Bryan you and I have discussed this project. I have been researching this and I find that there are 4 ways to go on this. First, order a new set of carved blades cost about $1200; Second, buy a set of composite blades cost about $7000; Third, make the mold myself and make them cost unkown should be cheaper than $7000 and a great learning experience; fourth, refinish the exsisting blades with composite/fiberglass overlay cost unkown by far the cheapest way to go but no spare set. Since I am not yet flying I can make the molds now and make the blades later. [ image disabled ]
yes you can. building a mould buck usually cost as much as building the blades themselves in materials. the nice thing is you only need one mould. doing a overlay I would think would be the way to go. what material are those blades made from? fiberglass,wood, or both? Wind Turbines are a lot funner to watch than solar panels
I am a new member to this group. I own a Jacobs Model 60 2500-watt generator that I run at 48 volts.
I am in the process of reconditioning my blades and I think you should do that at the very least. Strip the old paint. Fill any dings with 2-part marine grade wood filler. Paint with a good polyurethane paint, something suitable for outside. Replace the sheet brass leading edge with leading-edge tape. I think the blades might possibly give slightly better performance after this refinishing, considering how rough the surfaces of my blades were.
I have considered using other blade materials but I am a bit shy using something too high tech simply because of the investment in materials and the learning curve using them. My tendencies go toward building a blade-copying machine. I have looked at how these machines work and I am convinced I could build a very simple one using some skateboard wheels, square tubular steel stock and a router. That is my plan this winter. I am a wood worker and that gives me some confidence. I would use one of my original blades as the pattern.
I will be interested in how you decide to proceed.
Hey John Thanks for the info. I would be interested in seeing plans if you have them for a blade copying machine. I have a friend locally that has a Shop-Bot literally he can produce items with .001" tolerance. I like the idea of the metal tape vs brass sheet however, I am concerned with the durability of a metal tape. Do you have a brush arrangement that provides a ground jump around of the bearings? If not I can provide you with pics of the installation. This is important if the blades take a hit that the surge doesn't go thru the bearings and weld them to the races. Also I had been considering placing high intensity LEDs in the blades. Since LEDs come in all shapes, sizes and color, this would give a rather unique display at night. If you send me an email I'll send you my phone number it is toll free, I'd be interested in talking to you in more depth.
John here is a pic of the brush on the rotor shaft to prevent lightening from going to ground from the blades thru the bearings. This will work for any wind geny. Notice the brush in foreground with spring clip to secure. [ image disabled ]
Bryan you and I have discussed this project. I have been researching this and I find that there are 4 ways to go on this. First, order a new set of carved blades cost about $1200; Second, buy a set of composite blades cost about $7000; Third, make the mold myself and make them cost unkown should be cheaper than $7000 and a great learning experience; fourth, refinish the exsisting blades with composite/fiberglass overlay cost unkown by far the cheapest way to go but no spare set. Since I am not yet flying I can make the molds now and make the blades later. [ image disabled ]
I know this is an old post but I think it should be addressed anyway. I purchased a couple of Jacobs generators along with a tower and a lot of parts about 25 years ago. Included were a set of original flyball blades that had been "fiberglassed". A previous owner had tried to use them and "blew" the governor due to the increased weight of the blades. Do NOT increase the weight of the blades. The governor was not designed for it. Someone could get hurt or killed. Flyball governor parts are very heavy and will do a lot of damage flying around. They are capable of even going through a roof.
Hi Jacobs - Thanks for the the warming this (the blade weight and longevity) has always been a concern of mine. My original blades have no protector metal on the leading edge I would definately add that. Loose blades flying into pieces is not an item I want to happen you can only prepare for it i.e. the necessary addition to one's homeowner's insurance. ARGH! The pocket book.
![[ image disabled ]](../../e107_files/public/1190836308_7_FT32_wednesday_january_29_2003_13.jpg){kind=link}