While I’m waiting for some engine parts to be replaced what about fitting the prop to the spinner? This took quite a while and required magic.

I knew this was going to be tough. I also thought there is no way I will get this fitting perfect the first time. So what about taking a mold off the spinner and making a practice piece I could use as a template?

Using some UNI off-cuts the mold idea worked out pretty well. As usual it was a bear to get the glass off despite all the mold release., but I am very persistent if nothing else.

Success. I have made a practice piece AKA a template.

Despite a lot of head scratching I was struggling with how to transfer the profile of the blades to this mold. I asked the resident sheet metal expert for a method. I didn’t understand any of it except he seemed to think I needed to do the above in cardboard.

I still had no clue as to what he meant. In the end he showed me exactly how its done.

Have you ever seem a magician do a great magic trick? What if, as he, or she, was doing it, they explained step by step what they were doing while you watched?

At the end the trick was a success! Despite watching it and being told the steps I still have no clue how this is done! Yet the trick worked. For the next prop …I’ll need to see that magician again.

Here it is a pretty good template with the blade cutouts correct.

I worked with the template until I could get it on and off the prop. Then I used it in place to cut out the real spinner.

Well this just worked a treat. Here it is rough cut on the first try. I allowed a little so I could fine tune it into place.

As you see here, it is now a very close fit.

Very tight around the prop but the spinner can still be removed.

Of course we have gaps both sides that were necessary to get the thing on! I have retained the cutout pieces and they will become the ‘fillers’ in the next step.

Overall this is a surprisingly difficult task that I needed help with for the marking out. The rest was just slow careful work with my permagrit files.