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

Comments

[redfoxtrystman]

I have never got to fly one yet but I know I will go though blades. And I lo es your idea. I have a suggestion for you what about making a clock out of 2 blades? Color the tips of each so you can tell what hands/blades to look at to tell time. I thought how it looked with the drying things on it that it looked retro and the places looked like old ww2 props. I'll give you a vote.

[derte84]

Nice ideas! Next time I'll try an aging painting for a retro look,
For the clock idea I'll definitely try to build one. The weight of the blades should not be a problem since they should be properly balanced.