Nibral or bronze?

[Bill Root]

How can one tell if a Michigan prop is Nibral or Bronze? Is there a code of some sort on the prop?

Thanks

 

[bigbill]

not sure how they did it, but the prop shop that i use identified mine as one nibral, and one bronze. i brought them my spares, and sure enough i had one bronze and one nibral spare. someone must have changed one prop with a spare. i put both nibrals one the boat, kept the bronze ones for spares. bigbill

 

[Bill Root]

Thanks, Bill. I have two spare props that I want to sell. Nibrals are worth more than bronze, so I need to figure out what mine are in order to put a fair price on them. I don't have a prop shop close by. I'm hoping someone on the forum knows a good way to determine if they are nibral or bronze.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Unless theyve been in a shop and overzealously polished, they should be stamped on the hub. My 24X22 Michigan wheels are nibral with the logo stamped next to the size. Its kinda oval shaped if memory serves me. The bronze are usually stamped 24X22 BR ws

This is a Kahlenberg wheel from a small tug boat but shows the idea

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Unless theyve been in a shop and overzealously polished, they should be stamped on the hub. My 24X22 Michigan wheels are nibral with the logo stamped next to the size. Its kinda oval shaped if memory serves me. The bronze are usually stamped 24X22 BR ws

This is a Kahlenberg wheel from a small tug boat but shows the idea

 

[Bill Root]

Thanks, YW. Mine are markwed on the side of the hub and on the flat end of the hub, but there's no NI or BR on them. I guess I'll call General Prop Monday morning to see if they can ID with the serial numbers.

 

[Trojan]

If you polish a part on the Nibral wheel it will be a lot darker gold. The brass is lighter and a brighter gold. As said there should be a stamp right on the prop. You could run a fine file across the hub. The Nibral is a lot harder to cut than brass.

BILL

 

[Bill Root]

Thanks, Bill. I'll try that.

 

[jlangley]

Bill you can also bring them by the store and we will be happy to look at them for you.

 

[Freeebird]

How can one tell if a Michigan prop is Nibral or Bronze? Is there a code of some sort on the prop?

Thanks

Just hold a big stick in front of the prop. If it bends, it's bronze.

I've got a set of Nibral's from another boat, but they're in a mini-warehouse with a lot of my other junk right now. They were Michigan wheels, and as best I recall, "Nibral" was stamped on them. It's been years since I've looked at those props (from a Sea Ray), but I know they were marked.

 

[rsmith]

Ive always run bronze. When everybody started going to nibral in the 80's several boats in our marina lost blades supposedly due to dissimilar metal corrosion. Being Nibral is a mix of nickle bronze and aluminum. I would imagine if your zinks were marginal the aluminum would be the first to go.

 

[Freeebird]

Ive always run bronze. When everybody started going to nibral in the 80's several boats in our marina lost blades supposedly due to dissimilar metal corrosion. Being Nibral is a mix of nickle bronze and aluminum. I would imagine if your zinks were marginal the aluminum would be the first to go.

Never heard of that one before, but there's no doubt the Nibral is a much stronger prop and allows for thinner blades. That's a big plus when you have to run a cupped prop. I got tired of having to pull mine every time I ran the boat as the smallest little stick would bend the bronze props. Never had that problem after going with Nibrals.

 

[Bill Root]

Looking closer I find that one prop is stamped "Dyna Quad" and the other is stamped with a "DQ". The Michigan Wheel website lists Dyna Quads as bronze, so I assume that's what both mine are. Thanks to all for the advice.

 

[jcjp]

DQ props came either way nibral or just bronze.

 

[Bill Root]

OK. Back to square one.