Small Scale Military Headquarters

I just got a couple of used planes from a member here. They were used and packed very well, but one of the props was broken in transit or I broke it removing it off the box. I have been using this method to fix broken side mirrors and wheel stubs on diecast and some of you may be pros at doing this.

Here is what I use: A box of pins, a pen drill, glue and some clippers. I found the drill at Hobby Lobby and it comes with several size bits inside of it.



I drilled into the broken parts, push the pin into one of the with a drop of glue, cut the head of the pin and cut it to fit the hole on the other side.




Put glue on the other end of the pin and push it onto the other hole. I have not glued it in this picture, and this will require a little but of putty and paint, but the fix will be stronger than the original piece.

Great way to fix props Al.
Direct gluing never holds well. I need to get me one of those drills. I bought a set from Snap On Blue point but it is worn out. Time to make trip to Hobby Lobby

I used the same basic technique with brass rod to fix the broken landing gear on my Me-262. The connecting link and the attachment point on the landing gear leg were broken somehow and it is a heavy plane to start with. Definitely much stronger now.

I have used the same method using short pieces of appropriate diameters of aluminum welding rod as "bones". Works really well !!!

I used the same method on a broken prop that one of my 21c Avengers arrived with. Works very well.

I need to get a new pin drill (now that I know what to call them). I had one for years until the bit broke... It was incredibly useful for all sorts of repair and custom projects.

tmanthegreat wrote:I used the same method on a broken prop that one of my 21c Avengers arrived with. Works very well.

I need to get a new pin drill (now that I know what to call them). I had one for years until the bit broke... It was incredibly useful for all sorts of repair and custom projects.

I got mine at Hobby Lobby.

I found myself having to use that method on a cia huey prop broken with the hub extension still in the blade. It seemed like a good deal on a return at a hilton head walmart- I didn't realize it was broken at the time. I used a brad/finishing nail and some good epoxy- the blade hang is comparable to the unbroken side and has held up for years- although I would not trust it to survive the shock of being removed from the hub

This thread was a great find for me because I finally have been able to repair a P-47 and a Huey I bought a couple years ago. Just a couple small notes which may be useful for others. Some stores refer to a pin drill as a pin vise. I couldn't find one locally until I stumbled across the different term, at which point I found 3 options. I also had a bit of a difficult time finding cheap or even suitable pins. I ended up buying a box of paperclips for 75 cents and cutting them down. That being said it was relatively simple even for a complete novice like myself. Thanks again.

Thanks for the instructions acisne

This will be most helpful as I have a broken prop on my Spitfire