Hi Everyone ... well I'm going from flying rubber band planes and slingshot planes to glow fuel. I'm a bit confused about the different types of glow fuel available. A few guys at the local club told me to stay away from nitro in the fuel and to use straight methanol because Nitro can pit the engine. I assume because Nitro attracts moisture and I do live in a humid environment. Any opinions on this?

Also I guess there is some sort of lubrication in the fuel (especially since the engine is two stroke). Does this come pre-mixed in the fuel you get at the shop or do you have to add it? And how much is a good amount of lubrication? What do you use as a lubricant I've read castor oil (wasn't that the stuff your mother used to give you to go to the toilet?), Castro oil (I guess the Cuban dictator has been crushed ... but I never though so much!), and Castrol .... so I'm a bit confused on this too. If anyone can shed some light I'd be really happy!

Fuel is a very large conversation and I doubt that any one person is fully qualified to answer you but I will try to cover the basics.

1. Europe (generally speaking) uses a fuel that does not use Nitro, in Canada this is called FAI fuel. It has to do with the type of competion that they have and standards were set for their engines - a long conversation.

2. Nitro fuel, adds power to the engine. Common blends use 5, 10, 15 & 20% Nitro, the averave Sport flier uses 5-10% fuel and is quite happy. Racers and competitive types prefer the higher nitro levels - there is a heated debate over whether or not the extra nitro is worth the expense passed 10% - whatever it takes to win a race, I guess . . .

3. Yes, nitro methane fuel attracts moisture and can cause corrosion in an engine. IF you do not care for the engine properly (Another long debate). Simply; at the end of a day of flying run the engine dry and add a few drops of after run oil, this coats the steel parts of the engine and prevents rust.
**An open fuel container will also attract moisture and the nitro will evaporate (ruining your fuel) I take a 1 litre "Day Tank" to the field that I keep sealed when I'm not filling a plane. I leave the bulk of my fuel at home and top off the Day Tank as required.

4. Caster Oil, is a major component in fuel - up to 20%. It is used for cooling and lubrication. Many new fuels use use a synthetic oil either blended in with the caster or completely replacing it. The reasons for synthetic are many and hotly contested, they include more speed (Synthetic is thinner and allows the engine to rev higher), cleaner - there is less mess to clean off of a plane that uses Synthetic etc. Conversly; only competitors NEED those extra few RPM, Castor cools better and protects the engine from over heating and so the debate goes - all very much a personal preferance.

As you are just getting started with glow power in a hot humid climate I would recomend that you buy a general purpose fuel that is readilly available and meets the engine manufacturer's standards (read the engine manual ) You can vary your fuel over time as you develop into the hobby.

Thanks a whole lot for the info! Being a natural product wouldn't caster oil "gum" up the engine over time though? Also what exactly is after run oil?

(I see you're from Belleville ... how are the Bulls doing? I'm from Windsor originally!)

abraxas, could you please inform us of what motor you are going to use, as this info will help us in determining if you need to add nitro to your fuel , as some motors do require it. Secondly, a synthetic oil used broadly across the world is "Cool Power oil", You mix this with methonal at the rate of 4, to 1, or 80%methonal, and 20% cool power oil. For the majority of engines this is a good mix, any nitro is added as a percentage of the methonal, that is if 10%nitro is used then only 70%methonal is required , the oil content remqains the same at 20%.
Finally, welcome to the wonderful world of model flying, and have a merry Christmas
the_madgenius, instructor down under , Australia.

Well I haven't decided on an engine yet ... the choice is between the Thunder Tiger PRO .46 and the O.S. Max .46. I'm leaning towards the Thunder Tiger after reading so many good reviews about it.

Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!!

abraxas, Thankyou for your good wishes. Well my choice is also the Thunder Tigre Pro46, {Ihave one too}, It will run perfectly well on straight fuel 80% x 20%. If when your skills improve you may want to add 5% nitro, for that added boost, but for the next year or so, you will do extremely well without the nitro. I wish you many happy hours of flying , and please keep us informed of your progress, as you are a valued friend in modelling.
the_madgenius down under

The Caster Oil is passed out through the exhaust and only the small amount that gets cooked onto the exterior of the engine causes some problems and they are only cosmetic. This is commonly refered to as 'Varnish' and does not affect the operation of the engine. If you leave any fuel inside the engine for a LONG period of time (six months or more) the fuel will thicken into a 'GOO' that can cause problems. However - it flushes out easily. [8D]

After run oil is an Oil Blend to put in the engine after a day of flying, 2-3 drops and you turn the engine over to coat the inner working and the engine will live for years. There is a brand that you can buy, or you can make your own. The common formula is 50/50 Automatic Transmission Fluid and WD40. Again this is a matter of opinion, some recommend that you use a light machine oil, and others say ATF works fine by itself. Personal preferance, trial and error...

The B Bulls are having a rough year - they are below a 500 season [&o], perhaps they'll come back in the finals.

actually, it is the methyl alcohol (methanol) in any fuel which attracts moisture. More or less nitro may increase the absorption rate, but it is the alcohol itself that attracts moisture. Keep your fuel capped whenever possible.

papermache

Just make sure that the fuel contains at least 18% oil to protect the engine. Some fuels don't have that much oil in them. If you live in a climate that has a high humidity level then go for fuels with less synthetic oil in them as these are worse for attracting moisture. I tried 10 and 15 % nitro fuels. They both work well but I didn't notice any difference between the 2 performance wise. The 15% was just more expensive.[8D]

While breaking in your engine, and until you get some experience with correctly tuning the engine, it is a good idea to use a fuel that contains at least some castor oil. It provides superior engine protection against damage from running with an excessively lean air/fuel mixture. Once you become familiar with tuning, fuels with a higher percentage of synthetic oil may appeal to you becuase of the reduced gooey residue.

If you buy an OS engine, or a Thunder Tiger engine, they will both work quite nicely with fuels that contain zero nitro, & also up to as much as 15% nitro. For general sport flying, anything past 10% nitro is wasted money.

Get the Thunder Tiger.

Ok so my engine choice has been confirmed. I'm getting the Thunder Tiger (I was really really leaning towards it .... it just looked more 'robust' and that's what I need in a trainer engine!). What surprised me is that methanol sttracts moisture!

So ATF is a good after-run oil? I'll go out and buy some of the red-stuff right now

Methanol is what they call hygroscopic which just means it'll keep on attracting moisture from the air almost without limit. This is why you should never leave a container of fuel open any longer than necessary and must be sealed completely air tight. For the same reason, never leave any fuel in the tank before putting the model away and always run the engine completely dry at the end of every day's flying. Nitro will only absorb up to a maximum of 2.5% water but methanol will absorb 100%.

The TT46 pro is a good choice.
It's a strong engine that starts easily and run good. It'll be a good first engine for your trainer and powerful enough to later go into your first 40 sized sport plane.

Fuel is a very popular subject for discussion and everybody have their own favorite or idea on what to use.
As a beginner I'd recommend you to buy a gallon of fuel at your hobbyshop, choose a brand named fuel with 16-18% oil and 5-10% nitro (you really don't need to over analyze what's in there, it will work )

Good luck and welcome to the RC forum.