1/2A fuel
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1/2A fuel
I can get Hobbico "1/2A" fuel through my local hobby shop. Iread that the old Cox 049s have to have at least 20% oil with at least 10% of that being Castor Oil. I read this off the Cox International site. My question is, for anybody who has done this, ishow much castor oil such as Benol racing castor do I need to add to a quart of Hobbico to make my engines run properly and last over time? I know there are other fuels such as Sig but my LHS's don't carry that brand.
#2
RE: 1/2A fuel
You cannot calculate how much castor oil to add to a fuel until you determine how much oil the fuel originally contained and how the lubricant package is blended. Some oil packages may be an 80/20 synthetic/castor mix; some may be 50/50; some may be all synthetic and some may be all castor.
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RE: 1/2A fuel
This is what the web site says about the fuel:
This is a 1/2 pint of Hobbico Super 1/2A 25% Nitro Fuel.
FEATURES: Designed for 1/2A category of model airplane engines, and Cox model airplane engines, as well as boat and car engines Special Klotz oil formulation helps lubricate and cool engine components 25% nitro offers benefits such as more RPM, better throttle response, smoother idle, and reduced needle valve sensitivity compared to 15% nitro fuel 18% lubrication content
INCLUDES: One bottle 8oz (237ml) of Hobbico Super 1/2A Nitro Airplane Fuel
It doesn't appear that there is any castor in this fuel. I would add about 1 tablespoon (about 15 ml)of Benol to the 1/2 pint. This will bring the oil content up to about 24% and the castor should provide better protection for your engine.
Orv.
This is a 1/2 pint of Hobbico Super 1/2A 25% Nitro Fuel.
FEATURES: Designed for 1/2A category of model airplane engines, and Cox model airplane engines, as well as boat and car engines Special Klotz oil formulation helps lubricate and cool engine components 25% nitro offers benefits such as more RPM, better throttle response, smoother idle, and reduced needle valve sensitivity compared to 15% nitro fuel 18% lubrication content
INCLUDES: One bottle 8oz (237ml) of Hobbico Super 1/2A Nitro Airplane Fuel
It doesn't appear that there is any castor in this fuel. I would add about 1 tablespoon (about 15 ml)of Benol to the 1/2 pint. This will bring the oil content up to about 24% and the castor should provide better protection for your engine.
Orv.
#4
RE: 1/2A fuel
ORIGINAL: ggeezer
...................
It doesn't appear that there is any castor in this fuel. I would add about 1 tablespoon (about 15 ml)of Benol to the 1/2 pint.
Orv.
...................
It doesn't appear that there is any castor in this fuel. I would add about 1 tablespoon (about 15 ml)of Benol to the 1/2 pint.
Orv.
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RE: 1/2A fuel
I doubt very much it is all synthetic. The bottle states it is an oil mixture. More likely a syn/cas blend, 80/20 is common but I really have no idea and cannot find any info on it (gee thanks Hobbico). In which case bringing the total oil up to 23% with castor will result in a workable, but perhaps not optimum, 1/2A fuel.
A lot of 1/2A fliers dope 18% syn/cas sport fuels with an extra 4-6% castor oil and are content with it. Less castor than is felt to be ideal, but it has worked for me and others for sport 1/2A use. I would not run it smaller engines that I cherish. But if you ever wander around a hobby shop and see some Sig Champion 1/2A fuel, grab a bottle or two. It is 20% oil, 50/50 blend.
I believe Cox 1/2A fuel was 23% castor.
It's annoying they do not specify the actual oil makeup. I will wager plenty that Hobbico doesn't know more about blending 1/2A fuel than any othe fuel company and possibly less, and that there is nothing proprietary or new and wonderful or otherwise about their 1/2A fuel that would make it stand out from any other. I suspect they are simply putting 25% standard sport fuel in a small bottle and calling it 1/2A fuel due to the quantity and nitro content..
Reminds me of the FAI fuel I bought a while ago that turned out to be 17% all synthetic.. now that p-ed me off.
A lot of 1/2A fliers dope 18% syn/cas sport fuels with an extra 4-6% castor oil and are content with it. Less castor than is felt to be ideal, but it has worked for me and others for sport 1/2A use. I would not run it smaller engines that I cherish. But if you ever wander around a hobby shop and see some Sig Champion 1/2A fuel, grab a bottle or two. It is 20% oil, 50/50 blend.
I believe Cox 1/2A fuel was 23% castor.
It's annoying they do not specify the actual oil makeup. I will wager plenty that Hobbico doesn't know more about blending 1/2A fuel than any othe fuel company and possibly less, and that there is nothing proprietary or new and wonderful or otherwise about their 1/2A fuel that would make it stand out from any other. I suspect they are simply putting 25% standard sport fuel in a small bottle and calling it 1/2A fuel due to the quantity and nitro content..
Reminds me of the FAI fuel I bought a while ago that turned out to be 17% all synthetic.. now that p-ed me off.
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RE: 1/2A fuel
I think this is the "way it works"...
If the quantity of oil in a commercial model aviation fuel is kept an unknown secret from the consumer, then I guarantee it is a percentage that is barely adequate for modern ball bearing, ABC or ABN engines.
If the fuel has a fairly high % of oil...[like 25% for example], the mfg will proudly let it be known....since oil is the most expensive ingredient.
If the quantity of oil in a commercial model aviation fuel is kept an unknown secret from the consumer, then I guarantee it is a percentage that is barely adequate for modern ball bearing, ABC or ABN engines.
If the fuel has a fairly high % of oil...[like 25% for example], the mfg will proudly let it be known....since oil is the most expensive ingredient.
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RE: 1/2A fuel
Thanks for the replys. It is sort of annoying that they don't have a complete breakdown of what they're putting in their mix, except for Sig and Glowplugboy, which I ordered this afternoon. I figured I would go ahead and order their stuff and wait for it since a lot of 1/2A'ers use it and have had good results. Better safe than sorry because without a decent percentage of castor oil, I know that these motors can get damaged over a short period of time.
#8
RE: 1/2A fuel
I don't run Glowplugboy fuel, but the folks that use it seem very satisfied with its performance.
My LHS doesn't cater to small IC motors either, but does support a strong custormer base of car guys. I buy Morgan Sidewinder Pro race fuel, 30% nitro, 10% oil. I chose this mix due to the low oil content which allows me to add more castor without diluting the nitro percentage too much or driving the overall oil content too high.
My mix: 1 quart Pro 30/10; add 4.4 oz. of castor (I use Klotz BeNol). Final blend is 26.4% nitro; 21% total oil; 16.5% castor content. The synthetic/castor ratio is 20/80 - the synthetic keeps varnishing to a minimum.
My LHS doesn't cater to small IC motors either, but does support a strong custormer base of car guys. I buy Morgan Sidewinder Pro race fuel, 30% nitro, 10% oil. I chose this mix due to the low oil content which allows me to add more castor without diluting the nitro percentage too much or driving the overall oil content too high.
My mix: 1 quart Pro 30/10; add 4.4 oz. of castor (I use Klotz BeNol). Final blend is 26.4% nitro; 21% total oil; 16.5% castor content. The synthetic/castor ratio is 20/80 - the synthetic keeps varnishing to a minimum.