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Post by RonaldFodge on May 1, 2005 8:33:07 GMT -7
Could you men give me the correct formula for mixing .A FAI mix of 20% oil.All the information I had on this subject. Went up in smoke with my old PC.Thanks for any help.
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Post by ctdahle on May 5, 2005 7:49:24 GMT -7
1 gallon of methanol and 1 quart of castor oil. I noticed last week that my local Walmart has unflavored castor oil on the shelf in the pharmacy.
For a good sport flying mix, try 7 pints of methanol, a pint of nitromethane, and a pint and a half of oil.
Unless you have a good source for cheap, good quality methanol and nitro, I'm not sure that mixing your own is worth the effort any more. You have to buy pretty large quantities to make it cost effective.
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Post by RonaldFodge on May 11, 2005 21:33:39 GMT -7
Thanks for the information.
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Post by exrafbod on Dec 23, 2005 12:50:52 GMT -7
Er.....wrong!
FAI Fuel is 80% Alcohol 20%Castor and no Nitro.
Ergo:- 1 Gallon of Alcohol and 1 Quart i.e two pints of Castor is not the same ratio as 1 quart is 25% of 1 Gallon.
The long and short of it is that your mix is out and wrong by 5% too much oil.
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Post by Britbrat on Dec 23, 2005 17:34:35 GMT -7
Er.....wrong! FAI Fuel is 80% Alcohol 20%Castor and no Nitro. Ergo:- 1 Gallon of Alcohol and 1 Quart i.e two pints of Castor is not the same ratio as 1 quart is 25% of 1 Gallon. The long and short of it is that your mix is out and wrong by 5% too much oil. Er --- sorry 'bod, Chris is right, not wrong. One quart of castor oil, plus 4 quarts of methanol = 5 quarts of fuel with 20% castor oil |
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Post by exrafbod on Dec 29, 2005 12:14:28 GMT -7
Brit... you're right - silly me (it must be the meds again). In one US Gallon of FAI Fuel there is only 1.59 pints of Castor (when aiming at producing only a single gallon)but adding 1 quart Castor to 4 quarts alcohol gives you the correct 80-20 mix but you end up with a gallon and a half total fuel.  |
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Post by ctdahle on Dec 29, 2005 17:53:13 GMT -7
Uh, not to pick nits, but 4 quarts plus one quart is 5 quarts, or 1 and 1 quarter gallon, not 1-1/2....
American hardware stores sell "1 gallon" gas cans that hold a bit more than 1-1/4 gallon so that there is head room to add lubricating oil for our 2 cycle weed trimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws and other junk.
When I did mess around with making fuel I was still a wee nipper. Nitro was cheaper and I got it from the neighborhood Texaco garage guy who did midget racers or something. He'd fill up my half pint tin can with nitro. I got methanol from the corner drug store in quart bottles, and Bakers AAA unflavored castor oil too. They'd call my mom to make sure that it was OK.
I'd measure the ingredients with measuring cup into mason jars. I probably wasn't very accurate, but a couple of quarts would run .049's all summer, or would be contaminated, and wouldn't run them at all.
These days, if I thought it worth the effort, I'd start with a gallon of methanol and add oil and nitro until I got the mix I wanted. I would end up with a bit more than a gallon. Obviously if you want to make exactly a gallon of fuel, you have to measure more carefully, but then you are pouring stuff back and forth into your graduated cylinder or your tennis ball can or whatever you measure with and then you are exposing the fuel to whatever crap/moisture/dust/cat hair is in the air.
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Post by ctdahle on Dec 30, 2005 8:08:52 GMT -7
By the way, DO NOT STORE OR MIX GLOW FUEL IN MASON JARS or in any other container that could be mistaken for a food or beverage container. I was a stupid kid when I mixed fuel in Mason jars, and no one ever warned me about it, but it is probably pure luck that made sure that my little brothers didn't get into it.
A point worth debating however, is whether or not it makes any sense to blend your own fuel anymore.
My thinking is that if you need or want a custom mixture for some sort of high performance use like control line racing, then it may make sense.
But since, in most parts of the world, you need to buy bulk quantities of the raw ingredients, it seems to me that homebrewing fuel is something that makes no sense unless you are going to brew enough for a whole club. Even then, I suspect that you won't save much money and I suspect that you will not get fuel that is as good as the commercial product.
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Post by Richard on Dec 30, 2005 10:50:52 GMT -7
AS I run a couple of Moki engines 135 & 2.1 and a circle track racer that uses methanol lives down the street I like to mix my own 0% nitro fuel. With my tin of Baker AA caster left over from my racing days with fuel injection, I can afford to feed those thursty Moki's on pocket change. Besides its fun to go to the field and use your home brewed fuel. My cousin quit racing the top fuel cars, so no nitro is available to me at a reasonable cost untill I find another source.
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Post by ctdahle on Dec 31, 2005 7:34:46 GMT -7
Makes sense to me Richard. Economical supply of the ingredients is the key. Unfortunately, most of us mere mortals have to buy it by the drum or pay retail  Anybody know what methanol costs, shipped, or where to buy it these days? The stuff I used to get from the pharmacy was probably medical grade, and it's now about $36 for a litre. www.americanbio.com/products.asp?id=AB09110 A bit more than I'm willing to spend to burn in my engine. Did a quick google search but didn't come up with much. Pretty funny though to see an E-Bay listing for "New and Used Methanol". Wonder what they get for used? |
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Post by waynec on Jan 31, 2006 19:57:06 GMT -7
Try Red Max Fuels members.aol.com/FHSoil/RedMax.htmlIf I understand their pricing 100% methanol is $6.00 per gallon including shipping. They have a line of premixed racing fuels and premixed model fuels. They will also custom mix fuel in very small or in large quantities. You could also check any local race tracks. A go-cart track near here sells alcohol (methanol I think). |
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Post by leaguecityralph on Nov 26, 2008 11:30:23 GMT -7
If any of y'all live in the Houston area, THE place to get good, reliable fuel is Ritch's Brew, owned by Randy Ritch. For example, Fox .35 fuel (10% Nitro, 27% Castor, 2% Synthetic) is only around $12/gal. And everything in it is top quality!
I also like PowerMAster, especially the GMA mixes, but I fly C/L only, so I can't tell you much about the better blends for R/C or Heli or Trucks.
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Post by Garf on Dec 21, 2009 18:32:24 GMT -7
I buy Methanol from Murrays auto parts, Castor from Sig or Fox, and 50% nitro from Red Max fuels. You can't buy straight castor fuel in Miami.
UPDATE: Today I buy methanol from Murrays Speed & Custom (VP Fuels), Nitro from VP Fuels direct, and castor from Sig, Fox is out of the fuel business.
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