Customer brought in a Beech A36 with a recently new MT prop with a “chrome” spinner.

Composite (fiberglass) with a chrome like plating on it.

 

And to my regret, I dropped the cone! Scuffed near the tip and a crack in the plating.

So I fess up to the operator and said I replace it...

 

Called the US distributor and talked to John Neilsen.

He informs It will take until sometime in January to order one from the mfg, because the Germans go on holiday from now till then.. (good for them)

Though He can offer a replacement which he has in stock in his warehouse for $1200.

(!!!!)

BUT, he tells me what they do when accidents happen... is send theirs to a place on the East Coast.

It seems the chrome process is actually an aluminum vacuum coating process...

 

Mueller charges $250 to replate. I should take the cone to a body shop and have them sand off the coating and respray a perfect coat of primer.. so that all Mueller has to do is wipe down clean and coat.

Hint is to provide Mueller a perfect speciman. (Like any chrome shop needs)

 

Unfortunately, my customer is not willing to give me ten days for turnaround time...

 

The MT rep says his own Beech has a painted spinner! Because he knows the overhead associated with a polished spinner.

Myself, I think the workmanship with the original spinner is lacking. It appears someone probably placed circle masks over the screwholes to block the plating there.

But the mask were lopsided. Also a few of the screwholes has the coatings wrinkled around the hole. The coating is corrupted by the wrinkles and my opinion its only a matter of time till it flakes away more.

 

$1200 friggin US dollars for a substandard part!

 

By the way, AAR in OKC dynamic balanced the prop after installation... initial readings was 0.72 IPS!!! Way out!! They placed two stacks of washers on the bulkhead.

 

gee whiz. where is my bourbon?

 

Kent Felkins

Tulsa