>Very true. I know of an old guy who has been an A/P for about 50 years and >specializes in old Piper singles who uses a lawnmower blade sharpener bought >in a hardware store for $5. It's a cone-shaped thingy that sits on top of a >pointed pedestal. He claims it works as well as any $500 milspec machine. >After watching him use it, I agree. There's no black art in maintaining >props and doing your own thing is no problem if good common sense is used. >Many of us have been programmed that if a certified repair station doesn't >do the work, you'll end up falling out of the sky. >Also IMO, spar varnish is nice, but doesn't last and has to be redone every >few years. Epoxy 2-part varnish by Polyfiber is much tougher and will last >much longer. >Have a great day, >Darrel My apologies. Where I used the word "sharpener" I should have used "balancer". Darrel