Home Brew Fuel Experiment: My 401st Video!

[@charlesbovalis6591]

Keep things simpe (haven't even seen the whole video yet) - just use the same measuring container and do either 3 parts or denatured alcohol to one part of oil ( that's the brew we "grew up" back in the days - 75% alcohol / 25% castor ) for break in our engines .. then switch to 4 parts alcohol and 1 part oil for a 80 / 20 % ratio ... Excellent one David. Side note: back in the days when I grew up in Europe, we could go to any whole sale chemical outlet and we were able to purchase methanol, castor oil, ether (for diesel engines) .. I recall the person in the counter asking us: what do you need this for ? and we genuinely responded: for model airplane engine fuel ... Ohhhhh good old days David. Maaan - are you my "hidden" "brother" I didn't know :-) :-) Same tastes, same experiments .. even similar dates of birth ? - Mid 60's is my birthday too :) .. God Bless man ..

[@jeffie8696]

As you have found out Nitro is not required to make a glow engine run. It does help a little with idle and transition as well as all out power . I have found that better quality engines are more capable of running non Nitro or FAI fuel more reliably.

[@wilianamaral]

Hey Dave! I've just stumbled onto your video. First thing I noticed is that you used ethanol instead of methanol on your brew. Ethanol is the recipe for the new OS BE engines. On those, OS recommends a 10% oil mixture. I've ran my trusty old Supertigre G45 with homemade methanol fuel (whis is the same alcohol found on our commercial fuels) using a 20% oil mix with great success. The only thing I've noticed is the idle improves by using a hot plug ( in my case an OS #6 plug instead of an #8). I have also used degummed castor since many modellers around reported that a very bad crust would develop otherwise. After 5 gallons the piston had near zero carbon buildup. I've never tried it on four stroke engines, though. One more thing I've noticed is that peak power improves with nitro. The homemade brew would swing a 11x6 prop @12000rm and wildcat 10% fuel allowed me to swing a 11x7 prop @ 13500 rpm. The homemade fuel costs half the price for me down here in Brazil.

[@carlosj.castillo254]

so, did you make your own glow?? runs with any engine?

[@aidanmcnutt994]

@@carlosj.castillo254 he means buy a hotter plug to make it run smoother, and it should work with all engines. Im about to try my mix out, after watching these vids I definitely should put more oil. I did a 9/1 ratio

[@charlesbovalis6591]

YES !!!! Finally someone stepped up and did it !!!!! THUMBS UP all the way David. I have been meaning to do this for my own vintage engines - especially the ones I have that require no nitro. This IS the way way to go .. and you can always get a litter of commercial fuel if you want to play with nitro ... Back when I was young - in Europe - pretty much we used to make our own fuel with the limited amount of funds we had as kids .. and our engines were running great. The difference was back then we were able to buy straight Methanol (about 80 to 85% pure ) - very cheap - while nowdays you cannot do that. BUT, Klean Strip seems like a good alternative - so I will give it a shot as well.

[@robertmaxwell8086]

been 8 Years now, how do Mtr hold up?

[@rmckelvy15]

I wonder can you do that on a nitro truck

[@timodell5728]

Just saw your video for first time. Marvelous . Curiosity caused me to look up the (m)sds on Klean-Strip. Methyl alcohol, Ethyl alcohol and a ketone to denature the alcohol. The ketone also acts as a solvent for varnish and paints. careful of your finish on the plane. Also, the ketone has low affinity for water. You already know how to sump fuel on scale aircraft so this would indicate about the same. Your using a castor oil lube is wise as mineral oil will not mix with alcohol. It's the original aircraft oil. Bravo.

[@SpinStar1956]

David, rally appreciate your trying this. Question: Could a person use a synthetic instead of the Klotz; any type or brand choice? Thanks David!

[@dmrcflyr2]

I'm sure you could. There are no rules that I followed for this. Synthetic oil is used in many glow fuels. Personally I would not recommend this type of fuel for long term use in a glow engine unless you have one you don't care about and don't mind being destroyed.

[@tannergriffith5821]

Tractor supply had that same one for 5 bucks, I checked walmart and they were 8 bucks, not sure how much it is at home depot

[@antonis476]

0:20 nice calendar

[@ttiroff]

I tried to find Denatured Alcohol and its no longer sold at Lowes or Home Depot. I think you can find it at real paint stores. Ace Hardware had it but it was $25 a gallon. That takes it out of the running except for desperation use.

[@darrellsomers5427]

Will this work in my 68 Camaro ?no RC a real stret hot rod ?

[@dmrcflyr2]

I cannot say. I thought street rods ran on methanol?

[@glowiever]

to make up for a lil bit loss of power, you could increase compression by removing a shim from the engine's head gasket.

