Painted Fan Affecting its Performance?

[Awakening]

I read it somewhere on the forum a little while ago and I'm not entirely sure how much merit it has. Does painting a fan's blade actually yield any kind of changes in performance or quietness? If so, is there a simple way to avoid this or significantly reduce the chance of something like this happening? Has anybody actually tested this?

 

I really want to buy Noctua fans, but they're going to completely ruin my color scheme if I don't paint them. I'm 99% sure nothing will happen if I only paint the frame and leave the fan blade alone, but I'd really like a solid answer on whether painting the fan blade is a bad idea or not.

[thekeemo]

Yes it adds weight and changes the fan surface.

I know you can dye fan blades.

[Awakening]

1 minute ago, thekeemo said:

Yes it adds weight and changes the fan surface.

I know you can dye fan blades.

Think you could provide some info on dying them? I don't care what process I have to go though just so long as it changes the color and is inexpensive.

[Skullsniper]

Just don't get any paint in the motor of the fan and it should be fine

[Skullsniper]

But be prepared to buy new fans if you mess up

[Awakening]

2 minutes ago, bambam47 said:

Just don't get any paint in the motor of the fan and it should be fine

 

2 minutes ago, bambam47 said:

But be prepared to buy new fans if you mess up

I'm not worried about getting any paint on the motor because I'll be careful enough to not let that happen. I'm specifically worried that paint on the fan blades will affect performance or the audible noise coming from the fan.

[W-L]

6 minutes ago, Awakening said:

I read it somewhere on the forum a little while ago and I'm not entirely sure how much merit it has. Does painting a fan's blade actually yield any kind of changes in performance or quietness? If so, is there a simple way to avoid this or significantly reduce the chance of something like this happening? Has anybody actually tested this?

 

I really want to buy Noctua fans, but they're going to completely ruin my color scheme if I don't paint them. I'm 99% sure nothing will happen if I only paint the frame and leave the fan blade alone, but I'd really like a solid answer on whether painting the fan blade is a bad idea or not.

While you can paint fans with a very light coat, it's not recommended since it can potentially affect the fan especially the Noctua ones as they have certain design aspects in the blades and casing of the fan which can be affected more so when painted. If your wanting black Noctua fans there is a LTT edition of the NF-F12 and NF-A14 in black. 

 

-Moved to Modding Section-

[Moonzy]

frame = close to no problem

blades = if done correctly then no problem, but not recommended to paint fan blades

[Awakening]

8 minutes ago, W-L said:

While you can paint fans with a very light coat, it's not recommended since it can potentially affect the fan especially the Noctua ones as they have certain design aspects in the blades and casing of the fan which can be affected more so when painted. If your wanting black Noctua fans there is a LTT edition of the NF-F12 and NF-A14 in black. 

 

-Moved to Modding Section-

Yeah, but unfortunately there's no P12 or S12A LTT edition. I could probably use the F12 for my radiators, but they're $8 more expensive and also have shipping costs where they're available, so that's like $60 more just for black fans..

 

6 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

frame = close to no problem

blades = if done correctly then no problem, but not recommended to paint fan blades

That's what I was thinking. Do you think there will be any problems painting the frames of the NF-P12 and NF-S12A fan models?

[Moonzy]

1 minute ago, Awakening said:

That's what I was thinking. Do you think there will be any problems with the two models listed above painting their frame?

noctua have some designs on their frame to make it perform better

so im guessing it wont be much of a difference if its a thin coat of paint, a thick coat might make it noisier though, but ever so slightly

[W-L]

3 minutes ago, Awakening said:

Yeah, but unfortunately there's no P12 or S12A LTT edition. I could probably use the F12 for my radiators, but they're $8 more expensive and also have shipping costs where they're available, so that's like $60 more just for black fans..

That's what I was thinking. Do you think there will be any problems painting the frames of the NF-P12 and NF-S12A fan models?

If your placing them on your radiator it should be the NF-F12 fans as they are pressure oriented fans for that kind of application. 

[Awakening]

3 minutes ago, Moonzy said:

noctua have some designs on their frame to make it perform better

so im guessing it wont be much of a difference if its a thin coat of paint, a thick coat might make it noisier though, but ever so slightly

Do you think a method like using a Sharpie to paint the fan blade could actually change anything? I'd imagine a coat like that to be extremely light. I'm not too sure what method that would be though other than actually using a Sharpie..

