Hi, I was hoping someone could shed some light on what WW2 aircraft this may have come from by its visible markings. I was told it was from. Supermarine Spitfire but I have no expertise to confirm this.
thank you in advance.
Al
By: Aldo81 - 28th September 2023 at 15:32
Thank you for all your help everyone.
By: pogno - 28th September 2023 at 14:42
Think it says SET 0.8′ FINE.
I had some involvement with props a few years ago with Dowty Rotol metal four bladed ones, if one blade became damaged you could change that one and its opposite number as a matched and balanced pair.
By: Aerotony - 28th September 2023 at 11:46
Doesn’t that say “S’fire” in the worn yellow paint?
By: anneorac - 28th September 2023 at 08:31
Sorry to say there would be nothing on the prop to identify any aircraft that may have used it and it would be highly unlikely that any written record of showing that level of detail survives. Many surviving prop blades were never actually fitted to any prop or aircraft, however, the fact that yours has been matched to three other blades and has setting instructions does make it a bit more likely that it may have been used at some point.
By: Aldo81 - 27th September 2023 at 14:44
Amazing. Thank you so much for all this information. Would there be any way to narrow down exactly what aircraft and MK it came from exactly with the info stamped on the blade and or date it? I guess Im trying to find out it it was likely used during WW2 or not.
By: anneorac - 27th September 2023 at 08:49
Well, there’s an unusual occurrence. A Spitfire blade which actually turns out to be just that!
RA10046, Rotol blade used on a number of different 4F5 type propellers found on the front of Spitfire Mks VII, VIII & IX, Seafire Mks II & III (well done Trolley Aux) and even that rare beast, the Hurricane V.
It appears to have been made by Jablo Propellers (F Hills & Sons Ltd) and the blades serial is R? 060850 which you can see repeated as the slightly larger serial, second from the top, on the red (or pink as the manuals claim it should be) disk on the front of the prop.
By: Aldo81 - 26th September 2023 at 19:50
Here is another picture and took.
thanks again
By: Aldo81 - 26th September 2023 at 18:51
Thank you so much for all the information. I have taken a few pictures of the root end as advised highlighting the numbers and info on it. Does this help in identifying the aircraft anymore?
By: Trolley Aux - 26th September 2023 at 14:28
Looks Seafire to me
By: anneorac - 25th September 2023 at 08:46
A Rotol ‘Jablo’ blade from a four bladed, right handed prop. To positively ID it, what you have to find now, is the blade’s drawing number. Most likely place to find that is at the base of the root end (area in red in the photo below).
What you are looking for is anything that starts with the letters RA.
Anne
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September 24, 2023 at 5:42 pm