The Home Machinist!

I'm almost finished building two Bollaero engines. (free plans from Chris Boll) The fuel seems to made with kerosine,ether,castor oil and 3% of amyl nitrate. Is this stuff avialible in the US? Can the fuel be bought premixed?
Thanks,
Ted

see here : http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... XANCP&P=ML

You can purchase any of the chemicals to brew your own diesel fuel but it is much cheaper to buy it. Besides; a DEA agent will come along with the ether to witness its use.

Anytime I need a few oz. of Ether, I visit Auto Bone and buy the cheep starting fluid. I stuff some old window screen in a piece of large radiator hose and blast away over a catch basin. When a measurable amount is caught , I blend it into whatever.

_________________
Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

Big Dave,

Only problem with that, for diesel fuel you definitely do not need any of the lighter gases that are in starting fluid. One of the primary ingredients of starting fluid is propane (or butane) and by the time it boils off so has the ether - and it's diethyl ether in starting fluid anyhow which is heavier than ethyl ether. The mixture of nitro-methane and diethyl ether (along with its additives to be starting fluid) would be tough to tune a miniature diesel to since it would never be stable enough to remain the same fuel. One batch would run great and the next batch or the remains of a once good batch of fuel would be so far off that the diesel would be shelved as a failure. Ethyl ether is the only way to go for a correct and reliable mix, and even it must not be stored to too long a period of time - a few months at most. BTDT

B.Clem.

I bend to your knowledge, I dont run model diesels.

2 cycle and lawnmower stuff, that when aged, needs a kick now and then to get running after long storage times. added to the fuel, In 10% quantity goes a long way to cutting gums and carbons with the hot burnoff. Not a staple, just a startup.

_________________
Big Dave

Be Alert! The world needs more Lerts.

Dave,

I just spoke with an old model aircraft friend who is also an 'engine head' and he says that the use of starting fluid has become the only way to get ether. He basically stated the same thing that you had, but he exchanges the spray nozzle with the nozzle on a WD40 can so that the straw can be used to control the spray into a measuring beaker for mixing the fuel. Evidently the propane or spray can propellant wasn't the problem.

So you are correct! I tried that years ago and couldn't make it work.... He did say that you need to check various brands of starting fluids, that some have a higher concentration of ether - up to 80%. He says that the industrial brands have more ether - like John Deer, and some of the marine diesel makes.....

Now I'm thinking about dusting off a shelved diesel engine and mixing up some fuel.....

I just googled "model diesel fuel" and this came up: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1295580

Very similar..... (wish this had been there 35 years ago!)