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, Awakening said:

Do you think a method like using a Sharpie to paint the fan blade could actually change anything? I'd imagine a coat like that to be extremely light. I'm not too sure what method that would be though other than actually using a Sharpie..

sharpie should be fine, but it'll look ugly unless you do a really good job on it

i recommend against doing anything to the blade regardless

[Awakening]

8 minutes ago, W-L said:

If your placing them on your radiator it should be the NF-F12 fans as they are pressure oriented fans for that kind of application. 

http://noctua.at/en/which_fan_is_right_for_me

 

I used that to make up my mind. I want a silent build, so the P12 seemed like a better fit than the F12. Noctua actually use the P12 on their popular D14 cooler. The F12 would be a great idea if the computer wasn't going to be right next to me though.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, Awakening said:

http://noctua.at/en/which_fan_is_right_for_me

 

I used that to make up my mind. I want a silent build, so the P12 seemed like a better fit than the F12.

You can always undervolt or lower the RPM of the fan since the F12's are a higher RPM fan than the P12 or S12. 

Also the sharpie you mentioned will work but may not be super consistent or evenly black since black sharpies tends to carry a purplish/blue tinge. 

[Awakening]

4 minutes ago, W-L said:

You can always undervolt or lower the RPM of the fan since the F12's are a higher RPM fan than the P12 or S12. 

Also the sharpie you mentioned will work but may not be super consistent or evenly black since black sharpies tends to carry a purplish/blue tinge. 

Any idea what the best way to go about it would be? I understand a Sharpie isn't the greatest-looking method, but i couldn't really think of another example to that. Maybe cotton and some kind of diluted paint or something? I have no idea.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, Awakening said:

Any idea what the best way to go about it would be? I understand a Sharpie isn't the greatest-looking method, but i couldn't really think of another example to that. Maybe cotton and some kind of diluted paint or something? I have no idea.

Your best bet would still be to give it a light coat with spray paint, as long as it's not a super thick coat it won't really affect the fan very much.

[Awakening]

2 minutes ago, W-L said:

Your best bet would still be to give it a light coat with spray paint, as long as it's not a super thick coat it won't really affect the fan very much.

Recommended paint type or brand then or just any black spray paint? I'd be willing to spend like $15 for a can if it'll help. Any pre or after coat? And by light coat I take it you mean 1 coat, 2 maximum?

[W-L]

Just now, Awakening said:

Recommended paint type or brand then? Any pre or after coat? And by light coat I take it you mean 1 coat, 2 maximum?

I would say 1-2 coats, just enough to get cull coverage, for brands, Rustoleum is always a good option, if your wanting better color selection automotive paints like Duplicolor are good. Just note that you can't take apart the fans so you will need to mask off the blades or frame, and make sure no paint gets into the windings of the motor.

[Awakening]

11 minutes ago, W-L said:

I would say 1-2 coats, just enough to get cull coverage, for brands, Rustoleum is always a good option, if your wanting better color selection automotive paints like Duplicolor are good. Just note that you can't take apart the fans so you will need to mask off the blades or frame, and make sure no paint gets into the windings of the motor.

http://amzn.com/B002BWOS7Q

 

So then something like that should work just fine?

 

They can't be taken apart though? That's gonna be fun putting tape on all of them.

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, Awakening said:

http://amzn.com/B002BWOS7Q

So then something like that should work just fine?

They can't be taken apart though? That's gonna be fun putting tape on all of them.

Yes that should be good, ideally I would recommend to scuff the surface and things but in this case just make sure everything is very clean and not of a glossy finish sp tje paint sticks. The bearings are fully sealed so they can't be taken apart like other fans out there. 

[Awakening]

2 minutes ago, W-L said:

Yes that should be good, ideally I would recommend to scuff the surface and things but in this case just make sure everything is very clean and not of a glossy finish sp tje paint sticks. The bearings are fully sealed so they can't be taken apart like other fans out there. 

Yeah, I understand that sanding is a good idea before starting, but like you said that probably isn't a good idea for fans. 

 

Thanks a lot for all your help though. Feel free to PM if you've got any other useful info for me or if something come to you. Hopefully it all works out.

[ThomasD]

If you paint the blades get an acrylic paint that is specifically designed to bond to plastic (like Krylon Fusion), apply thin coats and let it dry for a few days before using them.

 

The danger of painting blades is that you are adding mass to the blades.  If the mass is not evenly distributed the fan will not be balanced.  Sooner or later this will make the fan noisy, and will also shorten it's life.