Author Topic: model plane fuel (Read 4447 times)

Charlie Pate · « **on:** March 23, 2009, 02:04:18 PM »

Saw the thread on hot planes in 54!
Got me thinking (smell the wood burning?) about the fuels available back then.
we used to sit on the side of the field and read the engines that were suitable to
be run with O&R fuel. As I can best remember ,they had aa,2,and 4. there may have been other s.
they later had an XL fuel( the less said the better0. 69 cents a pint.
the engines listed on the sides of the can were a real hoot for young kids; and maybe an education
in word pronunciation,.

names like Howler,Barker, Thunderbird ,Mohawk ,Dooling ,Hothead , brought many hmms, laughs
and comments.
What brand fuel do you remember?
Blueblazer, Testor 39 ; the perfect fuel for all model engines! Well , at least you got the same result.!
Lets hear from you!

mike hartung · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2009, 03:59:48 PM »

How about Missile Mist.

sleepy gomez · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2009, 05:44:38 PM »

Curious about this. I've been told by someone who did a little flying 40 years ago that he used glycerin rather than castor in his home made fuel. I find it hard to believe. Any thoughts?

Ralph Wenzel (d) · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2009, 07:37:35 PM »

Well, let's see . . .

There was Francisco Nitro X, Nitro XX and Diesel, Fox Superfuel and Blast!, K&B 100, 500 and 1000, Cox Blue and Red . . That's about all I can remember using, although I'm sure there were more.

Anybody else remember RoGo ? I must have burned 5 gallons a year of his 40-40 (40% nitro, 40% methanol, 20% UCON).

Dennis Adamisin · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2009, 10:05:18 PM »

RoGo 30% for Combat,, 40% for Rats, and 60%.... for "medicinal" purposes!

Dennis Leonhardi · « **Reply #5 on:** March 24, 2009, 08:42:12 AM »

Power Mist! Catchiest name ever for fuel ... And remember the sweet smell of nitrobenzene?

Dennis

Charlie Pate · « **Reply #6 on:** March 24, 2009, 12:28:35 PM »

Quote from: ama353 on March 24, 2009, 08:42:12 AM

Power Mist! Catchiest name ever for fuel ... And remember the sweet smell of nitrobenzene?

Dennis

Just like Griffin shoe polish!
Mixed it 1;3 with K&B 500 worked great for me!
Made neophrene tubing harder than a nail! and turned it a nicotene colr brown

Jim Kraft · « **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2009, 01:59:08 PM »

I seem to have a qt. can of Testors McCoy engine fuel in my garage. I remember running OK fuel in my Cubs. My Midwest Magician plan says to run Nitro X stunt fuel. Now I am afraid to fly my new one because I can't find any Nitro X.

Mike Keville · « **Reply #8 on:** March 24, 2009, 05:58:04 PM »

PowerMist (aka Francisco "Hi-Thrust") was the fuel of choice in South 'Jersey, c.1950-56. There was also some Testors 39 and OK Glow Fuel in use, but green-can PowerMist was *the* fuel back then.

Later in life, it was K&B 100 and Midwest's Nitro-X.

During a brief flirtation (early '60s) with Combat, it was something called "Neotane". It had that delicious "shoe polish" aroma....now said to have been carcinogenic, which may help explain the apparent loss of brain cells here.

But what I wouldn't give for some original Francisco PowerMist today. Several years ago, De Hill gave me an empty can. I cleaned it up and donated it to the replica hobby shop in the AMA museum.

Chris McMillin · « **Reply #9 on:** March 24, 2009, 06:34:09 PM »

Hot Rod City.
Torrance, California, they were a drag racing fuel source and Dad used to have them mix up 10 gallons at a time. First it came in 5 gallons metal drums. Later it was in gray plastic cans. I still have some Hot Rod City SoCal stickers somewhere...
Chris...

Marvin Denny · « **Reply #10 on:** March 24, 2009, 06:58:24 PM »

X-Cell Golden Glo, Fox Blast
Bigiron

Paul Smith · « **Reply #11 on:** March 24, 2009, 07:05:23 PM »

There used to be some regional brews, I believe from Don Hoyer of Dayton,

Big Hammer, Sledge Hammer, Rat Hammer, and All Hammer.
Obviuously nothing for the sport & stunt clientle.

