Copper Dust On Two Rotors

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I noticed a copper "dust" on the two silver rotors/props on my P4 yesterday (See picture). There is no dust on my black rotors/props. Something is getting shaved or worn, but what? And why only the silver and not the black?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
God Bless,
Bill
prop dust.jpg
 
Too me.....Looks more like "rust dust"....a very dry bearing will sure do that...let see just what other might think !
 
Its really possible that if you fly by the ocean or somewhere that has salt water , that it could be caused from Moisture unless its just on this one prop.?
 
I noticed a copper "dust" on the two silver rotors/props on my P4 yesterday (See picture). There is no dust on my black rotors/props. Something is getting shaved or worn, but what? And why only the silver and not the black?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
God Bless,
BillView attachment 99598
Do you notice any excessive heat coming off the area after flying?

God Bless!
(I'm going to check out your website. Nice to see a fellow Christian on the forum, brother in the Lord!)
 
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Do you notice any excessive heat coming off the area after flying?

God Bless!
(I'm going to check out your website. Nice to see a fellow Christian on the forum, brother in the Lord!)
Weston,
My wife was trying to find one of my post. The way she found it was be searching "God Bless". Good to meet you sir!
Now as to your question. No, I have not noticed any excessive heat, nor is it handling or sounding any different. I haven't had a single problem. The only thing unusual is the copper dust. By the way, my description of what I am seeing is the observation of an untrained eye. Whether or not it is copper or not is TBD.
God Bless!
Bill
 
Weston,
My wife was trying to find one of my post. The way she found it was be searching "God Bless". Good to meet you sir!
Now as to your question. No, I have not noticed any excessive heat, nor is it handling or sounding any different. I haven't had a single problem. The only thing unusual is the copper dust. By the way, my description of what I am seeing is the observation of an untrained eye. Whether or not it is copper or not is TBD.
God Bless!
Bill
I really don't know, sorry. I don't really like the Phantom 4 prop mount system, they can fly off easily and they will wear out in strange ways. I like the Phantom 3 screw mount better. All I can suggest at this point is buying new props from dji.com. clean off the copper dust from the motor, put on the new props, fly it a bit, and let us know if you see more copper dust.
 
I just thought of something. You said that you didn't use the drone through the winter. Moisture might have gotten into some of the motors, and when you used it again, some rust dust accumulated. The way to keep water out is waterproof rubber motor protectors. Here is a thread about some great protectors I got. They work great! Smoking Deal, $1 Custom Motor Protectors
 
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Bill, Is this something new that you've noticed, and do you get the dust every time and everywhere you fly?
Good question. This is something I just noticed. Now whether this has been slowly building over a period of time and finally became evident or this just happened all at once, I don't know. My last shoot on Friday was rather lengthy (Lengthy for me at least). Actual flight time was approximately 2 hours in air over about 4 hour period.
Maybe tomorrow I can fly for 15-20 minutes (after cleaning the rotors and props) and see if I can recreate the problem.
God Bless,
Bill
 
Although I do live on the coast, not all flights are on the beach or over water. The P4 is kept inside in air-conditioning when not in use. After 30 years of TV/Film production I never had a corrosion problem with equipment, so I would be somewhat surprised (not totally) if that were the case here.
 
Maybe tomorrow I can fly for 15-20 minutes (after cleaning the rotors and props) and see if I can recreate the problem.

That would be a starting point, to see if it's been happening over some span of time or a one time event, and is it happening in multiple locations. It's certainly something to investigate. Once you've got some answers to those questions, that may help you determine if further investigation/action is needed. Good luck with that and report back on what you discover.
 
Bill, I searched this site going back three years for any other postings about "copper dust" or dust on motors and found very few, but there was nothing definitive in the way of a diagnosis. There was some speculation that you may be seeing iron oxide from the prop clips rubbing against something, but that's as far as it went. Suffice to say, what you're seeing hasn't been widely observed or reported. I forgot to ask, how many hours on your motors? That answer may/may not provide some indication if it's a serious concern. Good luck.
 
I noticed a copper "dust" on the two silver rotors/props on my P4 yesterday (See picture). There is no dust on my black rotors/props. Something is getting shaved or worn, but what? And why only the silver and not the black?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
God Bless,
BillView attachment 99598

Bill, I just looked at my props (off a P4 original as well), and each have that same color residue, but only a little bit within only the center posts. I have none outside the centerposts as you do. Also, I have the upgraded prop mounting hubs on mine: Buy Phantom 4 Series Propeller Mounting Plate (United States). They are strongly suggested over the ones you have and an easy upgrade. It’s probably a combination of fine plastic dust and fine metal dust, the first of which can be alleviated by the new mounting hubs. If you choose to not do this upgrade, be sure to lift the three finger springs on each of your hubs upward now and again, as they do bend and stay down over time, lessening their upward pressure on the props which makes them wobble a bit.
 
Hey weston.
I have found that especially in humid areas, it is very common for dirt to get stuck underneath propellors. I wouldn’t be concerned by it. Beside that copper IS NOT used in bearing. Copper is used in the magnetic coils which are protected by plates. The aluminum sheild that the prop fastens to hovers over the plates and NEVER touches the coil. If it was to touch the coil and had worn through the plates, I doubt it would make dust, it would probably cease to spin at all. Let me know if this helps and DM me at any time
 
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OK folks-I really appreciate the input from all. I just got back in from a short test flight at the house. I only had time to fly the full charge of one battery (From 100% to 25%), so I'm guessing a good 15 minutes air time. I also put new props on. I checked rotors for dirt and heat, props for any dirt/residue-Everything came up spiffy clean and no props were overheating. I'll be flying either tomorrow or Thursday for a few hours. I'll report back afterwards.
God Bless!
Bill
 
I really don't know, sorry. I don't really like the Phantom 4 prop mount system, they can fly off easily and they will wear out in strange ways. I like the Phantom 3 screw mount better. All I can suggest at this point is buying new props from dji.com. clean off the copper dust from the motor, put on the new props, fly it a bit, and let us know if you see more copper dust.
have not heard ever of props falling off the p4 that were installed correctly . in fact it would be impossible to take off with a prop not mounted correctly it would fly off before you had a chance to take off . damaged props or mounts would be a different story
 
I flew today. I was in the air for 1.5 hours. No dust, no overheating props. Everything worked great. All I can assume is that dirt (Don't have much of that here along the coast) got in the props somehow. Even that is somewhat difficult to understand because I take off from a landing pad and hand catch all landings. Anyway, thank you all for your input.
God Bless!
Bill
 

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