Prop/Spinner Cover Assistance

[Huckster79]

So I'm breaking ground on making my own insulated cowl cover and then a prop and spinner cover. I've bought some real cheap fleece blankets and fired up my 1920 era Singer, I'm going to use the cheap blankets to make my patterns, going to get in on plane and pin in all up so I get it just right for a pattern. Finished product will be fleece lining then thinsulate and a polyester outdoor fabric shell.

Heres my questions:

• How do the prop/spinner covers go over the both blades? Is one blade cover split down the middle longwise with velcro? So you can slip it over one blade and spinner then wrap it around the other prop blade? Or two piece one blade and spinner cover and then another slip over piece for the opposite prop blade?

• How thick is the insulation typically found in them? I was thinking of using 80g Thinsulate. It will be used primarily to keep the heat in for preheating in the hanger, and for the occasional lunch trip outdoors but no Arctic/nasty weather outdoor storage.

 

[Hank S]

No idea on how to fabricate a prop / spinner cover.

But my winter gloves are 40g Thinsulate . . .

 

[Huckster79]

No idea on how to fabricate a prop / spinner cover.

But my winter gloves are 40g Thinsulate . . .

I bet 80g will be enough then... Because it will be 80 plus a fleece lining, I doubt the outdoor fabric will offer much insulation but the 80g plus fleece should. Hoping someone has a prop cover they could snag a pic of or description.

I'm thinking I can have a custom cowl cover and prop spinner cover for about $60... And with this weather lately I can't fly- may as well use flying time to sew it up!

 

[FlySince9]

I have bruce's covers for my Mooney... each prop-blade cover has a zipper down the back but I only unzip one.... So I slide it over one prop and then zip the other... push it back over the spinner and the cowl plugs hold it snuggly in place... look at Bruces custom covers website for ideas...

https://www.aircraftcovers.com/

 

[Huckster79]

Thanks Flysince9!thats what I needed to know. I looked at the site bud didn’t find enough pics from different angles.

I’m going to sew one solid tube for a blade and spinner and Velcro strap the other - so in effect I’m going to make it like u use it.

Thanks again- I’ll post pics when done

 

[Stewartb]

Simple insulated fabric tubes with one closed end. Make the opening fit the widest part of the prop and then add a velcro strap as a choker at the base. Sew a sort bungee with a loop on one blade and a nylon hook on the other. Connect the two with slight tension on the bungee to hold them in the wind. Better covers are made to form fit with drysuit neoprene fabric. They stretch over the meaty part of the prop and fit like a glove. Ditto on the bungee to hold them together. Spinner covers are fitted to the spinner with velcro straps that run behind the prop blades the hold them in place.

 

[Huckster79]

Thanks Stereartb, I got the “rough draft” cowl cover sewed tonight. I’ll go test fit it tomorrow to see any necessary tweaks an pin em before I mark it and disassemble it to make a pattern for the real one...

I’m thinking I may double the thinsulate on the top,the 140 has a rather wide flat top of the cowl. Just like we put more insulation in our attics than walls was what I was thinking...

 

[Stewartb]

I've gone the opposite way. After years and years with big, bulky, puffy engine covers I've had the last ones made with half the insulation. So much easier to stow. My preheater works well enough that insulation value of the cover isn't important. And FWIW, I rarely put on my prop covers anymore. When I do it's more about keeping ice off of blades.

 

[Huckster79]

I've gone the opposite way. After years and years with big, bulky, puffy engine covers I've had the last ones made with half the insulation. So much easier to stow. My preheater works well enough that insulation value of the cover isn't important. And FWIW, I rarely put on my prop covers anymore. When I do it's more about keeping ice off of blades.

good to know, maybe ill stick with one layer then, especially being primarily for use in the hanger, not out in brutal conditions...

 

[Stewartb]

With my Reiff system I could preheat in sub-zero temps with nothing more than a tarp as a cover. All I need is to stop airflow through the cowl. With heat applied directly to the engine the cover insulation does very little. If you use a small convection heat source the insulation will help more, but more insulation does very little. Up here we carry our covers on the flight. Bulky covers take up too much space. One of my engine covers alone takes great effort to sqeeze into an army duffel. My skinny cover can fit along with wing, tail, and windscreen covers compress into a bundle a wee bit bigger than a basketball. Better.

 

[Huckster79]

With my Reiff system I could preheat in sub-zero temps with nothing more than a tarp as a cover. All I need is to stop airflow through the cowl. With heat applied directly to the engine the cover insulation does very little. If you use a small convection heat source the insulation will help more, but more insulation does very little. Up here we carry our covers on the flight. Bulky covers take up too much space. One of my engine covers alone takes great effort to sqeeze into an army duffel. My skinny cover can fit along with wing, tail, and windscreen covers compress into a bundle a wee bit bigger than a basketball. Better.

