mwilkinson Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 This is a very random thread, but I know a few of you are aviation fans, so I thought I would share. I moved into a new house in Feb 2016 and my wife and I have slowly been deciding on the decorational scheme of various rooms and areas. Surprisingly we agreed upon a vintage aviation theme to a seating area adjoining our kitchen. I don't have much to hand to facilitate this but I was keen to start with a propeller on the wall above the TV. I had about 2.8m meters of room to play with so I knew a full sized propeller was possible. I had my heart set on a wooden propeller from a WW1 aircraft, ideally a Sopwith Camel. A quick search of the internet for such a propeller brings up a handful of sites offering either scaled replica propellers, modern reproductions at eye watering amounts and a list of available original antiques. Again the antiques are expensive and not quite what I'm after. I eventually ended up visiting an amazing military antique store in Portsmouth. They are located within the historical dock yard area with HMS Victory etc. http://www.antiques-storehouse.co.uk/antiques.html They have some amazing items for sale including an original propeller from a Sopwith 2 seater. They wanted in excess of £2k for the propeller, which is expensive, but given the provenance associated with the serial number of the propeller, it seemed about right. I was very close to buying this propeller, that was until I came across a young man called Václav Stržínek in the Czech Republic who was doing some phenomenal work. He is a total aviation nut and a very gifted woodworker. A quick look at his website will show you the range and quality of his work. https://www.historicpropellers.com He offers quite an extensive range of replica vintage aircraft wooden propellers. These can be made in a variety of woods and sizes. Following some email discussions, I decided upon a full size (2.6m), seven layer, mahogany Sopwith F1 Camel Propeller with fabric and waxed tips. I won't post prices as that is something for the buyer and seller to determine, but it was at a price I could easily live with and seemed too good to be true. I was looking for something like this: I have also opted to have a central metal boss imitating the original, this will facilitate the hanging of the propeller on the wall. So having agreed the price and paid my deposit I awaited news of the build. I asked Vaclav to send me pictures of the build which are below. You'll notice the aircraft he built in the background. He also does some stunning tie and strut based furniture. And in a much more recognisable state. Mine is the bottom one. I'm awaiting an image of the propeller after staining and polishing. I'm undecided as to whether or not to go ahead with the fabric tips, as the overall wooden diesgn and curves are lovely on their own. Thoughts? He can also put on brass leading edges, but the Sopwith Camel, to the best of my knowledge, never had these. I've wanted the piece to be as historically accurate as possible, hence the seven layers of mahogany. So anything that moves away from this, regardless of how it looks, seems too much of a compromise for me. Anyway. I'll update this again with pictures of the propeller after staining and once it's finished. The agreed price also included delivery the the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 (edited) Impressive, should look very nice when its stained Just looked on the webpage and that looks very well priced to me for proper craftsman ship Edited July 28, 2018 by Dnk (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilkinson Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 Impressive, should look very nice when its stained Just looked on the webpage and that looks very well priced to me for proper craftsman ship I'll be honest and say for a time I believed it was too good to be true. However, those concerns are long since gone and I'm very happy with how the whole transaction has progressed. Although the deciding factor will be when I actually get it and can inspect it first hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilkinson Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 So I opted not to have the fabric on the tips. I decided that it spoilt the look of the propeller. Also, should I wish to add them later I can. Here are the final pictures both inside and outside. I intend to have the mounting boss (can't see in these images) and nuts painted black as per the original aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Lovely and very different I like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilkinson Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Lovely and very different I like it Sure is. It's being picked up by the courier today. Should be with me soon. I'll post up some additional pictures when I get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Looks great,i know where to go if i want one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Lovely piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilkinson Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 I'm contemplating getting him to make a Fokker tri-plane rudder for me. Built to original spec. Not sure I'll convince the wife of that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Brings back memories, we had a Sopwith propeller on the wall in my old scholl's history room. I remember plotting if it could be liberated at one stage, for my bedroom wall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilkinson Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 Propeller arrived and I have mounted it on the wall. I swapped the chrome / stainless nuts and washers for solid brass. I prefer the look. Ignore the filler please. I'm in the process of repairing some cracked plaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnk Posted August 14, 2018 Share Posted August 14, 2018 Looks nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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