this stuff thoroughly, a thrown blade can destroy a new model and possibly really injure someone in the process...If the blades and grips aren't pre-assembled, it would prompt the modeler to "build" the blade/grip complex with epoxy, heavy CA, or whatever the kit manufacturer specifies...Hopefully preventing injury and crashing...I suffered such a failure very recently on my new Tiger 50...I had it set up on my rotopod with zero pitch at 1/4 stick, zero pitch at 1/2 stick, and the OS hyper 50 was under 1/2 throttle...The engine would barely lift the rotopod legs off the ground, and after less than a full tank of 15% fuel, one of the two new Woody blades cracked at the grip, sending it across the yard, and the 'Copter flipped over, threw the Rx battery, the engine stuck at 1/2 throttle, shredded the clutch lining, flybar, boom and supports, feathering shaft, main shaft, etc....$150 later and I bought the TT50 carbon blades, no more "woodies" for me...An expensive lesson!
Dr Franz in NJ

[redgiki]

- Do not run more than 2000 RPM with woodies

It may be helpful to note that this advice doesn't necessarily apply to microhelis, which often have to run higher than 2,000 RPM to keep the heli in the air. I'd agree that it's good advice not to exceed that for most .30-sized and above nitro birds, though.

My T-Rex runs at around 2500 RPM with woodies, or around 100RPM higher than manufacturer specs.

[sparky]

Sorry about such a stupid question, but if you glue your blades on, after a wreck, how do you change blades? :?:

I am very new to heli's, the one I have learned to hover with has a motor on the tail rotor and no gyro. Its strickly for indoors.

[DebianDog]

You glue the blades to the blade holders (only wooden blades have these). The blade holders bolt to the grips on the helicopter. :D

[sparky]

Ahhh! I see said the blind man! :glasses: Thank you. That helps. :noteworthy
P.S. I am a newbie.

[DebianDog]

NP next year this time stuff like this will be "old hat" :mrgreen:

[Marine]

This begs the question, is it really worth the "savings" to risk destroying your helicopter or worse severely hurting someone or someones propery??

I think I will get me some carbon blades and forgo the woodies that came in my raptor 50 kit!

$60 is cheaper than $300 on replacement parts plus the blades I should have gotten in the first place. :arggg:

[Marine]

Oh, and I just did the Epoxy of grips to blades last night...that just really scares me! Carbon blades for me thanks!

[Mike SVOR]

Has anyone ever tried Gorilla Glue for the blade grips? It dries like epoxy and grips wood, metal, plastic extremely well.

[Seeker]

This begs the question, is it really worth the "savings" to risk destroying your helicopter or worse severely hurting someone or someones propery??

I think I will get me some carbon blades and forgo the woodies that came in my raptor 50 kit!

$60 is cheaper than $300 on replacement parts plus the blades I should have gotten in the first place. :arggg:

I would offer woodies that are properly epoxied are just as safe as the carbon mains (as long as you're not flying 3D stuff or have a high head speed)... they are much less costly if you should happen to tip over on a hover too. I ran woodies until I started doing loops and rolls. $25 for new woodies vs $65 for new carbons is a big jump.

[HeliDan]

So, the woodies that come with the rex450se, they appear glued, do I have to worry about them?

[Seeker]

So, the woodies that come with the rex450se, they appear glued, do I have to worry about them?

Nope.. mount them and go fly :)

[HeliDan]

So, the woodies that come with the rex450se, they appear glued, do I have to worry about them?

Nope.. mount them and go fly :)

Thanx. So then, is it the larger heli rotors that must be glued?

Thanx again!! :D

[shaggybirdman]

any size woody blade has to be epoxied. the blades i got in my cde kit are fiberglass, and have cutouts in them. i'll be getting some other blades. i was told they flex way too much.

[Dragonus doogie]

hmmmm. I have never epoxied my align pro woodies and they are still solid. You guys have me scared now.

[Seeker]

The 325 woodies for the TRex are fine. No need to epoxy those.

[joehelicopter]

Don't use Gorilla Glue for the holders-use a good quality slow drying epoxy so the blade ends will be tougher....I am telling you this because I have been hit by thrown blades from a 30 size and the pain is quite intense-so use good ole epoxy---not quick ca cement.

[shaggybirdman]

you have been hit by a ejected blade, and still here to tell the story. lucky you!!!!

[Intrepid175]

Sparky, thanks for the laugh. You gotta love newbe's! :D Perhaps it would have averted your confusion if a slightly different terminology had been used. The parts they're talking about glueing to the rotor blades are the "root reinforcments." One of the other posters called them "blade holders" which I, under different circumstances, would have equated with the blade grips which are the parts on the rotor hub that the blades are bolted to! It's all in the wording! :wink:

Marine, don't let all of this scare you away from wood rotor blades. We flew them for "years" before any decent carbons came out on the market. Wood blades will do you just fine for hovering, forward flight, basic loops, rolls, stall turns, and even simple stationary flips and rolls. I'd avoid the harder 3D maneuvers where there's a lot of hard collective jamming but beyond that, barring a crash, a good set of wood blades will last a long time. The only condition is that they aren't the "plug-n-play" types that the carbon blades will be. Using epoxy to glue the reinforcements to the wood not only secures the reinforcments in place but the glue also soaks into the wood and strengthens it against the loads it will have to take when the model is in flight. After that, you'll have to rebalance. None of this is a big deal in the grand scheme of things. It's just the price of playing with slightly older (and less expensive) technology.

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

[sparky]

that seams like ages ago now! Yes, you gotta love the newbies!

[twslayer]

I should have payed more attention, now I'm paying hard cash. I have a short clip of the mess caused by a thrown blade. On you tube "My dads helicopter explodes for no reason" if you step through one frame at a time the first blade gos up and then the other blade comes off.

[Camp]

Have you seen the Venom 3DXL blades? No grips or root reinforcements at all, just a brass ring in the hole.

I switched to Align 318's but I'm now having tail authority problems. I really wanted to cut my teeth on this this and get the mishaps out of the way before flying my newly built Trex 450SE but sheeze, all the stuff you have to put into a Walkera to make fly!

(Did I say that?)

[eagleowl]

Hi
newbie question epoxy blades for a trex 450 or not does this only apply to larger helicopters

[lownbttr]

I've got a 450 that I have slowly upgraded to an SE. Do the align woodies need epoxy between the blade and grips need epoxy? I havent been doing it. I have broken my share of blades, but the ground breaks them, not wind (so far)!

I just ordered some carbon blades, but I'm still curious. I'm seeing some conflicting info below...

Thanks.