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General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: posthole_digger on October 03, 2009, 01:39:44 PM

Title: Fuel Oil/Nitro Content - In the good old days!
Post by: posthole_digger on October 03, 2009, 01:39:44 PM

When I was a kid in the 50s, I'd go to the hobby shop and buy a quart of whatever fuel was the cheapest. I didn't pay any attention to oil or nitro content - but, I'm not sure the cans said anyway. I was using all the plain bearing engines that were popular at that time - Fox, Veco, K&B, Cox, etc.

Anyone know what the oil and nitro content of those old brands were?

Paul

Title: Re: Fuel Oil/Nitro Content - In the good old days!
Post by: Ralph Wenzel (d) on October 03, 2009, 07:18:32 PM

Most (Testor's 39, Fox Superfuel, K&B 100, Francisco Nitro X etc.) were in the 5% Nitro/25% castor group, with some variance.

Cox Blue can, Nitro, K&B 1000 and Nitro XX were around 15% Nitro and 22% oil. At least, this is what I think I remember . . .

Title: Re: Fuel Oil/Nitro Content - In the good old days!
Post by: Dwayne on October 04, 2009, 08:26:21 AM

Quote from: Ty Marcucci on October 03, 2009, 08:20:24 PM

K&B 500 was 15%, the K&B 1000 was 25% as was Missle Mist.  H^^

Yup  y1

Title: Re: Fuel Oil/Nitro Content - In the good old days!
Post by: Mike Greb on October 04, 2009, 02:23:35 PM

Wasn't missile mist at one time 12.5 nitomethane and 12.5 nitroethane ?  One time I ran of everything but Missile mist and ran it in an os35s in a stunt plane.  It ran really good.

Title: Re: Fuel Oil/Nitro Content - In the good old days!
Post by: Dave Adamisin on October 04, 2009, 04:39:59 PM

Quote from: Ty Marcucci on October 03, 2009, 08:20:24 PM

K&B 500 was 15%, the K&B 1000 was 25% as was Missle Mist.  H^^

I always thought that K&B 1000 was 30% and K&B Speed Fuel was 50% and it had that cool smelling oil.

Title: Re: Fuel Oil/Nitro Content - In the good old days!
Post by: Mike Greb on October 04, 2009, 05:38:52 PM

One time I took a tour of the Fox factory when Duke was still alive.  He had a trophy made of several McCoy engines with the rod stuck through the crankcase.   The inscription on the base was " Blasted by Fox Blast."  I think Blast was 50% nitro.

Title: Re: Fuel Oil/Nitro Content - In the good old days!
Post by: Steve Helmick on October 04, 2009, 06:13:18 PM

Blast was indeed 50%. Missle Mist is still available, and the website says it's 25% nitro and 22% oil. I used lots of MM, and often ran Blast in my ST .35C's in combat...never blew one up, either.

K&B was not as open about their fuel mixes, but it eventually came out that K&B Speed Fuel was 60% nitro. I used a lot of it in speed events. The early stuff was said to have a soybean oil in it, which I don't think worked very well. Later, they used "X2C" oil, which I suppose was some sort of synthetic, possibly UCON.

It eventually came out that Cox Red Can was 30% nitro, and I think Blue Can was 10% with 20% castor.

I started mixing my own fuel in '65 or '66 and mostly ran 65% nitro in speed, but some 75%, and always UCON oil. K&B Speed Fuel was the baseline, and easy to surpass, but we didn't know it was 60% at the time.  I wasn't flying Combat anymore, but ran 30% and 40% in a Rat or two, with a K&B .40rr.   :X Steve