Propeller Blades

[Sean_M]

I have notice that it seems fashionable to weather blades by chipping the paint and shoing silver along the edges. I always thought the following:

Spitfire and Hurricane - wood with plastic strips on the edges painted black yellow tips

Mossy and other RAF - Unsure but same as above

German - Wood painted green or black

Japanesse - wood painted black

USA - early - wood painted silver in from and black facing pilot

USA - late - unsure

Anyone care to enlighten me

Thanks

Sean

[Space Ranger]

Depends on the airplane and its usage and availability of "strategic" metals and alloys. Virtually all WW II USAAF and USN combat aircraft used metal props. Lower performance basic trainers used fixed-pitch wood props. But some Cessna AT-17s/UC-78s, designed to use metal constant-speed props, came off the production line with fixed-pitch wood props due to a scarcity of metal when the aircraft were built.

[Graham Boak]

In the UK Rotol props were usually wooden, though some early ones were magnesium, whereas De Havilland props were aluminium. Both types were used on Spitfires and Hurricanes, although Rotols came to be standardised. Typhoons, Lancasters and Mosquitos had DH props. They were based on the Hamilton Standard patents, so most US props would be metal too, as I believe the Curtiss Electric ones were also.

UK props were painted as you say, also US ones. I think in the US, trainers retained bare metal blades.

German props were painted RLM 70 Black-Green, with no distinct tip colours.

Japanese ones were initially metal with black rears, later painted dark maroon/brown, but some late examples were green (ie. Ki84)

Obviously this is a simplified version, particularly with regard to the tips on early war aircraft(not UK but you can see such on many US/Japanese types.) Wear is visible on many photos of WW2 metal prop blades. However, most of the wear would be on what we might think of as the rear of the blade, viewed in aircraft axes. Some can be seen stripped nearly clean.

[Troy Smith]

I have notice that it seems fashionable to weather blades by chipping the paint and shoing silver along the edges. I always thought the following:

Spitfire and Hurricane - wood with plastic strips on the edges painted black yellow tips

Mossy and other RAF - Unsure but same as above

German - Wood painted green or black

Japanesse - wood painted black

USA - early - wood painted silver in from and black facing pilot

USA - late - unsure

Anyone care to enlighten me

Thanks

Sean

Hi Sean

Hurricanes and Spitfires used both metal and Jablo, compressed wood composite.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234925987-spitfire-propeller-blades/

AFAIK all the De Havilland blades were metal, and Rotol had both Jablo and Metal.

The heavier metal DH prop was thus used on Sea Hurricanes to balance out the arrestor hook, and on tropical planes for durability?

[MDriskill]

I'm not aware of any Japanese types using wood propellers, beyond light trainers etc. with small fixed-pitch units. As already noted they were typically painted a dark brown for much of the war.

An interesting point made in another recent thread here, is that prop blades tend to wear most noticeably on their rear faces. I've since had an eye out for that when viewing period photos and find it to be quite true!

[Work In Progress]

You don't even need to look for period photos to see that, just look at any prop blade in any in-service light aeroplane. The physics hasn't changed.

[noelh]

Yes I started a thread on the subject and several people contributed stunning photos showing typical propeller wear. Typically I can't find it now. Maybe it's been archived?

The classic mistake is to heavily chip or weather the front of the prop an leave the rear pristine. In reality the opposite is the case. Another mistake is to cover the propeller in metallic chips when the real thing was painted wood or wood composite.

I was as guilty as anyone in the above over the years until I noticed the propeller from an aeroplane operating off a rough strip had been worn to bare metal. covered in dead insects and dirt while the front was relatively clean! Head off to your local airfield and check it out for yourself particulary on working aircraft like trainers. While they lead a much softer life than military aircraft the degree of wreathing can be quite surprising.

But if in doubt it's quite legitimate to keep weathering light on a propellor . Less is more unless it's a Corsair operating off a coral airstrip or a Hurricane in the Western Desert. On the other hand a Corsair operating from a carrier would have quite a lot less weathering.

Like everything else in modelling there is nothing like checking out original references.

[dfqweofekwpeweiop4]

In the UK Rotol props were usually wooden, though some early ones were magnesium, whereas De Havilland props were aluminium. Both types were used on Spitfires and Hurricanes, although Rotols came to be standardised. Typhoons, Lancasters and Mosquitos had DH props. They were based on the Hamilton Standard patents, so most US props would be metal too, as I believe the Curtiss Electric ones were also.

UK props were painted as you say, also US ones. I think in the US, trainers retained bare metal blades.

German props were painted RLM 70 Black-Green, with no distinct tip colours.

Japanese ones were initially metal with black rears, later painted dark maroon/brown, but some late examples were green (ie. Ki84)

Obviously this is a simplified version, particularly with regard to the tips on early war aircraft(not UK but you can see such on many US/Japanese types.) Wear is visible on many photos of WW2 metal prop blades. However, most of the wear would be on what we might think of as the rear of the blade, viewed in aircraft axes. Some can be seen stripped nearly clean.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that German props were made of both wood and metal and were painted one colour if they were wood and another if they were metal, the colours being RLM 70 and Black.

thanks

Mike

[dogsbody]

I asked this on TOCH forum about 7 years ago:

" In "The Official Monogram Painting Guide To German Aircraft 1935-1945" it states that the blades of metal propellers were painted 70 Black-Green and that wooden blades were painted 71 Dark-Green. Is this true? Most other sources I have say all props were 70 Black-Green or do not say directly. "

Replies can be found here:

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=15088

Chris

[BS_w]

USA - early - wood painted silver in from and black facing pilot

USA - late - unsure

According to US TM Propellers 1940 and 1944

metal propeller, alimnium or hollow steel.

Uncamouflaged:

NMF on both sides

eventually the rear side was coated with antiglare: maroon lacquer or enamel (from 18" or 24" radius to the tip)

camouflaged:

the both sides will be painted flat black, except the tip 4" ( 6" for diameter >15') in yellow

Edited June 9, 2015 by BS_w