Google for it?  Davis Diesel Development sells it.  If you can find "Dr. Diesel" (Eric Clutton) I think he sells it.  Carlson Engine Imports also came up on my search.

Ether is one of the most important constituents, and it is, apparently, a central part of cooking methamphetamine, so it can be hard to get.  Some brands of engine starting fluid* use ether, but I don't know how cost-effective it is to use.

* Apparently there is, or was, an Australian brand called "Start Ye Bastard!".  I want a can, even if it's empty.

Hi Tim and thanks for the info, but I live in Canada so ordering is out of the question because of postal restrictions and it would make using the diesel prohibitive in cost because of the exorbitant shipping costs.

Hello Ken and thank you for the excellent info.  I had no idea that John Deere starting fluid was ether!  Living in a farming community means I will have NO trouble finding the odd can!  Also, people around here still use kerosene heaters in sheds, garages, etc., so that's not a problem to get either.  The amyl nitrate or cetane booster....what is that used for in automotive?  Is it a fuel booster?

I love the idea of not having to mess around with glow plugs, igniters, starters, etc.  Just fill, flip and fly!  I know there is lots of talk about how messy it is, but you have to clean your ship after flying in either case, so I could never figure out what the big deal was.

Here ya go and it's easy to remember.
1/3 castor oil. (order a gallon from sig)
1/3 kerosene  (buy from hardware store)
1/3 ether (use John Deere starting fluid)
1-2% amyl nitrate or cetane booster from an auto parts store.

Way too much castor oil. Drop to 20-25% and replace wth kerosene.

It works well. I usually make a still sort of containment thing to get the ether out of the pressurized can.

It boils at room temp.

Only if it's a VERY warm room. See  http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927164

IThis is a general recipe so it should be good to go. Make small batches as the ether can escape even with the can closed. If you have old fuel, a 15 second shot of JD starting fluid inside the liquid of the can, will refresh the mix. The signs of too little ether is hard starting. The compression screw should not be adjusted to make old fuel ignite.

Hope this helps.

Ken

Glenn...trust me on this. Only buy one diesel engine, make some fuel, start and run the engine, fly the engine, and then decide if you (and your Mrs.) can withstand the stink. You will not be welcome in a restaurant after a single diesel flight. Phewww!  Steve

The brew varies a lot for different engines. I've got several different tins of diesel made up for different engine. Here is a good chart that I found on Carlsons website. Getting ether and DII is trickier these days too.

Glenn...trust me on this. Only buy one diesel engine, make some fuel, start and run the engine, fly the engine, and then decide if you (and your Mrs.) can withstand the stink. You will not be welcome in a restaurant after a single diesel flight. Phewww!  Steve

I heard someplace -- I think it was on Stunthanger, in a different thread -- that if you use scentless lamp oil the smell is much reduced.  I don't know this for fact, however.

Well fellow fliers, I now have a head full of advice to think through!  I may decide to give up on my diesel thoughts as it just sounds too complicated.  I can't do complicated any more.  So I'll ponder all the great advice and see what percolates to the top!

download the diesel fuel recipes from the Barton CL engine forum, the file has 44 recipes
http://controlline.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6814&start=0

then get your John Deere starting fluid, kero heating fuel, and castor oil.  At a truck stop or well supplied auto store you can get the Amsoil Cetane Boost.  Don't mess with amyl nitrate that is also a ignition stabilizer.  Just follow one of  the recipes on the barton forum excel sheet.

Deciding which fuel mix will depend on the diesel motor you have.  Plain bearing older motor higher castor, current F2C ball bearing motor you can get away with a much lower oil content.  If I remember right Ken Burdick is running the older plain bearing motors hence his fuel mix will work well for them.

The beauty of the John Deere starting fluid is the composition of the stuff.  80% ether, 1% to 2% top end lubricant and the propellant is 18% to 19% propane.  So the way I get it out is to spray the whole can with a plastic tube into a beaker.  Done at room temp or really anything over about -43 degrees F. and the propane gases off.  you now have ~98% ether.   The one or two percent top end lubricant has no impact on the resulting fuel mix.  At least in back to back testing with high end F2C planes it didn't change the speed or range.  Compared medical ether to JD starting fluid, all the remaining components were exactly the same.

Keep your fuel in the backpacking fuel bottles they seal much better than about any other fuel bottles I've seen.

The fuel stinks, bad.  Once you get over that and have a source for the fuel materials it is an interesting learning experience in working with the motors.

Excellent advice, I for this reason, I avoid diesel engines. From the smell of the house, my head hurts

After years of running diesels I finally wised up and added candle scent to the fuel. It only takes a few drops to make the aroma palatable to most around you. Of course then you have to figure out which scent want to stink after running a diesel. Perhaps that's why Eric Cluton [AKA Dr Diesel] adds vanilla to his fuel.