Introduction: Artistic Composition Using Broken Quadcopter Blades

This is a perfect gift  for a rookie quadcopter pilot or for father's day

If you ever tried to experiment with a quad-copter you will also probably experienced a crash. 

While usually quadcopters are quite sturdy, their blades are fragile and easily break. In this instructable I suggest you a way of recycling broken quadcopter blades and produce a trophy that you can give as a present to a rookie quadcopter pilot


Step 1: Material List

  • 1 ribba frame from IKEA (this picture frame is ideal for this project since it has plenty of space between the back-cover and the mirror)
  • 1 broken quadcopter blade
  • glue
  • acrylic paint
  • 1 screw

Step 2: Create the Blade Support

Open the RIBBA frame and take the wood/cardboard back-cover

Find the center of the frame tracing the 2 diagonals with a pencil

Glue a screw to the center of the frame. This screw will be the support of the blade so chose one that fits your blade. I used epoxy glue since it is very strong and dry quite fast (if the material of the back-cover is porous you should chose another kind of glue)

Step 3: Paint the Picture Background

With the acrylic colors paint the back-cover.

To make the screw less visible, paint also the screw head.

I used very bright colors and intentionally un-even brush strokes to make the resulting color more dynamic and less boring.

In the second figure (with red background) I installed a second support since the blade was broken in 2 pieces (see the photo)

Step 4: Add the White Border Layer

The ribba frame comes with a white layer that you can put over your photo to make it look nicer (it actually frames the photo with a thick white border)

We will use this thick white border to highlith both the blade and the backgorund color.

First apply a small layer of glue on the broders of the back-cover (I used a Vinyl acetate glue for wood)

Overlay the white layer and keep it steady for few hours


Step 5: Assemble the Picture Frame

Once the glue is dried screw the blade in position and assemble the picture frame