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Introducing blade droop with heat

RELATED TOPICS: MODELING TOOLS
FSM-RT1011_01
I usually droop helicopter rotor blades by pulling them through my thumb and index finger at an angle. But some kits are made from very springy or brittle plastic, so that doesn’t always work. For those challenging blades, I made a smoothly curved block of wood to use as a bending jig. I use three paper strips to secure the blades tightly to the jig, then use a blow dryer set on high to induce the bend. It takes about five minutes, moving the nozzle of the dryer constantly to evenly heat all the blades. The blades are left in the jig to cool to room temp before removing. Using only two paper strips will allow the middle portion of the blades to rise up and bend unevenly. So three is good for a 1/72 scale model. Use more strips for longer blades.


Tip submitted by:
Karl JuelchAsbury, New Jersey
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