MAKING A SCALE PROPELLER

摘要

Grain an ordinary APC prop (or any electric plastic prop) to resemble a light honey tone Allow it to dry completely for a couple of hours. If you are careful, you can do this with acrylic paints. If you'd like some insurance, use an oil-based base coat and then grain as described (the oil-based paint will better adhere to the plastic prop). Next, take some fine modeler's tape (about 1/8-inch wide) and cut a few lengths that are half as long as your propeller (I didn't worry about the hub as this prop was getting a spinner). Stick the tape to your pants leg or shirt a few times to reduce the tack. You want the tape to stick just enough to hang on to the propeller; if it is too sticky it could pull up the paint on your propeller! Mask off strips that are just a little wider than the tape or to whatever width you desire. The objective here is to alternate light wood and dark wood as in a laminated propeller. I only do one side of one blade at a time to get the tape off the blade quickly. This way, it doesn't have time to grab the finish to which it's adhered. Next, quickly mix up a reddish brown using the process described earlier. Apply paint deftly to the masked-off areas and then carefully remove the tape. Voila! You have a beautifully laminated propeller. Let it dry completely and then add a clearcoat. You can add logo decals made from waterslide inkjet paper available at your hobby supplier.