SIG champion fuel

I think the writing has been on the wall for nearly a decade. When you begin to discover that most of your desired nitro accessories are becoming more and more difficult to obtain, this certainly sends a message that directions are shifting. I was at the R/C field yesterday, not one nitro plane was in use. When I do see anything engine related, they're usually gasoline.

Ken Cook wrote:.......... I was at the R/C field yesterday, not one nitro plane was in use.........

There are only a couple of other guys in my club that continue to fly nitro. Fuel is becoming scarce and very expensive -- if you have to order on-line, hazmat charges are killers. The nearest hobby shop in my area that now sells fuel is 140 miles away; that makes for a long and costly drive in itself. I've been casting around looking for nitromethane and methanol in bulk with the possibility of mixing it myself.

Ya well ...I've had my fill of these troublesome electric planes myself and am going BACK to nitro. You need a degree in advanced electronics repair to keep electrics usable! Don't need the hassle!

I miss teh Sig Champion fuel here. All we can get here locally is stuff by Morgan Fuels. And even then, sometimes they don't stock what I would like, and won't bring it in even. SO I pretty much stay with the Omega 5% for my larger nitros, and I luckily found an older gallon of Omega 25% on my last trip to Grand Forks.

I went to the Sig site and started checking out 35% nitro there was no warning of a back order.
Perhaps the warning only shows after you pay. I did not take it that far.

BWUA....BUBBBBUWA....BWAAAHAAHHAA!!!!
From the Halls of Montezuma (Iowa, that is)---
Sig is SHIPPING FUEL !!!!!
GET SOME, CAUSE I AIN'T SHARING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When did you place that order Kim?

I just received the shipping notification today. I ordered Nov 11 2019

Cribbs74 wrote:When did you place that order Kim?

I just received the shipping notification today. I ordered Nov 11 2019

Umm, not sure, I THINK in late April.  It was a phone order, and shipped on June 25th.

I just got notification today of some 35% Quarts being shipped that was ordered on July 1st.

I know what you mean about the Hazmat fee, $37 extra for a gallon of fuel to California.   Yet I can buy a gallon of ant spray for $10 total with free delivery from Amazon.  Doh!

getback wrote:Way to stock up Kim , that should get you through the summer

Yeah, so as not to make myself look TOTALLY like a jerk for hoarding fuel, a good chunk of it will be sold at cost to my flying bud Patrick, who still pops up once in a while with his 1/2A's.

Kim wrote:BWUA....BUBBBBUWA....BWAAAHAAHHAA!!!!
From the Halls of Montezuma (Iowa, that is)---
Sig is SHIPPING FUEL !!!!!
GET SOME, CAUSE I AIN'T SHARING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ohh Kim, to complete that photo, there in the middle you need a good glass of beer !!

Yes, glow fuel is getting harder to get, but you guys should try to get diesel fuel for your model airplane engines!
Davis Diesel fuel is gone. Red Max hasn't made diesel fuel since 2010. Last time I got diesel fuel from Tower Hobbies was in 2008.
Dr. Diesel stopped selling diesel fuel last year.

So the only two places to get premixed diesel fuel is from Aerodyne or from Model Technics Ltd. (in England).
Aerodyne only sell the fuel in qt. sizes to keep hazmat fees low and good luck getting a can from Model Technics

So you glow guys have it tough? Wait, things are going to get tougher, just like us diesel engine guys.
You'll need to brush up on your chemistry and probably start mixing your own?

It was easy years ago to get the nitromethane.
I went with my dad to the local drag strip (US. 30 - where the great ones run-run-run). Ask one of the racers for a gallon of nitro.
Pay him some cash (per gallon of nitro) go home and mix out own glow fuel.

Over the years it was getting tougher to get the nitro at the drag strip. The racers were restricted to the amount of nitro they could purchase for the year. Because of the bombing of the building in Oklahoma in 1995.
So, no more cheap nitro at the drag strips.

Currently for diesel. I get cans of John Deere starter fluid to get the diethyl either, purchase Sig's castor oil, and purchase the Kerosene that's used for garage heaters and I still have 2 qt. of amyl nitrate (just incase) for an ignitor improver.

The starting fluid is not straight either, it has some other stuff added inside the can. So, it a best guess as to the either content.

