The Recycled Jet Engine

Step 7 The Fan Shaft

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The time had come, the part that I had feared since I began the build: The Fan Shaft. The only part that moves on the whole engine, but yet actually makes it work. a failure here would destroy all that I had done already, and yet, I trudged on.

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This part really isn't super difficult. I really knew nothing about aerodynamics, or how an ideal fan would work, so I pretty much made it up as I went along, and made a bunch of mistakes. This is the light blue part in the diagram.

First of all, you should cut out the middle bottom part of your coat hanger that will be used for the shaft if you haven't already.
For the fans, the first thing you need to do is find the small circle that we cut from the bottom of our exhaust, this will be our rear fan.
Use a ruler, and do your best to find the center, mark it, and cut a hole.
Draw a circle round the center hole that will mark how far the blades reach towards the center.
Draw a diameter with your ruler, and continue dividing the sections until you have the amount of blades you desire. Mine has six.
Cut along the lines to make your blades and bend them in one direction, since this is the first one, it doesn't really matter.
Place a little bit of JB Weld where the blade contacts the small circle you drew to reinforce it.
Obtain a can lid slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of your peach can of the housing, mine was from a tomato sauce can.
Same thing as the rear fan.
Mark and cut the center.
Mark and cut blades, I used a couple more on this front fan.
Bend blades into shape, making sure they are going the same way as your read fan.
Reinforce joints with JB Weld.

After the JB Weld sets on your fans, slide the back fan onto the shaft, the coat hanger and JB Weld it in place.
Slide the shaft through the engine, making sure the back fan isn't caught on anything.
Slide your front fan on the front of the engine, there should be room for about an inch of the shaft to protrude past the front of the engine.
JB Weld your front fan in place.
Let the many JB Welded items set overnight.