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MY PROP IS 104" long with a 13 1/4" O.D X 3" I.D HUB WITH 8 MOUNTING HOLES. THE MARKINGS THAT ARE LEGIBLE ARE USN,FR,AN ANCHOR WITH THE LETTERS U AND S ON EITHER SIDE,THERE ARE OTHER MARKINGS AND NUMBERS THAT ARE HARD TO READ. WHAT DO I HAVE?
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"FR" or "FCR"
Can you post photos of it?Dave -
I understand from the PM that it's "FR", not FCR.
It's impossible to identify positively with that information as there are many possibilities. It sounds like a typical prop for a Liberty engine used on one of the many variations of Navy Flying boats developed towards the end of WW1. Hundreds of these were auctioned off in the early 20's.
The unreadable numbers "might" lead to an identification.DaveComment
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Additional info
Tomorrow i will get a magnifying glass and a strong light to try to identify the numbers on the side of the prop. I very much appreciate you taking your time to help me.Comment
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Notes on how to read the unreadable
The data stamped on props is often obscured, most often because someone in the past thought it would be a good idea to restore his prop and then sanded it down before applying a modern finish such as polyurethane varnish, but also because of damage caused by the accident that removed it from service, or simply because of rough handling.
Hints for reading unreadable stampings are:
take a digital photograph and using the software on your computer:
enhance the brightness a bit and the contrast a bit more.
or:
convert it to a colour negative.
change it to black and white and convert it to a negative.
enhance different colours in turn so that the photo is almost completely red, then green etc.
Take several photographs at a tangent with a strong light along side you.
These options sometimes work.
The best technique, although time-consuming and exceptionally boring, is simply to persevere at staring at the squibbles for some time, say fifteen minutes or so, perhaps twice a day. This gives the brain time to learn to make sense of the patterns on the prop and interpret them. Variations on this theme are to do the staring bit before you go to bed, leave the gamma brainwaves to mull things over whilst you are asleep, and have another stare in the morning. You are of course at risk from your wife phoning for the men in white coats to come and take you away. But you may well find that the hitherto meaningless hieroglyphics do suddenly make sense. One moment they are a jumble of shapes, the next you can read them.
Good Luck,
BobComment
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Bob---
i'm trying to establish a value for this prop so that i can sell it on e-bay,i've been talking to dave in new england , he is also trying to help me. I will try a couple of your suggestions,also a strong light and a magnifying glass might help. No wife,but neighbors that would love to see the men in the white coats take
me away.
Thanks
richComment
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Well, you're going to need photos of it to use on eBay. Why don't you just go ahead and post those here and we might be able to give you a range of expected values? Condition is critical to value, and we have no real idea of what condition it's in.
The other option is to just use a low opening bid and let the bidders determine what it's worth. That's generally how I usually do it, and set the opening bid below its expected value, since that tends to encourage more "lively" bidding.DaveComment
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Hi Rich,
Some observations from Old England:
The diameter on your prop was used on French designed props for French engines such as the Gnome, le Rhone and Clerget, all of about 80 to 110hp. The AEF bought 514 Sopwith Strutters (which used this engine) from the French, who built 4500 examples of this British machine. About 4 made it to the USN and I think they bought twenty-odd after the war as training machines.
If your prop has a particularly thin hub, then it was half of a four bladed prop which was common with USN float planes which in turn suggests the use of a Liberty engine.
The best way to sell on ebay is to start at a low price. This seduces people who ought to know better into bidding in the hope of a bargain and hence raises the price.
BobComment
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The 13 1/4" hub makes use on Clerget or Gnome engines unlikely, though, and I would suspect a Liberty as being the engine designation.DaveComment
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Rich,
We need some photos to help further!
BobComment
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