Home >> Hobbies >> Aviation

DIY Point Balancer

Stabilize and protect your electric model helicopter's rotor blades by crafting a do-it-yourself point balancer. Balancing rotor blades can be essential to the normal function of your electric RC helicopter or else they will vibrate and possible damage the entire helicopter. A point balancer finds the exact point of the blade's center of gravity and then you can then adjust blades onto the helicopter so they are well balanced.

Things You'll Need

Small table vice
Pocket knife

Instructions

- 1
  
  A vice is used to hold items steady.
  
  Unscrew the vice's clamp so it opens up wider. The vice is the bottom base of the point balancer.
- 2
  
  The blade acts as the balancing tool.
  
  Open up a pocket knife's blade. This is the balancing tool for the rotor blades. It should be sharp and you can substitute a razor blade, knife or metal ruler instead of the pocket knife's blade.
- 3
  Place the pocket knife into the vice so at least 1/2-inch of blade is above the clamp. Tighten the clamp with the blade facing upwards. Test the knife to be sure it is secure in the vice.
- 4
  Remove an electric RC helicopter blade. Place it onto the pocket knife's blade carefully and slowly to find it center of gravity, which is usually somewhere in the middle. The center of gravity is the center an object's mass and is important to all flying aircraft.
- 5
  Move the blade back and forth slowly to find the exact balance point. Push lightly onto the blade to scratch the center of gravity so you can pinpoint it when you reinstall the rotor blade onto the helicopter. Repeat with the other rotor blade.

Aviation