Top Flite 5.25x3 Nylon Props

I'm not sure, Jason. Still haven't seen them. From what I've read, they might be the Golden Ticket for my plane/engine combo. I'd definitely boil them!

Here is something close And i kn there electk. you could email them for more info ? https://www.ebay.com/itm/E-flite-5-25x3-5-Electric-Propeller-UMX-Gee-Bee-R-EFLUP052535-/392117559460?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c1#viTabs_0

In the early 1970's, I used the T/F white nylon with red silk screen stripes and markings 5.25x3 props on both my Pee Wee powered single channel R/C's, the T/F Schoolboy and T/F Roaring 20. It pulled the planes at the same speed as the Cox 4.5x2 prop, but turning the engine at a slightly lower RPM added a minute more to the flight. I was getting around 1.5 minutes on the Cox prop and around 2.5 minutes on the T/F prop. They were more sturdy than the Cox gray prop, survived grass field landings better, also why I liked them.

Plus, I could get the T/F even in the military exchange stores and hobby shops. I forget the cost but they were like $0.25 or $0.35 each. They definitely needed balancing, sanded the back side of the heavier blade.

The Pee Wee .020 is definitely a torquey little bugger.

Can't say where you can get an equivalent prop these days, except for one possibility by getback. Windsor Master 5x3 appears to be no longer available. May be?

Ebay: 5030 5X3 Carbon Fiber Propeller CW CCW 2Pair for RC Multicopter QuadCoptor Drone #223690250075



Try the Cox 5x3 safety 2 blade for .049?

Yep, the Cox 5x3 is probably the next experiment. Could even try running it backwards. I had read of how the old TF props would pull the revs down, burn less fuel, etc. that intrigued me.

Due the evaporation of the water in these nylon props, they must be boiled to re hydrate the nylon before use.
TIP...add red Rit dye to the boiling water and then you'll always know which ones have already been boiled plus they are very pretty too.
The use of these props may be problematic due to age according to "experts" so be extra careful ..

FWIW, Steve …..

I agree. Thanks, Steve. I'm a believer in boiling nylon props. Not likely to find these suspects anyway.

With very old props, there is something more going on. We have a problem with the aging of the nylon material. Because it is a petroleum oil product, like in all plastics, they get age hardened by loss of oils too. I don't think this age hardening can be fixed by boiling.

Motorcycle tires, my PHD (Professional Harley-Davidson ) mechanic friend says to change motorcycle tires if they are 8 years old according to manufactured date regardless of tread condition for safety. Tires are a petroleum product. They can come apart at speed.

Thus, I'd think that of it if a plastic prop was manufactured 8 years or more ago, may be a good thing to retire it, especially if one is exposing it to half-A high RPM norms. However, this is more of conjecture than of practical experiment. I still have my Goldberg EB-1 nylon engine mounts, mounted to 2 Cox 290 type red postage stamp engines of the 1960's, wouldn't hesitate to use them on an aircraft today.

However, I remember hand holding and tossing fire crackers, not to mention also artillery simulators, and ride motorcycles, so seems we all live sort of on the edge anyway,
no?

Living on the edge. Yep. Guilty of that. Long-time avid motorcycle enthusiast here! Motorcycles and airplanes are the reason I'll probably die broke. Have lots of cool photo albums, though!

Hey, I dug through my extensive pile of Cox/glow stuff today and actually found 1 of these props! Now I have to decide if I'm actually brave enough to run it after this thought-provoking thread. Anyway, thanks guys!

Guess what's for dinner!

Boiled prop?

Hey Tee Bee! ... Here I share a video where I am using a very very old TF, they had already used it, when I bought the herbi with water. The result is great, it goes perfectly, it seems that plastic is endless ...
I hope you enjoy the video!

I enjoyed the Video , that Stylo really buggies , wonder why no one has picked up on making this size and shape props , i have a few but am reluctant about running them since Ken had said NOT to and he had seen them come apart before with injury !!

getback wrote:I enjoyed the Video , that Stylo really buggies , wonder why no one has picked up on making this size and shape props , i have a few but am reluctant about running them since Ken had said NOT to and he had seen them come apart before with injury !!

Top Flite discontinued their inexpensive nylon props some time back. I remember the warning that used to come with the later props, about boiling in water to restore their resilience. The Windsor Master fibreglass filled props were superior and initially (until moulds wore out) were also very reasonably in balance. They came in the sizes that the T/F came in, so naturally I switched.

Although I liked the T/F nylons because in the 1970's they were the best priced available, very budget friendly, I never thought of them as the Holy Grail of props.

I am sure that with some searching and experimenting, one will be able to come up with a suitable replacement, may be even one of the newer sturdy Chinese plastic electric drone props in a size and pitch that produce similar satisfactory results. Again in general, there is much caution to heed in trying such, but knowing that overall we tend to be the enterprising adventurous type, will stumble across something that works.