Perfectus was a propellor, rowing oar and specialist timber work manufacturer that operated in Melbourne, Australia, from the 30’s to 90’s. After the shop closed, it’s tooling was disbursed and seemingly lost. Thirty years later, it has been found. This thread is posted for interest, to record the restoration of old tooling and methods for the manufacture of fixed pitch, interwar, timber aeroplane propellors. The photos below show hub drilling jigs, as found.
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Perfectus Airscrews for Silver Biplanes
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6C40C6E0-012E-4433-9A10-A46B36F3555E.jpeg This hub drilling jig matches a propellor hub faceplate for Hawker Australian Demon aircraft with a RR Kestrel engine. This is a Watts propellor design evolved from the Hawker Hart. It confirms that Perfectus was making propellors for the RAAF, which operated Hawker Demons from 1935 to 1943, as high powered trainers for the Empire Air Training Scheme. These aircraft suffered from many nose overs from over enthusiastic braking by trainees, while replacement blades were not available from the UK after 1940, when the UK itself faced its own supply challenges. An Australian timber, Queensland Maple, was selected as a replacement for the original Honduran Mahogony. The Hart-Demon propellor is a large unit, nearly 11 foot in diameter. These were made on a custom built duplicating machine built by Perfectus.Last edited by powerandpassion; 10-31-2022, 03:31 AM.
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This gallery has 2 photos.Last edited by powerandpassion; 10-31-2022, 03:32 AM.
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image_10490.jpgimage_10489.jpgimage_10488.jpg This is the tooling and bench for glueing up boards into propellor blanks.Last edited by powerandpassion; 10-31-2022, 03:28 AM.
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image_10500.jpgimage_10499.jpgimage_10498.jpgimage_10497.jpgimage_10496.jpg A similar bench is displayed in the RAF Hendon Museum, showing boards being clamped and glued to form a blank.Last edited by powerandpassion; 10-31-2022, 03:27 AM.
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image_10562.jpgimage_10561.jpgimage_10560.jpgimage_10559.jpgimage_10558.jpg Rusty clamps and hub drilling jigs cleaned up and painted.
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FB673CA6-7A8A-4E16-AF54-18A19337F174.jpeg130A9C3B-8A02-4DD0-8553-A44E2D95AA1C.jpeg397F3292-E1EC-4921-B21B-0417AE447EA6.jpeg Collected the glueing bench costed with 80 years of casein and resorcinol glue runs
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