I have one of the older 29 rear intake ignition Forsters, and it likes to run in a wet 2 stroke on a 10-6 prop. I have run it on glow but it never had that crackling sound you speak of. I would try adding another head gasket, and maybe going to a colder plug like a Fox standard non idlebar and see what that does for you. I would also stick with the 0 nitro fuel until you find what works. As I remember that guys that flew these back in the day all ran them in a wet 2 stroke because they did not work well in a 2-4 break.

     Hi Terry:

     I think that you have been misled by a very optimistic engine report.  The H.P. and rpm figures in that report seem too high for a 1956 engine of that type!  What you are getting, seems more plausible.

    In my experience, the higher c.r. engines would run well on no nitro.  If one wanted to run more nitro, one would reduce the c.r.  In Old Country, I ran no nitro for years and had no problems.  If this engine runs well on no nitro, so be it! I have had engines that seemed to crackle on the ground but sounded great when in he air.

     The crackle that you hear may just be the normal sound of the that engine when it is running.  I have had old engines that sounded much differently than the more modern engines.  Don't sweat the sound!

     Yesterday, I was having a problem with one of my favourite engines and it turned out to be the NVA!  For some reason, fuel would not pass through  the nva despite the holes in the nva being unobstructed!  A new nva cured the problem. ?? What the problem was wil remain a mystery! Lol

    I would enjoy the engine for what it is and if it liked no nitro fuel, then that is what it would get. It is less expensive also!  Does it start easily? If so, it is a keeper!

                                                                                                                                      Good luck my friend,

                                                                                                                                      Frank

Rex Abbott ran a Forster .35 for awhile, but I think he got over it. In an "International Stunt Winner", if I remember correctly. It seemed pretty fussy to me. I'd suggest contacting him, and also would suggest that the 10-5 APC is a lot of prop for it. Going to a cooler glowplug would also seem like a good idea, if you're actually getting pre-ignition. Less prop load would not make it heat up as much, so that should also help. Nitro does produce heat, but is actually pretty difficult to light afire...I don't think nitro or compression ratio is the problem. Plus, a lot of older engines are known to have a pretty nasty "bark", but I don't know if there's a theory about why.    Steve

You might want to check with MECOA as they have built quite a few of those and do have parts. I have purchased a timer and intake venture from them. I also make gaskets for most of my old engines either from aluminum sheet or Testors gasket material from Tower.
      Most of the older engines had reasonable timing and compression ratios, but my Orwick 64 has 10 to 1. I added another gasket to tame it down and it did help. It still has plenty of power and runs smoother for control line. I think Henry Orwick did lower the compression on his later engines for that reason.

Well Terry, my way is not perfect and sometimes I have to cut 2 or 3 to get one I really like but here goes. For cutting them out of aluminum I mark the inside hole and use a large paper punch to go around just inside the mark to make the hole.  I then take my Dremel with a sanding drum and finish it out. You will have to take a knife and clean up the edges of the hole. If it is a narrow gasket that fits inside of a groove in the head, I use scissors to cut around the outside to fit.

If it is fiber gasket material, I use an Exacto #11 blade and cut it out. The only fiber that will work for head gaskets is the Perfect gasket material from Tower. I said Testors above but it is the Perfect brand. Sometimes you can get black asbestos rubberized gasket from the auto parts stores, but it is hard to find in the right thickness. Card stock works well for back plate gaskets and such but will blow out and leak very quickly in head gaskets. On thin back plate gaskets I some times use brown butcher paper or grocery sacks. After marking the inside hole in paper or fiber gaskets, I cut with that Exacto knife very carefull going only slightly into the material on the first pass. I find that if I keep turning the material to where I am always pulling with the knife I can usually get it cut without slipping and cutting where I don' want to. On backplates you can cut the inner hole and bolt up the back plate, and then cut around the outside with the knife.

As someone once said you just cut away everthing that is not a gasket.

I use a small paper punch for the bolt holes after marking them. It works on aluminum and fiber really well. The secret is getting them punched in the right place after marking them. Once the center hole is done you can slide the gasket onto the back plate or what ever and mark the holes. Then remove the gasket and punch them out. If you really want an exotic tool you can buy a leather punch but paper punches have worked just fine for me.

I spoke with Rex today at the contest. He said a 9-6 was about it for the Forster .35. Also said it wouldn't be a good choice for a Smoothie or something of that size. Does RSM make a 9-6? If so, get one to try!  Steve

A Veco Warrior would be pretty sweet choice! The one that looks like a small Chief...good flyer if kept light.  Steve