Internal combustion model engines are slowly getting pushed out by electric motors.
The only way to see a glow or diesel engine maybe will be only on old youtube videos?

sosam117

Guys,
It my be a good idea to store you fuels in metal cans instead of the plastic bottles?
The metal cans will not absorb moisture like the plastic bottles will.
So, If you don't use your fuel up this year, you may want to think about it?

Why do you think Cox put their fuel in this little metal cans?
The could have put them in little bottles to reduce cost?

I have always put my fuels into metal cans for use and storage.
When you empty out a metal acetone can (quart or gallon) rough up the outside with sandpaper.
Paint the outside white and mark it (label it) "Glow Fuel" -- 1/2A or 4-stroke or 25% nitro (something you'll know)

This will keep the fuel fresher than leaving them in the plastic jugs over the winter (and is safer).

sosam117

sosam117 wrote:.

Internal combustion model engines are slowly getting pushed out by electric motors.
The only way to see a glow or diesel engine maybe will be only on old  youtube videos?

sosam117

That's sad.

I remember when I bought gallons of glow fuel in colorful tins, before they went to plastic bottles. Built one end of my flight box around them. Now, I have two half empty quarts and an unopened quart of Brodak 5%/29% and that's it.

Bob

rsv1cox wrote:

sosam117 wrote:.

Internal combustion model engines are slowly getting pushed out by electric motors.
The only way to see a glow or diesel engine maybe will be only on old  youtube videos?

sosam117

That's sad.

I remember when I bought gallons of glow fuel in colorful tins, before they went to plastic bottles.  Built one end of my flight box around them.  Now, I have two half empty quarts and an unopened quart of Brodak 5%/29% and that's it.  

Bob

Bob,
I have a photo that I am saving for the engine of the month.
It has in it a old Cox foam plane, the old 72mhz radio, the old Cox starter kit and a metal can of Cox glow fuel.

Tried to get the grandson interested years ago with this plane. It lasted a year, then was no longer interested.
So, I packed up the plane away until covid-19. Ran across it in the crawl space and decided to refurbish it.

You'll see all of it next month (Aug.) for engine of the month.

sosam117

sosam117 wrote:Why do you think Cox put their fuel in this little metal cans? They could have put them in little bottles to reduce cost?

Used to be that all fuel were in metal cans. Never saw plastic in the 1960's and 1970's. Over time one by one, they went to plastic because of cost.

I just found out if you buy nitro fuel in quarts instead of gallons there’s no hazmat fee.  Got some coming in the mail from Sig for this weekend.

GallopingGhostler wrote:

sosam117 wrote:Why do you think Cox put their fuel in this little metal cans? They could have put them in little bottles to reduce cost?

Used to be that all fuel were in metal cans. Never saw plastic in the 1960's and 1970's. Over time one by one, they went to plastic because of cost.

They made them in little cans to fit inside boxes that featured various Cox models.  But they made them in several different sizes.  Wish I had kept all my empties over the years.



I have a few collected over the years, found these.



I'm sure someone here collects them.

rsv1cox wrote:

GallopingGhostler wrote:

sosam117 wrote:Why do you think Cox put their fuel in this little metal cans? They could have put them in little bottles to reduce cost?

Used to be that all fuel were in metal cans. Never saw plastic in the 1960's and 1970's. Over time one by one, they went to plastic because of cost.

They made them in little cans to fit inside boxes that featured various Cox models.  But they made them in several different sizes.  Wish I had kept all my empties over the years.



I have a few collected over the years, found these.  



I'm sure someone here collects them.

I have one of the Cox cans with the young kid flying the plane ( the can in the middle photo)
It still has fuel in it. Still good, used it yesterday to run a Enya .049 glow.

Not original Cox fuel though.
I like using the can for flying and don't have to take a big container to fly my .049 engines

sosam117

Fairly common back in the 1970's were also Duke's (Fox) Missile Mist and K&B 1000. Can't remember the exact K&B numbers as it's been a while. (Older I get the brain cells seem to be fizzling out.)   I'd choose one with adequate nitro content of at least 15%, more the better.

These seemed to be more common in the hobby stores (even military exchange stores) than Cox and competitively priced. I would buy these in quart cans, which fit in my Hobby Shack medium flight box for my half-A and A stuff. Get a huge 1.5V round cylinder starting battery, (they were reasonably cheap back then) no power panel needed, life was good.

Fuel production meant that at one time, Fox and K&B company were manufacturing giants especially in the stuff larger than 1/2-A.