Kelly,

The owner of DStar was quite evasive but I don't blame him. This IS, after all, real serious stuff for these guys. He seemed to be the same kind of guy we ALL are, just a happy bunch of nuts who love small machinery. But he had a company to run involved in some hi-tech security issues. So be it, I contributed what I could, specifically, he appreciated my input on the superiority, IMO, of Cox props. Apparently, prop design, in very small sizes is unknown to aeronautical engineers.

Regarding the flat disc. I'm also thinking that an insulated disc of some sort may be an advantage. One way to do this would be to make up a pile of very thin, copper discs and stack them. The air trapped between the layers would act as insulation. A neat approach to retaining heat in a hot spot of sorts.

About carbon. My test flyer with the dieselized .074 was not up to snuff lately so I took the head off for the first time this summer. This head has seen all manner of fuels with all manner of oils. Holy Smokes, Batman, carbon thick enough to scrape off with a knife blade. The head was dark, but not bad. The piston was crudded up some badly. It was soft crud but crud nonetheless.

Yes, WFO is very doable with a no ether fuel. Starting is the issue and ether is an essential for hand starting.

Greg,

I'm pleased to hear that 4 strokes respond well to a no ether fuel. Can we assume you're using Benol and Amsoil? Starting may be eased by using a special prime mix of 80% ether and 20% oil.

Skypilot,

Glad to see another diesel dude having fun experimenting. Thanks for the link.

OK.

Went to the local Canadian Tire to pick up some Amsoil, 2 cycle oil. Couldn't find any because, in that section, all they had was this "hp injector" stuff. But wait, the fine print says that it's a Synthetic, 2-cycle oil. Amsoil, ya gotta re-label the stuff. Anyway, the label also says that it's recommended for " TC-W3 and API-TC applications as injector oil OR as 50:1 pre-mix".

Here's the issue though. The viscosity is nowhere near castor or 50 Avoil. More like 20 or so. Gonna have to call Amsoil tomorrow.

But, also at Canadian Tire is this " Diesel Fuel Supplement" from a company called "Power Services". Big letters says "Cetane Boost" . This is made up of "petroleum distillates and 2-ethylhexyl nitrate." The issue is that a 32 ounce bottle is good for 50 gallons for a cetane boost of 4. Amsoil Cetane Booster, on the other hand, indicates a cetane boost of at least 4 for a 16 ounce bottle to 100 gallons. That means that you may need four times as much of the Power Services stuff as Amsoil. However, if this works, along with the Amsoil 2 stroke oil, those of us north of the 49th may be able to get ALL of our ingredients locally. Neat.

On another thread, I showed how turbo plug adaptors can be made to suit Norvel, Cox and other small engines. Another solution to the shortage of Norvel and Cox plugs is to just dieselize the little stinkers. Working on that just now, making diesel heads for the TD .010 and the TD .020. Yes, the cranks may be an issue but I've got plenty of spares. Fun to try anyway.