Sopwith F1 prop

[propwash]

Hi Board,

I just received a very very badly damaged Sopwit F1 wooden prop.

Unfortunately it is broken as it fell off the wall where it was displayed on and time and moisture gave her a very bad look.

My question is: what type of wood is it made of and how or what type of wax did they used and how can I rewax it?

here are the markings ( sorry no pics as my camera is not at home ):

on the hub side :

G 295 N 85
+130 CLERGET
AD 644 RH
SOPWITH F1
D 2590
P 2650

on the hub face
boxed:

ALD
99K


thank you for any kind of info you can give me about my prop.


Cheers

Fred

[MWP_Lamar]

Hi Fred and welcome to the Forum.

I have no idea what wood the prop is made from. I'm sure someone else posting here can tell you.

As to waxing it for preservation, Dave has excellent preservation suggestions on his web page that I've used with very satisfying results. See: http://www.woodenpropeller.com/preservation.html

Good luck and please let us know how it turns out.

Lamar

[Dave]

I have one just like it (same drawing number) made of mahogany, which was commonly used for British propellers of that era.

[propwash]

thanks guys,

But how can I varnish it, I mean what kind of oil or varnish shall I use?

Dave can you tell me more about my prop?

Cheers,


Fred

[Dave]

Fred,
Very often these old dilapidated props are best left just the way they are. It's all part of its history. I don't think you'll be pleased with just waxing it. I've done that and the wax just sticks to the surface but doesn't help its appearance much. Then I rubbed a number of coats of linseed oil on one before waxing it and it improved its appearance considerably. Basically, that's what's done to a lot of antique furniture, and in my opinion is an OK thing to do. But I think if you get into "restoring it" (i.e. sanding, etc.) you will be disappointed, and it will most definitely lose some of its value, perhaps a lot of it.
There's not much else to tell you about the prop except that it was designed for the Sopwith Camel. It's a fairly desirable prop for collectors because of the fame of the Camel, but they are not very common.