old wooden propeller

[Blake]

HI guys,
I have an old wooden propeller I would like to identify. It has six laminations, 8 bolt holes in hub, brass cutting edges, but i cannot get a full serial number off it. It is about 8 feet long- what measurements do i need to take and does it have to be in metric or imperial?

Hi guys,

This is the pic of the propeller.

[MWP_Lamar]

Looks like someone cut out the hub to fit a clock or barometer or such, and refinished the whole thing. What a shame...

Lamar

[Blake]

Hi Lamar,

Thanks for the message. Unfortunately I got it like that and removed the clock because I wanted to make it look like it should. Do you have any idea what it comes off so i can do some homework on it and make it look like it should?

Thanks for you help
Regards
Blake

[MWP_Lamar]

Without the design number or other details stamped into it, I think your prop would be impossible to id. As Dave has stated here many times, propellers are to airplanes as tires are to automobiles. They are disposable commodities. A vast majority of wooden propellers we see today cannot be id'd by their appearance just as tires cannot generally be id'd by their appearance. Okay, ready to go save those old tires?

Lamar

[Dave]

There's a high probability that it's a British propeller for something like a Gypsy engine. I base that on its appearance only and the fact that it is a left hand rotation. If the numbers are still visibile go to this page to correlate them.

[D.Hicklin]

hole modification " suggestion "

Blake, indeed you have a great prop, a shame its original patina is gone and a real shame it was modified to accomodate a clock, but this happens far too often in the realm of vintage " airscrews ".

I know your prop isnt for sale, but that being said, I have a standing offer of $50.00 when I see various props that are gutted to fit clocks, and I pay the shipping because when they are gutted for the purpose of fitting a clock, it really takes the value way down. From time to time, when I am lucky enough to snag a gutted prop, I take them to my friends machine shop, and we clean them up by carefully reaming out the damaged area to get it back to "round & true" and then we try to match the wood as best as we can, then simply make a plug for it and re drill the hole. It will never be air worthy again and its never going to look like it was originally. Such props I then use in various kenetic sculptures that allow the prop to be shown and in a gimble that will allow the prop to spin and at least have a new purpose to let the prop live out its life as something that is elegant and is allowed to move.

As for your prop, you might want to do the same as I suggested, it at least kills that gutted look and depending on your budget, it helps to get the prop back to what it was supposed to look like before the modification "gutting" took place. So be creative, think outside of the box.

Your prop is worth keeping, and its a great piece of wood, so just be aware of the fact that it can be helped by a simple wooden plug that any machine shop or wood shop can make for you, or if you have the skills and talents, master by yourself. Thanks for posting the picture of your prop.

Sincerely,
J. Dennis Hicklin
Seattle Washington.