Spitfire Mk 9 Propellor - material ?

[colin m]

What is a mk 9 spitfire propeller made out of ?


I've found some information on line which says that a blade has both a covering and a sheath, but I'm not sure what the final layer would be.


The 1:32 Tamiya Spitfire has the red/pink disc markers on the blades which means the sheath would be either brass or steel. But I can't imagine, the laminated blades would then be covered in either steel or brass.


So I'm thinking, very simply that the blades are made out of laminated wood (Jablo wood - a laminating/impregnation process) and so can't be weathered using a chipping effect to show 'metal' underneath. Any ideas anyone ?

[PhilJ]

I think it probably would have been a Jablo wood type, I think if you have a search that different colours on the prop indicate certain wood types. Maybe check the decals?


Would be interesting to see what you find out.

[colin m]

It almost certainly is wood. There's a few pic around of crashed mk9's. But what I just don't know is if they were somehow covered in a thin veneer of metal - which I can't see myself.

[stona]

The disc colour did relate to the material, whether one of the wooden processes or dural or hollow steel but if I ever had the information for which is which I can't find it! I'm pretty sure differing manufacturers changed the colours throughout the war anyway.


Jablo blades had a covering known as 'rotoloid' which was a cellulose nitrate based lacquer.


Earlier Spitfires, certainly BoB era, would normally have had metal propeller blades.


Cheers


Steve

[colin m]

The disc colour did relate to the material, whether one of the wooden processes or dural or hollow steel but if I ever had the information for which is which I can't find it! I'm pretty sure differing manufacturers changed the colours throughout the war anyway.
Jablo blades had a covering known as 'rotoloid' which was a cellulose nitrate based lacquer.


Earlier Spitfires, certainly BoB era, would normally have had metal propeller blades.


Cheers


Steve

Thanks Steve,


I've seen the bendy blades on pranged early Spitfires, and shattered blades on later Spitfires. So I'm guessing, no weathering for a mk9 blade.


Who would have thought a simple propeller would cause me so much trouble. I'm not normally too concerned about detail like this, but the propeller does sit in quite a prominent place, so maybe I should make an effort to get it right !