Don Hutchinson AMA5402 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 24, 2009, 07:27:41 PM »

Anyone remember Octolene, White Magic or RegPink? Boy, does that date me!!!
Don

Garf · « **Reply #13 on:** March 24, 2009, 09:48:30 PM »

Fox Superfuel, Missle Mist, Blast, K&B Supersonic 100, 1000, Hi-Lo, Frannies hi nitro, Testors 39X, 99X.

Bill Heher · « **Reply #14 on:** March 25, 2009, 06:23:20 AM »

Earliest I remeber is Cox fuel in the can with the plane against a pale blue sky, a Red Prop rod at the bottom and a boat. We also used Cox "Racing Fuel" - which cost more so we only got that when an unsuspecting mother was given the duty of hauling us to the hobby shop and buying the fuel. Most Dad's would realize that the extra cost was not worth it for a bunch of pre-teen kids smashing PT-19s and Sterling sheet balsa 1/2A profiles into the ground.

There was also Testor's- but we had a low opinion of their RTF planes and engines, this carried over to the fuel. It was cheaper than Cox- so when money was short we sometimes bought it. It seemed to work OK, just wasn't COX.

Later when I got a 'Big Plane" - S-1 Ringmaster w/ K&B Stallion "35" it was K&B 100 / 500, and Fox Superfuel in quart cans. I don't think I owned a gallon jug of fuel until I was 16 and had a job, I bought a gallon of K&B 500- I was in the big time!!

tom hampshire · « **Reply #15 on:** March 25, 2009, 07:08:25 AM »

Hey Mike, Ralph, and other Francisco Olde Pharts... Believe it or not, Francisco Labs is still in business. They sell premium ingredients to the Go Kart and dirt bike racers. WR Grace nitro, Bakers AA degummed castor, Baker Chemical, Frelinghuysen Ave., Newark NJ and vacuum packed methanol. The present owners bought the business in 1961, and found the model airplane trade too hard to serve. They trade as Power Mist Racing Products, 67 Stickles Pond Rd., Newton, NJ 07860, 973 383 1061. I go pick my stuff up, they will not ship. NJ has a hyper aggressive DEP, so I suppose its a matter of time until another payroll flees. Sigh. Tom H.

Howard Rush · « **Reply #16 on:** March 25, 2009, 07:53:07 AM »

I, too, used Testors 39 because it was cheap: 85 cents a pint and $1.50 a quart. I remember a Francisco ad with a picture of Emmett Francisco wearing a white lab coat and having what looked like a burned arm-- a serious fuel chemist.

Charlie Pate · « **Reply #17 on:** March 25, 2009, 10:44:48 AM »

Quote from: Howard Rush on March 25, 2009, 07:53:07 AM

I, too, used Testors 39 because it was cheap: 85 cents a pint and $1.50 a quart. I remember a Francisco ad with a picture of Emmett Francisco wearing a white lab coat and having what looked like a burned arm-- a serious fuel chemist.

As I remember, he had what appeared to me to be a tattoo on his left
forearm . I just figured he must have been in the Navy! In those days that was about the only people that had them.

Dave Adamisin · « **Reply #18 on:** March 25, 2009, 06:42:45 PM »

Quote from: Ralph Wenzel on March 23, 2009, 07:37:35 PM

Well, let's see . . .

There was Francisco Nitro X, Nitro XX and Diesel, Fox Superfuel and Blast!, K&B 100, 500 and 1000, Cox Blue and Red . . That's about all I can remember using, although I'm sure there were more.

Anybody else remember RoGo ? I must have burned 5 gallons a year of his 40-40 (40% nitro, 40% methanol, 20% UCON).

[/quote

Heck I not only remember RoGo, I remember Harry Roe. He was the guy that convinced me that I didn't need Castor any more. I would add K*B Speed fuel to the list which was also a great fuel for any Cox engine you wanted to spin real fast.

Dave Adamisin · « **Reply #19 on:** March 25, 2009, 06:45:14 PM »

I just remembered another Francisco fuel, Blue Blazer.

Phil Spillman · « **Reply #20 on:** March 26, 2009, 10:17:50 AM »

Hello All, I too used the Testor's 39 with the little up and down pumps which took forever to fuel even a 1/2 A tank! So far no one has mentioned OK Cub fuel in the yellow and brown with red trim cans! Eventually It turned to something which resembled rusty water!

Phil Spillman

Author Topic: model plane fuel (Read 4447 times)

Dennis Leonhardi

Dave Adamisin

Dave Adamisin