Castor oil.

[Perry Rose]

Is anyone getting castor for under $20.00/gallon?

[Jim Svitko]

There is a website for Bulk Apothecary.  I think that is the name.  I don't know if the castor they sell is suitable for our purposes.  More investigation is needed.

They have castor in various container sizes.  One size is 8 lb., which appears to be a gallon, listed for about $17, plus shipping, last time I looked.  This was months ago.

If we can use this castor then it is the best price I have seen anywhere.  Otherwise, I get castor from Sig.

[Perry Rose]

Kind of a loaded question I posted. I bought a gallon from them and got it today. I mixed up a batch of fuel with it and it ran just fine in an OS .40LA. So good in fact I ordered a five gallon, 40 pound, batch. With shipping, UPS ground, $95.00. From Sig it's $190.00 without shipping. I mixed up a 5 gallon batch of fuel using the castor from Bulk Apothecary and the castor was cleaner than any other I've ever used. No difference that I can see from the high price stuff. I had to sign for it though and made them understand I didn't want to sign for the next batch.

[Jim Svitko]

That is good to hear.  I was wondering if I should take a chance on destroying an engine.  I thought of sending them an inquiry about using their castor in our engines.

Now, if we could get synthetic oil at the cost of the Bulk Apothecary castor, that would reduce the cost of home brew considerably.

[Perry Rose]

The way I mix fuel it brings my cost per gallon below $10.00.
Motorman, check your tracking orders I had to sign for my first gallon. I told them to delete that from the second order.

[Jim Svitko]

What was the reason you had to sign for the first delivery?

Please let us know if any issues develop with this castor.  I have a supply of castor from Sig that will last a while.  If the castor you bought is working then I may get my next order from Bulk Apothecary.

My cost per gallon (5/22, 50-50 oil) right now is about $13 a gallon.  The cheaper castor would certainly reduce that.  I get nitro and methanol from local automotive performance shops.  Local hobby shops have fuel priced at $18-$20 a gallon, sometimes over $20 a gallon.

I have been getting the oil, both castor and synthetic, from Sig.  Sig had the best price I could find for oil.  Much better price than getting castor or synthetic oil from local retail outlets, such as motorcycle shops.

[Terry Caron]

That's a great price - I'll be very interested to hear more about how it performs.

[Perry Rose]

Jim, I asked and they didn't know why it was set up that way. I just got shipping data for the 5 gallon order and after email and calling I don't have to sign for this shipment.

[Paul Smith]

I get castor from Randy Ritch of Ritch's Brew.

Getting castor is no big deal.   Nitro is a big deal.

But why buy the chemicals when you can get a supplier to mix whatever you want?

[Jim Svitko]

I get castor from Randy Ritch of Ritch's Brew.

Getting castor is no big deal.   Nitro is a big deal.

But why buy the chemicals when you can get a supplier to mix whatever you want?

I suppose for some of us it is a matter of cost, availability, and convenience.  The haz mat charges eliminate buying fuel and having it shipped.  The only hobby shop in DFW that sold fuel (Ritch's Brew) at a good price has closed.  So, I get the materials and mix my own, in whatever proportion I need.

Nitro is not cheap but I found a local supplier for $25 a gallon.  I don't use much nitro so a gallon goes a long way.  I hope the supplier can still provide it when I need more.

[Al Ferraro]

  Morgan Fuel sells clean castor for $45 gal. Good stuff.
Al

[Perry Rose]

I just flew with the new oil in my home brew fuel. I couldn't see any difference. I flew two different planes both with O.S. .46LA engines. One with a stock muffler and Curtis Shipp back plate and 665 sq.in wing the other a Brodak kit P-40B the engine using a Fox .35 muffler and stock back plate. 65 foot lines eye to eye on both planes. On the P-40 I flew using both fuels and the same needle setting and 3 3/4 ounces of fuel. On 5 out of 5 flights, 3 new and 2 old castor fuel, the engine quit in the first loop of the clover. The bigger plane with 3 3/4 ounces of new castor fuel ran 12 laps after the clover just as it does with the Sig castor. I have one gallon of Sig castor, 5 gallons of Bulk Apothecary castor coming and 5 gallons of fuel mixed with the test gallon so I won't be buying any castor for a few weeks anyway. My opinion is that this new vendor has good clean castor at a very good price.

[George Albo]

Perry I just got a quote Bulk Apothecary

Hi George,

Yes, we sell it the gallon; that would be 8 lb. ($2.08 / lb) - $16.67

If you need further assistance, please let me know; we're here to help.

Thanks!

Daniel
Customer Service
Bulk Apothecary/Natural Essentials
sales@bulkapothecary.com
125 Lena Drive, Aurora, Ohio 44202
1-888-728-7612

[Allan Perret]

Perry: you using all castor lube in your home brew, or a castor/synthetic blend ?

[Perry Rose]

 My mix has one gallon less one pint of castor 3 gallons of methanol plus a pint. I ad one gallon of store bought 10% nitro fuel that has 50/50 oil of 20 to 22% total oil. So my mix has about 13 ounces of synthetic oil to 5 gallons of fuel. Roughly 98% castor 2%synthetic? Give or take.