Makes sense... Yea mine will travel with me rarely... But when it does in a small cockpit it would be nice if its not too bulky. I just looked up the 80g thinsulate I'm planning on is 1.1cm thick. Two layers would be almost an inch thick, and once the fleece was added and the outer shell it would easily be an inch thick so that would be bulky! If I decided I want more for preheat in the hanger I could just toss a blanket over top of it, as the cowl cover would have all the air movement sealed off. And then the cover will be thinner for travel...

Rough draft version fit pretty good though a bit to small on the bottom, didn't overlap to add velcro strip, so going to tack on a bit more to the underbelly portion and try again tomorrow.

I plugged her in after a short few hops around patch today (Had to get out after 3 week grouding from Wx-still being new to TW I didn't want to long a break) and put a thermometer in the cowl to see what temp I'm getting at the top of the cowl to help decide if I need more preheat as in a Tannis or Reif. This ancient Phillips preheater I have seems to keep the whole cowl cavity toasty when its wrapped up. We have been in other threads on the topic so you know I'm completely sold on a good solid preheat. This philips is down by the sump but its not a pad its almost like a electric oven element, its 275W. The thermometer will tell the story tomorrow of what I'm getting, it records 24 hour high and low as well.

 

[kath]

Ours are also "tube sock style", where the wide "root" end can be cinched up with a little cord. The cinching isn't very tight, so the spinner cover (which goes over the tube socks and velcros behind them) does most of the holding them on.

 

[Huckster79]

My current cowl wrap kept the cowl compartment at 82 degrees, it’s 17 ambient... I’m thinking if I’m not doing a lot of travel away from my overnight plug in spot I’m not sure I need a tanis or Reif with those temps....as cylinder heads to the crank should be about that if the whole compartment is that warm. Would you guys agree?

 

[Huckster79]

Picked up fabric today, $110 so a bit more than planned but got nicer stuff than I planned on too. Found a shell material that is like backpack material, then thinsulate, and the liner is like coat liner, thin insulation and that shiney material on the outward facing side, should stay cleaner than the fleece I had been thinking...

 

[Stewartb]

Here's a typical commercially made cover. The split is at the bottom so the overlap won't collect rain or snow. The cords are attached to the bottom edge and stretch to attach to whatever's put at the upper left side. This cover uses looped ends on the bungees and there are nylon hooks sewn on to connect them to. Some covers use balls on the bungees and have loops to "button" the balls through. Balls are bulky. Hooks are better. My skinny cover uses velcro. Hooks are better.

 

[Huckster79]

Here's a typical commercially made cover. The split is at the bottom so the overlap won't collect rain or snow. The cords are attached to the bottom edge and stretch to attach to whatever's put at the upper left side. This cover uses looped ends on the bungees and there are nylon hooks sewn on to connect them to. Some covers use balls on the bungees and have loops to "button" the balls through. Balls are bulky. Hooks are better. My skinny cover uses velcro. Hooks are better.

View attachment 71794

So you would suggest hooks over velcro? I had planned on velcro... Are they hooks that are like on a bungee type material to stretch and pull tight?

Anxious to get putting it together, but going to have to wait a few days. A trip came up for tomorrow, I'm going to use my "rough draft" version for the hour or two I'll be parked away from home, I think I'll put my fitted flannel sheet on first then it, as the cheap fleece blankets I made it out of are pretty thin, but should help some. It'll be in the 20's, but I think she should be fine with the wrap on her.

Hey I know you also are a big pre-heat guy, did you see earlier I posted that wrapped up the engine compartment is in low 80's with preheater on, I probably don't need to upgrade to a reif or tannis with those temps do I, if almost all my flights are from home where it can get a nice "slow roast" preheat do you think?

 

[Stewartb]

preheat is a balance of heater efficiency, time, and ambient temperature. If you want preheat in colder temps you need more heater or more time. The colder it is the more it matters. An engine cover is part of the efficiency category. It may allow you to get away with less direct and less efficient heat. If you can get your engine compartment to 80* and maintain it for a couple of hours you’re ahead of the game. Add colder temps and wind and things change. We all need to equip and prepare for the conditions we’ll experience.

 

[Huckster79]

preheat is a balance of heater efficiency, time, and ambient temperature. If you want preheat in colder temps you need more heater or more time. The colder it is the more it matters. An engine cover is part of the efficiency category. It may allow you to get away with less direct and less efficient heat. If you can get your engine compartment to 80* and maintain it for a couple of hours you’re ahead of the game. Add colder temps and wind and things change. We all need to equip and prepare for the conditions we’ll experience.

Makes all the sense in the world, so for my situation as of right now with my missions I have adequate preheat, if my situation changes I can see the reif or tannis being important, as I am not a 20 minute "Blast" from and electric space heater and go guy. I like my mechanic but not that much that I want to pay him for an overhaul early because I didn't preheat her properly...

 

[kath]

Balls are bulky. Hooks are better.

Even though the balls are bulky, you can do and undo 'em with big mittens on. Call me a wuss, but... Gloves are thin. Mittens are better.