FILENAMES:

Bigmill1.jpg
Bigmill2.jpg
Bigmill3.jpg
Bigmill4.jpg
Bigmill5.jpg
Bigmill6.jpg

DESCRIPTION:

These are pictures of the making of a huge ship's propeller. 
Posted by Peter Cronin <peterc@geronimo.co.nz>. Peter 
provided the following description:

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Attached are seven shots of the moulding, casting and 
machining of a propeller for the Queen Mary, 53 tons 
of 'Turbiston' bronze in the casting for a finished 
weight of 35 tons. 

The shots are:

- Bigmill1.jpg - the casting as it came out of the pit
- Bigmill2.jpg - building up the moulds 
- Bigmill3.jpg - working on another mould for the 'Normandie'
- Bigmill4.jpg - Queen Mary's prop on the largest mill I've 
                   ever seen, and check out the 'table' the 
                   prop's sitting on!
- Bigmill5.jpg - a little bit of 'parting off'?
- Bigmill6.jpg - the key seating machine (again, rather larger 
                   than most)
- Bigmill7.jpg - the finished article, with a proud worker in 
                   shot for scale

The finished article was said to be so finely balanced that 
the lightest touch of the finger on the extreme edge of the 
blade would set the propeller in motion, and the same touch 
would stop it. 

And they did this three more times - two on the ship, two as 
spares.

Just thought you might enjoy it.

Peter