How To: Painting Propellers
ByEvery modeler has their own technique and method for paint propellers. One of the toughest things to do at times is to get those yellow, white or tricolored tips painted. I’ll admit that when I was a kid I would just dip the tip into the jar of the color of paint I wanted them to be. Not each one was the same and typically the tips looked like they had light bulbs on the ends.
Using the rule of painting light to darker colors first start by applying the color of the tip first. If the tips are white then paint the propeller white or yellow which ever applies. You don’t have to paint the whole propeller, just the last quarter of the blade being sure of getting good coverage of the area to be masked to protect the tip.
For those who don’t know why propeller tips are painted a different color than the rest of the propeller it is for ground safety reasons. The spinning propeller becomes invisible, but the colored tip is visible to serve as a warning that it is there so ground personnel don’t inadvertently step into its path.
My method uses a gauge and a mask. The gauge is simply a piece of tape which you either cut to the proper length or use the factory cut width of tape to act as a measuring device. First I cut a thin piece (red dashed line) from a length of tape which I have one end attached to the edge of my bench. Then using my tweezers I carefully align the end of the tape so it is against and squared up to the hub. I am using the last two retaining bolts that hold the propeller blade to the hub assemble.
The exposed tip is now covered using the narrow masking tape as shown in the picture. I’ll apply all (three in this case) gauges first, then cover the tips. Once the tips are all masked, I remove the gauges, which can be reused on the next propeller as well. If they get too hard to use, just cut another piece from the gauge stock attached to the bench.
This is basically an assembly line process. Get all of the propellers ready for painting at once. Then you’ll want to find some way of holding them while you paint them. I use some trinkets I picked up at a business function that were being given away as advertising promos. These are suppose to be business card or place card holders. An acrylic cube with a short piece of cable sticking out of it with an alligator clamp at the end. Perfect for modeling applications!!! I have four and use them all the time to hold small parts while painting. If they get saturated in paint, I simply dip them in lacquer thinner to remove the built up overspray.
It is now just a matter or either airbrushing or painting the propeller with a brush. Once you have that done you need to let the paint cure long enough so you can handle the propellers without risk of damaging the paint. Remove the tip masks. If you find you have a demarcation line between the two colors, simply use a polishing stick to ease the ridge down flush. If the propeller hubs are a different color than the blades, now is a good time to carefully brush paint them. I suggest a dry brush method.
The propellers are now ready for a gloss coat (that is if you used flat paints) and the application of those tiny little decals. I’ll show how to make a gauge to align those as I get ready to apply them to my project.
Hello, fellow modelers!
I’ve never seen the interesting gauge method before. It’s good for 1/48 or larger aircraft, and helps to get separation lines that are parallel to the propeller hub, but demands a lot of work.
As I build mostly 1/72 and some 1/144 planes, I use a somewhat different approach. I first paint the light color, then I use a stripe of 1/32″ (in 1/72 propellers) Pactra masking tape to mask the propeller tip all around. I align one of the edges of the tape with the tip of the propeller blade, and the other parallel to the propeller hub. I sometimes add some liquid masking tape on the top to prevent paint bleeding.
I think that my method can be adapted to other scales by using masking tape of different widths.
The above method works well for one-color tips.
Orlando Sucre
Yes there area many methods out there as there are modelers. I have other methods that I will be sharing in the future. I too will occasionally use the method you describe, but it does have a drawback for the novice. If they don’t get the tape just right, they can end up with angled painted tips. Again experience and a keen eye can overcome this. We all started somewhere and developed and hopefully improved our skill sets along the way. Thanks for sharing your technique with us!
Hello again!
I forgot a detail in my previous comment. It’s good advice to prime the propeller blades before painting the light color, no matter how will you mask the tips. Moreover, it’s a must if the plastic is dark.
Although many modelers talk about using flat white as a primer, I prefer FS36622 Camouflage gray because it covers with just one coat. You can prime the propeller spinner also, if needed.
Orlando Sucre
I make a mask out of copy paper, copying the propeller using my photocopier and using the image as a mask. I cut off where the yellow will be sprayed, line up the propeller with the photocopied image, tape and and spray. You can do all three or four blades at once. I prefer to spray the black first, let dry then do the yellow to keep the yellow within scale.