[@ttiroff]

Hi David. I am looking at mixing my own fuel. I found Methanol locally for around $65 for 5 gallons. and I have a Summit Racing about 40 miles away that sells the Benol. There are several different blends of Benol. Which one are you using? They have a 171, 172 and 175. I am still trying to find Nitromethane. I know where a race guy lives and I hope he can sell me a gallon of it. Thanks in advance.

[@dmrcflyr2]

Watch this video and all engine runs in the FAI Experiment playlist. You really don't need nitromethane. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6Gcpq1qbZeXi6s kzbin.info/aero/PLsvn3JGZAOMuFBXHT90CCuriX37BatIKj

[@ttiroff]

@@dmrcflyr2 I have already found 5 gallon cans of Methanol locally and we have a Summit Racing not too far away that sells the Benol oil I need. Five gallons of Methanol and 5 quarts of oil will give me 20% oil in my fuel. I am ready to mix. Thanks a bunch.

[@xavierorellana4798]

If i want to paint my own fuel? Which no quantity of pinta or color have i use?

[@alejandroaguilar9038]

IS CASTOR OIL THE ONLY OPTION ???

[@dmrcflyr2]

You can use whatever oil you choose. It is your engine.

[@RBAERO]

Hello David. Do you have try use glow fuel with only synthetic oil, none castor?

[@dmrcflyr2]

Yes

[@RBAERO]

And what is the result? I ask because i read that castor oil is the cause of accumulation of sediment in the 4 stroke, cause leaks

[@dmrcflyr2]

I still do not understand what you are asking. I did not do LONG term testing. Wherever you are getting your information about castor in fuel is completely wrong or you are not fully communicating what your concern is. The castor in fuel does not cause sediments nor does it cause leaks. If the engine is properly shut down at the end of the flying session by running ALL fuel out of the engine then there is no issue using fuel with castor. In fact castor offers better protection than synthetic only fuels. When an engine is gummed up from long term storage, it is the castor that is drying up and causing the engine to be stuck. It ALSO is creating a preventative layer of protection against rust. The bottom line is that PROPER operation and maintenance of engines is required to ensure longevity and reliable operation.

[@dmbadcat]

Thank you for your honesty in this video and these responses! I appreciate you not attempting to be bros with everyone by telling bullshit like most folks do lol. Great man 👍

[@dmrcflyr2]

Yeah, I tell it like it is, only the truth and facts. I do not believe in BS.

[@Jim-mp9cd]

Can I use maxima castor 927 premix Oil ? Will that work ? It says 2 stroke on it

[@dmrcflyr2]

I cannot answer that, but I personally would not.

[@chrisburnsed6349]

Alcohol has a high flash point it takes a lot to fire it off . That’s why alcohol dragsters always need a squirt of regular gas in the intake to get them to fire.

[@PEDRORUGELES]

You can improve the potency with ethyl acetate and acetone which is 3 times more powerful than nitro and lower price. We use 80/ mix and works well.

[@cmulder002]

did you increase the compression? OS engines are designed for the "american market" and they need a lot of nitro for some reason... Try a run "stock" and then remove the head gasket and measure the difference. Another advantage of running low/no nitro fuels is that the run time is a lot longer. With the castor in there the engine is better protected against corrosion and also against running lean. Running castor in your fuels (even if its just a part of the oil content) will increase the lifespan of your engine at the expense of the carbon deposit that will build up over time and the more involved cleaning of the model.

[@dmrcflyr2]

I do not agree that OS engines are made for the American market at all. These engines are sold worldwide unchanged. No I did nothing to the compression ratio of the engine. I would have noted that if I had.

[@charlesbovalis6591]

It's definitely a success for sure and definitely an option if we cannot get access to commercial fuel for whatever reason. As you mentioned though, and I don't have the answer either, since Klean Strip is not methanol, and possibly the ethanol it contains might contain a bit of water, we don't know the long term consequences for using this home-brew fuel especially if there is detonation of some sort that might cause engine wear. But on the possibility that this brew might contain some water, the fix is easy: at the end of your flying session, just squirt some WD-4 in the carb and make sure you flip the engine several times so you know the oil gets all over inside the engine and you should be good.

[@454RagingBullSS]

Just for your consideration, VP fuels M1 is a 100% methanol fuel (alky) guaranteed to be free of any water and could be purchased for about $30 per 5 gal. here locally.

[@GOOGLE_IT-00]

​@@454RagingBullSS Would you just use methanol instead of this denatured alcohol and mix with castor oil and good to go?

[@454RagingBullSS]

@GOOGLE_IT I wouldn't run a high performance racing engine without nitro. You would have to re-tune the carb to run a proper air to fuel ratio. Which takes a certain skill. I would try going to your local racing supplier (Murray's Speed and Custom) and find 5 gallons of M1, a gallon of Nitro Methane, and mix with your two stroke oil to get the preferred nitro and oil ratio.

