new purchase

[mliss50]

hi everyone
i purchased my first propeller today and have no idea what it is so you will be hearing a lot from me. i would like to give you some info and maybe you can tell me where to start. the propeller measures about 112 inches in lenght and has a metal hub attatched to it stamped into the metal is a tiny letter G with the nubmers 5359 under the G. all of the pictures i have seen on this site dont show a metal hub should it be removed in search of more marking under it? the hub has 8 holes as well as 8 nuts the tips of the prop have a metal sheath on it but not on the leading edge. any suggestions would be great
thanks
hi again i am adding some additional info that may help with an id of this prop
it is 115 inch long
the metal hub is 10 inches in diameter
the hub is approx 8 inches thick
the hole are 1/2 inch approx i cant get a exact measurement with the tool i was using
i posted pictures in an album titled help me id this prop
thanks again

[Dave]

Start with pictures. It's unlikely that the stampings are underneath the hub. They will either be around it, on the blades, or on the side of the hub.

So far it sounds most like a prop for a Liberty engine.

[mliss50]

thanks for the quick response there are a bunch of picturers in an album i started under the title help me id this prop
thanks again
murray

[Dave]

thanks for the quick response there are a bunch of picturers in an album i started under the title help me id this prop
thanks again
murray

You'll need to at least provide us with a link to that.

[mliss50]

i think these should help
thanks
murray

[Dave]

It's too bad there isn't more information stamped on it. It's a nice looking prop.

There's something strange at the hub, though. The original hub bolt holes are visible through the metal hub, suggesting that either this hub was just added as a decorative piece or that it was used for a different than orginal application.

Also, it looks like it's a left hand rotation, which means that if it were for a Liberty engine it was likely a pusher application.

I would try to carefully remove the hub to see what's under it, both in terms of additional stamping and also to see if dual bolt holes are drilled through. (If it's an oversized metal hub apparatus, it may in fact be covering additional stamped information.)

[mliss50]

thanks dave
im going to try and remove it tomorrow
if it is dual holes does this take away from value
i paid $500.00 for it do you think i did ok
i will send you pictures of whats under the hub if anything
tanks
murray

[Dave]

Any alteration to it will reduce its value, but it's a nice looking propeller and looks otherwise to be in original condition, so I'd say $500 was probably a good buy. Don't try to "restore" it.

When you do look at the hub, check the hub dimensions against this chart to see if you can see what engine it might have been designed for.

[mliss50]

thanks
like i said tomorrow im going to attempt to remove the hub
its becoming a mission to get all the info i can on this prop
i'll send you pictures of what i find
thanks again
murray

[Bob Gardner]

Hi Murray and Dave,

I keep looking at these photographs and wondering if it might be of British design. I don't mean to state that it is, merely to raise the possibility.

Was it American practice to number the blades 1 and 2? I have seen this on British props.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Dave]

It could be almost any nationality, from what I can tell. Many U.S. propellers did have numbered blades. The British props were usually so well identified that I guess I would consider this unusual in that regard if it were manufactured there.

[mliss50]

Bob thanks for your input in my mystery
like dave suggested i am going to carefully attempt to remove the hub today i will post what i find underneath. wish me luck
murray

[mliss50]

hi bob And dave
i tried to remove the hub this morning, i was able to get all the bolts off and the long i guess you would call them bolts out and just as dave thought they are drilled thru so my prop has 16 holes i wasnt able to get the plates off yet. do you think they are pressed on and should i bring it to a machine shop to press it off? any ideas why this prop has 16 holes. they seem symetrically place on the hub equal distanced apart from each other. hope you have some insight
regards
murray

[Bob Gardner]

Murray,

I can only think of two reasons why your prop has two sets of holes, neither of which seems particularly convincing. The first is that after WW1 the prop was used on a different engine and a new set of holes were bored. I have seen this on low powered pre-WW1 props but it doesn't seem very sensible for a prop from a large and powerful engine.

Secondly, the hub plates and the prop were united for display purposes on someone's wall.

There must be a better reason but I can't think of one!

With kind regards,

Bob

[Dave]

Are the bolt holes the same diameter? Someone could have overdrilled one set of holes, then the hub reattached by drilling parallel holes of the correct size, as Bob suggests.