Can main blade tips be painted safely?

[wnor]

I am considering painting the tips of TT 3859 carbon fiber 600 mm main blades to improve visibility (trim tape doesn't seem to last long). Can this be done safely, that is without compromising the structural integrity of the blades? I plan to do this:

Wash in hot water with Joy dishwashing liquid
Wipe down with alcohol
Mask
Break the surface gloss with 300 grit wet-or-dry
Prime with Klean-Strip Bulldog Adhesion Promoter, model number ETPO-123
Apply Premium Decor Satin, model number PDS-3 White
Apply Premium Decor Fluorescent, model number PDFL-6 Red Orange
Apply Top Flite LustreKote Crystal Clear TOPR7501
Wait two days
Check balance
Fly

I've successfully used this basic mix of products on a canopy, so they seem to be compatible. Reasonable?

[vandelescrow]

Because you put "balance" at the end of your list I'd say (edit)yes(edit, typo). but reading your post brings two questions to mind.

1) Painting just the tip can add more weight to the tips, this is not a problem for precision flying and will improve auto rotations, but may hinder 3D depending on how much the center of balance changes.

2) Chemical interaction with carbon fiber: will the type of paint used cause the blades to become weaker? I don't know but I'd try on a piece of scrap carbon fiber first to ensure the desired result of the paint (bubbling, cracking etc).

Final note, Great idea, personally I think TT made a mistake in producing solid black blades. Not only does it make it virtually impossible to see the rotor disk in flight, but it also makes it more risky using the head button.

[JimLerch]

Meh, I've painted 3 sets of 690 carbon fiber blades. 2 sets of Radix blades and a set of MAH G2 tapered blades.

I didn't use any of the fancy products you mentioned except the lustercoat clear and never had a problem other than crashing into stuff.. :roll:

The first 2 sets of blades got Ace hardware Flourescent Red followed by the Lustercoat clear. The 3rd set of blades got House of Kolor Florescent Red and HoK Clear.

In all three cases, I checked balance, but it didn't change enough to measure..

BTW, I'm currently running a set of 690 V-Blades with the factory white squares on the tips. I don't know what it is,but they seem to be much more visible than any of my paint jobs..

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

It will be fine... just don't goop more paint on one blade than the other, it would have to really have to be extreme to create a balance issue.

[wnor]

I've tried the recipe in Post #1, and it seems to have worked well - no change in the structure of the blades that I can see, no change in balance or blade tracking, and good adhesion. I painted two-inch wide stripes two inches from the tips, red-orange on top and white on the bottom. This, plus green paddles, has helped orientation a lot. Interesting note: to my eyes, in some lighting conditions the red-orange stripe is more visible, and, in others, the white stripe is better. But at least something is visible more-or-less all the time. In the future I'll dispense with all this and just buy blades with white trim from another source. Thanks to all the above posters for your thoughts.