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In functional boat and ship models, many modelers use brass props made of stamped blades soldered to machined hubs. Nicer props, having a more realistic shape, are made by casting in brass or bronze. The process used for these is lost wax, or investment, casting. Usually, the waxes are made by injecting wax into a rubber mold; the rubber molds can be made from a carved or machined master.

 

Should you need a unique prop design, you’ll need to commission a master and a mold; don’t forget to allow for casting shrink when you specify the master! Need a left and a right? Twice the masters and molds.

 

Another option? 3D print the waxes- no need for masters, no rubber molds, and complete freedom to scale and mirror the design.

BTW: You can also machine the waxes on a 5-axis mill… but that’s another challenge.

 

But if you can create a 3D CAD model of the prop, and don’t mind machining the bore yourself, you can use very convenient 3D printing services like Shapeways to source your own custom props.

 

In this example, I made some props for Monterey Clipper fishing boats, using the Yuba-Hicks “weed cutter” design that many of these boats carried. While it’s possible to draw a convincing prop from scratch with some basic knowledge of prop blade shape, I had the benefit of the original factory drawing to work from:

fy-460_30x26_propellersml.jpg.2396b056b25abfc5db5245804c49a26e.jpg

 

CAD rendering of the design:

a8741116-157-bronze.jpg.3cb4fd60b427925bf162be173d32d93e.jpg

 

Raw cast bronze prop from Shapeways-  2.5” diameter:

a20160311_191848.thumb.jpg.cd5ef4b7b1d3492dda08f904e721f520.jpg

 

From the same CAD model, a 2.25” opposite hand prop (on left):

20160328_150627a.thumb.jpg.805184a95be6168f75f6aceef16ceca6.jpg

 

Machining the bore and threads on my lathe:

20160325_151451a.thumb.jpg.4fc5c7f37e880ae000b5e167bffb60be.jpg

 

Prop with a 3D printed Hicks engine model:

20160325_152943a.thumb.jpg.5b4df9c1eecfe5e6c60357df6bac0f3c.jpg

 

The 2.25” prop went on this 1:8 scale model Monterey:

5949717e3b86a_LouieG2.jpg.2011a307b81d5252f5bfa61ac902e366.jpg

20160325_152957a.jpg

Pat M.

Matthews Model Marine

Model FUNCTION as well as FORM.

Get your boats wet!

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Posted

Very nice.

 

Michael

Current builds  Bristol Pilot Cutter 1:8;      Skipjack 19 foot Launch 1:8;       Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 14 1:8

Other projects  Pilot Cutter 1:500 ;   Maria, 1:2  Now just a memory    

Future model Gill Smith Catboat Pauline 1:8

Finished projects  A Bassett Lowke steamship Albertic 1:100  

 

Anything you can imagine is possible, when you put your mind to it.

  • 10 months later...

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