What kind of AVRO 504 Propeller is this?

[Bengtson]

I have this old wooden prop that is clearly not airworthy but may have been used for display or something. It has a stamp on it saying AVRO 504 X and has markings indicating that it was mounted on a motor at one point. Seems also to have a date stamp of 9/26. Does anyone have any idea what this was used for? A 1/2 scale model? Practice design in an AVRO prop shop?

[Dave]

If it's what I think it is, it's just a homemade type of decorative prop that was labelled AVRO. I've seen several of them for sale on eBay over the past few years, some of which seemed to have painted tips to look like metal sheathing.

The image link you posted is just a URL, although maybe the picture is somewhere on that page. Can you post the picture? (Or find the picture, right click on it, look at "properties", then copy and past the url from the properties page.)

[Bengtson]

Here is where I posted the thread with a picture. This software doesn't seem to like the image locations
http://www.worldwar1aeroplanesinc.or...referrerid=134

--Kurt

[Dave]

I had to register to log in, and the registration is pending. I'll see if I can post the picture when I can get to it.

[Dave]

Kurt,
I registered, but it hasn't been activated. I tried to e-mail the administrator to get it activated, but the email delivery failed. If you can right click the picture, click "Save AS" onto the desktop, then email it to me I can post it from there. (Or if you want to, contact the ADMIN and ask them to activate my account, as "dbahn")
Sorry this is so complex. It's all due to having to implement features to prevent spammers from flooding forums.

[Bengtson]

I posted this thread on AerodromeRC's forum with more photos

http://www.bengco.net/cgi-bin/yabb2/...num=1182178931

[Dave]

OK. Got it. Here's the image.



Yes, that's not a real AVRO 504 propeller, and I've seen quite a few of those sold on eBay in the past 5 or 6 years. It looks like it has been stripped and refinished as well.

Several comments:
1. It's a left hand rotation, and the 504 used a right hand propeller on all models except one powered with a Rolls Royce engine (model AD564).
2. It looks too short to have been used on any of the common engines of that era.
3. It would be unusual for a manufacture to use any wood with knots in it for an airworthy propeller.
4. The ones I've seen previously have had brass paint to simulate metal sheathing, indicating a clear purpose of decoration rather than function.
5. Most (though not all) propellers for the Avro 504 were constructed of either mahogany or walnut.

[Bengtson]

So these items were then recently made "fakes" or just for decorative items for restaurants and dens etc?

[Dave]

I would consider it a little of both, because it's stamped with the 504. Otherwise it's just a decorative prop. A "fake" attempts to look exactly like something else, and this one doesn't, but the stamping tries to do the same thing.