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Prop tape

B

brad walton

Well Known Member
I put prop tape on my Catto 3 blade prop today. In all fairness, I did a less than perfect but OK job of applying it. Struggled a bit with bubbles and getting them deflated and smoothed. Afterward I went flying and found a decrease in performance of just less than 4% at 2700 rpm. This amounts to the equivalent of a decrease of 11 horsepower if I did the math right. I took the tape off.
 
Was the prop tape you applied purchased from Catto?
Previously I used Prop Guard from ACS & it worked well without any performance issues. I've had Catto's on the shelf for about a year & haven't had a chance to apply it.
With your experience I might defer.
 
brad walton said:
I put prop tape on my Catto 3 blade prop today. In all fairness, I did a less than perfect but OK job of applying it. Struggled a bit with bubbles and getting them deflated and smoothed. Afterward I went flying and found a decrease in performance of just less than 4% at 2700 rpm. This amounts to the equivalent of a decrease of 11 horsepower if I did the math right. I took the tape off.
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Aw, please leave it on. I want to be able to catch you at Reno with my old ugly two blade Prince and this run down engine of mine. I was thinking it would be worth a beer or two. Sounds good to me. Yours, R.E.A. III #80888
 
Yes it was tape from Catto. I had noticed some chips in the paint on the leading edge and decided to protect it from further chips with tape. A couple more tries and maybe I would be able to put it on without any bubbles or other defects. 4% degradation in performance really isn't that much, but I'm too used to how well the prop performs without it.
Robert we'll have to see, but I expect it to be a toss up. You are still welcome to stop for a beverage any time.
 
brad walton said:
I put prop tape on my Catto 3 blade prop today. In all fairness, I did a less than perfect but OK job of applying it. Struggled a bit with bubbles and getting them deflated and smoothed. Afterward I went flying and found a decrease in performance of just less than 4% at 2700 rpm. This amounts to the equivalent of a decrease of 11 horsepower if I did the math right. I took the tape off.
Click to expand...

Did this reduce your RPM by 4% or TAS by 4% ? Also, did you use the .008" or .016" tape?

I had higher TAS during phase I and could never figure out what I don't get the same today. I had attributed it to Static errors, though I was doing GPS validation. After phase I testing, I put prop tape on and you've got me thinking that I have a similar issue.

Larry
 
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Nickle leading edge??

brad walton said:
Yes it was tape from Catto. I had noticed some chips in the paint on the leading edge and decided to protect it from further chips with tape. A couple more tries and maybe I would be able to put it on without any bubbles or other defects. 4% degradation in performance really isn't that much, but I'm too used to how well the prop performs without it.
Robert we'll have to see, but I expect it to be a toss up. You are still welcome to stop for a beverage any time.
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Hi Brad---regarding the chips you've noticed on the leading edge of your Catto 3 blade prop: do you have Craig's protective nickel leading edge on your prop?
Thanks,
Mike P
 
No nickel leading edges. If I recall correctly, y prop was built in 2008 and was before the nickel leading edges were available. I do slow to 2000 rpm when in rain and don't often fly in rain. I believe the chips in paint are from runway debris and perhaps large insects.
 
Just a quick comment on nickel leading edges. They are harder than just about any other commonly-found prop material. I've been running nickel leading edges on my Warp Drive for about a decade. I don't slow down in the rain. I don't worry about gravel runways. About the only negative thing I can think of is that the nickel eventually dulls to a nice grey patina (oh, maybe that's all the bug guts that cause this dulling).

A friend operates a Catto seaplane prop with nickel leading edges. Yes, he had a delamination which caused a spike in blood pressure, but it was one of the first nickel installations that Craig had done. The replacement prop has been flawless now for several years. Seaplane ops are about as hard service as most props will ever see so I suspect this is a pretty strong endorsement of the ability of the nickel to protect Craig's props.

If I were to purchase another composite or wood prop, I would insist on the nickel leading edges as a result of my very positive experience to date.
 
I have a 3.5 year old Catto three blade with nickel leading edges. Craig also puts prop tape on the leading edges inboard of the nickel. The nickel is not laminated onto the prop but built into the shape so no change in shape. The additional tape inboard of that does increase the leading edge shape.
I would assume that since inboard it does not change the airflow as dramatically as the OP reports. My prop has been flown in heavy rain on many occasions and still looks new @ 350 hours. On my last heavy rain I did manage to lose one of the Catto stickers that had been painted over with clear coat.
I sure like this prop and nickel leading edges.
 
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