Merlin glow plugs

[Bootlegger]

 Who is using these plugs, which one are you using in stunt, how do you like them, and any other info that you can provide..

[Lauri Malila]

Gil,

This year I started to use the Merlin #2004. It is slightly hotter than Enya #3.
Quality is not quite as good as with Enya, so far I have had one leaking, and coil alloy should be a little harder (more rhodium) for my 0% nitro use.
I have also heard racing people complaining about the quality but their requirements are higher. I think they are ok for stunt flying and we should allways support companies who make plugs especially for us.

L

[RandySmith]

HI Gil

I use and sell  the Merlin plugs, I have sold 100s of them , and they work very well for stunt, Many of the Nats competitors were using  the Merlin 2004 or 2005, I sold maybe  just short of 100 Merlin Plugs at the Nats this year, I have a large stock of them. larger than normal because  of the  closing down of Thunder Bolt plugs, these are my " go to"  replacements

Randy

[Lauri Malila]

Randy,

There has been rumours about closing down of Merlin plugs, have you heard anything about that?

[Fredvon4]

OK this is a true hijack of Bootlgger's good question

Bottom line up front;
Point is ....if Glow plugs , that work well.... are being discontinued ....is there a danger in the future?

My POV info follows.

I am a Model airplane returnee. And managed to enlist my 32 YO son who was initially jazzed with model airplane flight....to a smaller degree my 7 year old grandson

I returned in 2012 after 35 years gone...Dad got me jazzed in 1959

And, like me, my san has a family to raise and work to do every day.
I expect, like me, he will return when he is 50~60....20 years from NOW.... Not sure yet if Grandson Jackson will remember grand pa's cool hobby and want to relive these years of his youth. BUT I try every time he visits to make what I do as a hobby seem really cool and fun.

I tend to think we have a lot more options right now than I did when I was 14.
Of course I have a LOT more disposable $$ now

I have managed to amass a pretty comprehensive collection of Kits, engines, and other currently available model airplane STUFF.  Much more than I will ever use.....
Assuming 20 years from now my son, Justin, will have a hard time trying to do it "dad's way"...

Example; I usually buy two of each engine...focusing on NIB or in the case of specialty engines like the Fox .36 BB at least one set of Brian Gardner's replacement liner/pistons

I do NOT consider my acquisitions as HOARDING....BUT I do have well over 80 engines and 35 kits

I have a concern about some items slowly becoming more and more unobtainable...and as we see on these forums each year we loose cottage industry folks

NOT to be morbid--- but Bob Hunt, Randy Smith, Eric Rule, John Brodak, Pat Johnston, Walt Umland, Tom Morris, Doug Galbreath, Tom Dixon, Lew Woolard, Mikey Pratt, Dennis Admison, and on and on.... will not be here..... in 2037 when the seeds I have sown germinate and grow

I like to think I have a future proof supply of Glow plugs for my modest combat engine collection---Nelson and KB-1

I only bought 2 Thunder Bolt RC Longs from Randy

So with 35+ good Stunt engines.... and an average of 2 plugs per engine.... do I need to be real concerned that some are becoming unobtainable?   

Is this a trend (I tend to think it is because of Electricery power)

Should I seriously consider Stocking UP...(hoarding) some of the still available Glow plugs?

Thoughts, opinions, advice

[RandySmith]

Randy,

There has been rumours about closing down of Merlin plugs, have you heard anything about that?

NO   I have never heard  that rumor, T Bolt  shut down.  The owner  of Merlin Plugs  brought me  an additional  100  plugs  to the  Us NATs ,   He has never even hinted at that, so I do not  think  it is to be taken seriously

Randy

[Steve Helmick]

Since Thunderbolt glowplugs were made for Hobby People by Ohlsson Corporation...and Hobby People went away, there's no reason for us not to be able to get glowplugs made by Ohlsson Corporation. My understanding is that K&B plugs are made by O.C. Can't we find out who makes SIG glowplugs and various other USA brands? RO-Jett sold some glowplugs...were they made by OC or Merlin? What other brands are made by OC? How about Randy Aero branded glowplugs?  Steve

[RandySmith]

Since Thunderbolt glowplugs were made for Hobby People by Ohlsson Corporation...and Hobby People went away, there's no reason for us not to be able to get glowplugs made by Ohlsson Corporation. My understanding is that K&B plugs are made by O.C. Can't we find out who makes SIG glowplugs and various other USA brands? RO-Jett sold some glowplugs...were they made by OC or Merlin? What other brands are made by OC? How about Randy Aero branded glowplugs?  Steve

Not as simple as that,  I  stock and sale  SIG and  Merlin Glow Plugs by the  100s , and  Enya and OS by the  10s , 
The MERLIN  2004   and  2005  are excellent in stunt engines
The SIG  RC long  are also very good in stunt engines
Plugs are just not a problem

Randy

[RknRusty]

I liked T'bolt plugs for my stunt engines, but they were about equal in my flightbox with Enya #3s. I've been told he Enyas might be a little more rugged than the T'bolts, but I've never had a failure with either one.

Off topic for this thread, but I use Merlin drop-in plugs in my 1/2A Cox and Norvels with the clamp-ring heads. I like that my sub-C spring clip glow igniter fits them(but not the twist-on type). You have to add up to 5 head shims to get the compression under control on the Cox engines.

Btw, if you discard the yellow NiCd 1300mah battery in your sub-C igniters and buy a 4000mah NiMH battery, you go from 20 minutes of lighting time to an hour and a half of white hot starting power. And unlike NiCd, you can top off the charge anytime without ruining your NiMH battery. You just have to remove the plastic cover to make it fit the igniter.

Don't buy the chinese ones off of eBay. I go to Interstate batteries to buy mine. The discarded NiCds work a couple of months in my Wahl shaver.
Rusty

[Lyle Spiegel]

Why no one mentioning Glo Devil plug from Sonic Tronic/ McDaniel? They have hot plug with idle bar, runs as well as defunct Thunderbolt R?C hot plug

[RknRusty]

Why no one mentioning Glo Devil plug from Sonic Tronic/ McDaniel? They have hot plug with idle bar, runs as well as defunct Thunderbolt R?C hot plug

I think that one actually is on my list of plugs that have been recommended to me by people I trust. I just haven't tried them yet. Merlin is the topic, and I said all I know about them, but still didn't know about their plugs for stunt engines.

[Derek Barry]

I used Merlin plugs all week at the Nats. They work as well as any other plug I have tried.

Derek

[Will Hinton]

Al (Merlin) had his usual booth at the Toledo Show this year and was swamped evry time we went by.  Got to talk to him for just a couple of minutes and he was strictly positive about his business.

[RandySmith]

MERLIN  is  NOT going out of business, they make   GREAT Products, I have used them for many many years  with  NO problems, the plugs  DO NOT  leak, they are durable  and  are made in a wide range of  heat  or  cold
I personally spoke with  Al  about this  last week,  so those are only rumors

Regards
Randy