Fuel Mixing Question

[briancleator]

Hi all here is something i have been thinking and using but not sure if it will damage anything,

I spoke to a heli pilot ( rc ) and he used castor straight fuel as it was cheaper £9 a gallon,

I spoke to another guy he used 16% at £12.99 a half gallon

I then spoke to another guy he used 5% £13.99 a gallon

So in the quest to make my 16% last longer i mixed it with castor straight my heli runs great and my fuel lasts twice as long.

I also mix castor straight & 5% also my heli runs and fly's great.

The big question is can i do this without harm to my engine

[hawkman]

If the engine performs well....and doesnt appear to be overheating then it should be fine....castor oil will gum things up for sure....but thats quite normal....sythetics are much cleaner and are the way to go really....but castor is ok....it served the model world long enough...and still is used....though its not so widespread.

What fuel are you mixing? I have quite a bit of plank fuel which needs boosting on the oil to make it ok for my heli.....but then some flyers have used plank fuel without adding anything....and have had no problems.

I agree....fuel is expensive....a petrol engined heli would be the way to go.

Rob

[briancleator]

Nice one Rob... i use a 16% that i get for my sons car & myself and a 5% that i got for the heli but i had a galllon of castor that another guy said he used on his heli.
If i just use castor my heli is a bit slugish but when mixed with either 16% or 5% it runs great, as long as i know i'm doing no harm that'll do me.

[Spun]

One good thing about castor is that as the temp goes up it doesnt lose it ablityt to protect like most synthetics. But it is very dirty burning.

[briancleator]

Cheers Spun i noticed that with castor in it gives off a bit more exhaust fumes and deposit of oil when running.

[hawkman]

You might need to remove the engine at some point and give it a good clean up.....should be easy enough.

To remove the oil deposits I use glycol/antifreeze.....simmer gently and after an hour or so the deposits come off quite easily......though I wouldnt do this to the main bearings though....pay to leave them alone

I have heard of folk using slow cookers....the glycol can then do its job as you leave it for 12 hrs or so.

Rob

[Spun]

Hawkman is right on, the engine will need to be cleaned. The dome in the head and the top of the piston will have build up after a while.

If you are using a 1 gallon can of fuel with 18% oil you can add 2.5 oz. to get 20 % oil content. This will be approximate since the percentage is based on total size your mixing. You can utilize Klotz oils, they make a 50/50 castor synthetic blend oil and Klotz Benol straight castor.

I used to homebrew for my big Moki glow engines. In the US you can get Nitro and methanol from mtorcycle shops or VP Racing fuels.

Example: 15% Nitro/ 20% oil
18.75 oz nitromethane
25.6 oz oil
83.65 oz methanol

[hawkman]

Must be interesting mixing your own.....I can get methanol as we use it, mixed with water, to wash out the turbines on Sikorsky 61's .....trouble is is trying to find the rest of the brew.

Rob