mystery prop ID needed

[Spitfireman]

I just bought this prop

It is a wooden propeller,covered of an "olive drab" canvas.

the diameter is:64 cm.

On the steel plate the number is :09.6.1638

on a side of the hub ,there is a number too.It is difficult to read it.It seem to be: D 3687/51??/4/5 ?

I was thinking it may be some sort of ancillary for driving a generator ? any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

[Dbahnson]

It's some kind of air movement fan, and the hub and general design suggests a non-aircraft application, or possibly a test prop of some kind.

I think it will be very hard, if not impossible, to identify with respect to a specific machine.

[Spitfireman]

Thankyou

Thank you for the reply

[Spitfireman]

Date

Would you be able to make an educated guess at its age from its construction nearest decade would be a help.

[Spitfireman]

I found this picture of a British airship generator prop from 1910 it seems to have a similar hub design ?

[Dbahnson]

As I've told lots of people, finding a prop that resembles a prop is a little like finding an automobile tire that resembles another one. There are still hundreds of possibilities and no way to narrow it down without specific data, and unfortunately so much of the needed data just can't be found . . .

In addition, your prop is a right hand thread and the picture is a left hand thread.

[Spitfireman]

Identical prop on german website

I just found this on a German site , identical prop same dimensions and similar part number they say the following.

Small 4-blade propeller, made of laminated wood, d=64cm, 2.5kg, centre both sides metal enforced, stamped 'D3687/52356/4', from the rudder-servo of a British WW1 navy airship, good condition.

Does anyone have any knowledge about rudder servos on airships .?

Thank you

[Spitfireman]

here is a link to the page its on http://www.profilm.de/insel/mieten/1917E1.php

[Dbahnson]

Does anyone have any knowledge about rudder servos on airships .?

Thank you

I don't, but it's a plausible hypothesis. A number of these smaller props were used as passive wind driven generators and other devices.