[@GOOGLE_IT-00]

@@454RagingBullSS It's for RC airplanes. OS FS 40 saito 42 motors.

[@454RagingBullSS]

@GOOGLE_IT It will run without the Nitro. Ideally you should experiment with a little higher oil content ratio in the fuel to prevent piston and sleeve gulling until you find the right air to fuel turning. Nitro methane is used in fuels to increase its power output. Bench or ground test to make sure you will have enough thrust for flight and/or to maneuver out of a situation.

[@marx875]

How much cheaper compared to gasoline?

[@Macca96]

I can't mix the denaturated alcohol 90° to the castor oil... do you have a solution?

[@dmrcflyr2]

Marcello Santilli I do not understand why you cannot mix the two. I simply poured both into the glass jar, covered it, and gently shook the jar. Mine mixed fine that way. They have not separated and stay mixed to this day.

[@Macca96]

I used decolorated denaturated alcohol bought at the supermarket, and the castor oil bought at the pharmacy... maybe is the castor oil from the pharmacy different from the benol castor oil? p.s. I made a video where i run a small chinese engine on pure denaturaded alcohol

[@dmrcflyr2]

Marcello Santilli Well the purity of the denatured alcohol is important. what you have purchased might have other ingredients in it. Plus the castor oil I used is specifically for mixing with fuel. It is Klotz degummed made for use in racing fuels.

[@Macca96]

Oh.. Your is degummated... Probably that's the problem...

[@dmrcflyr2]

Marcello Santilli Well I have read where that doesn't matter, but I have not tried any other castor. I also looked closely at the ingredients of the alcohol to make sure no water was present.

[@thedodgelover08]

You should do a comparison with this fuel mixture along with Coleman fuel and other alternatives for the nitro engine. Then maybe see which one could give you the “best bang for your buck”

[@dmrcflyr2]

A very good idea.

[@thedodgelover08]

David McIntire I got another suggestion and that is to use E85 with a BE-3 glow plug (if possible)m.ebay.com/itm/4-PCS-O-S-OS-Engine-Bio-Ethanol-Glow-Plug-BE-3-BE3-Free-Shipping-/290865312611 or use the os bio ethanol engine

[@philiprawbon2359]

damn...i just gotta try this mix out..thanks

[@roberteicke5855]

You would have better fuel if you used methanol instead of ethanol.

[@dmrcflyr2]

That is why it is called an EXPERIMENT.

[@FMo01]

Very interesting! I did not expect, that the engines would run so well with that fuel. I did not see any water steam in the exhaust gas, so it seems that the fuel does not contain much water. Thank you very much for this experiment.

[@dmrcflyr2]

Yes, it was quite interesting, I had a hell of a time getting that FS-30 started but the 46 SF took no time at all. I made another video running a Saito FA-50 on this fuel and it did not seem to care for it at all.

[@Brummell69er]

you sir are my hero. it is hard to get nitro in Ontario unless you want to pay triple on amazon. local r/c shops if lucky get a small order. Hey this video is perfect because you explained clearly what you had to do. NOW we have HOPE

[@substancemusic9122]

I produce castor oil

[@dmrcflyr2]

Very cool!

[@substancemusic9122]

@@dmrcflyr2 is castor oil better for cars

[@TimSmith-vl4qk]

i make custom fuel

[@evanleebodies]

Is denatured alcohol as hydrophyllic as methanol?

[@dmrcflyr2]

What is the measure of how hydrophilic methanol is? Where did you find that number? Can’t you use the same process for getting your answer here? All alcohols are hydrophyllic to some degree.

[@evanleebodies]

@@dmrcflyr2 Wow David! Quick response or what? Good to see you back on the Tube....really missed your expertise and knowledge. I was hoping that using denatured alcohol would pose less of a risk re: corrosion vs methanol.

[@dmrcflyr2]

Well the intent of this video was to simply show a POSSIBLE alternative to making a fuel; basically an excuse to make a video. These engines still require a form of alcohol to operate and with that they will still require the proper maintenance. That includes completely clearing the engine of fuel residue and using a good after run oil to keep internals lubricated. As I asked above, what is your measure or numbers for the hydrophilic capacity of methanol? If you do not know then how can you possibly compare it to denatured alcohol? Thus, what difference does it make? Proper maintenance of your engines still applies so I do not see the relevance of the question. As long as glow fuel is available, using denatured alcohol is not required. Don’t you think if denatured alcohol was less hydrophilic or ‘better’ than methanol, that glow engine manufacturers would recommend its use instead of methanol?

[@evanleebodies]

@@dmrcflyr2 Point taken, thanks