Nitromethane

Let's say your fuel is 25% nitro, 55% methanol and 20% oil, then each gallon would contain a quart of nitromethane.  You can do this by volume up to about 25% nitro, then you really need to use a hydrometer.

If you could source your nitro locally, say at a speed shop, it would probably be economical.  The big cost is the hazmat fees tacked onto shipping.

Ron, the methanol is the least expensive as your probably aware of. This is cost effective if your making stunt fuels of 10% nitro or less. When I started buying Powermaster GMA it was $9 a gallon 20 + years ago. The last case of GMA Powermaster I purchased a little over a year ago worked out to nearly $24 a gallon and the guys were incredibly complaining. I believe that number is around $30 a gallon nowadays.  You want to see control line guy cry, take a nickel from them. In fact you may need to build a boat because you will drown. We were on easy street for a good long while. I was fortunate to buy extra cases when I could which was great because I sold it back to them at seriously inflated prices. Afterall, what are friends for.

             If you make 10% nitro fuel, your only using 12.8 ounces of nitro per gallon. This seems very economical whereas making 1/2A fuels are not the case. A gallon of Torco methanol currently is around $26 shipped to your doorstep. The nice thing about mixing your fuel is the ability to control and know what your putting in it. I don't really trust many manufacturers aside from VP and Sig and I'm not a fan of doctored R/C fuels. I've experienced issues in doing so

Hi Bob , are you looking at blending ur own or boosting what U have?

Y wonder how mutch wil cost of chiping on 42 galon of nitrometanol Lots of $$$$$

getback wrote:Hi Bob , are you looking at blending ur own or boosting what U have?

Hey Eric, I ordered the nitromethane as insurance. I have another quart and lot of methanol, and castor is readily available just
in case the blends stop being produced.  Plus it won't get any cheaper as times goes on. I might spike a quart of
Sig 35% juice.
Bob

davidll1984 wrote:Y wonder how mutch wil cost of chiping on 42 galon of nitrometanol Lots of $$$$$

David, It would probably be cheaper to drive there and pick it up, regardless
where it is.
Bob

My club attends a swap meet in March. The pandemic put the brakes on that last year. A local fuel supplier who I was buying qts of nitro from told me he could no longer sell nitro to us in its raw form.  I stopped at the speed shop which is minutes from me. They carry  VP products and they also conveyed a similar message in which no nitro is to be distributed to the public unless it's mixed with other components. He could sell me VP Nitro 50/50 in 5 gallon metal cans in which he stated it doesn't leave the store unless it's bonded with a grounding cable within the vehicle or poured directly into a fuel cell. 5 gallon 50/50 minimum was almost $175.

davidll1984 wrote:Y wonder how mutch wil cost of chiping on 42 galon of nitrometanol Lots of $$$$$

David
https://hyperfuels-com.3dcartstores.com/Nitromethane-42-Gallon-Drum-_p_361.html
The cheapest shipping to me here in New York is about $155 US.
You can enter your location, and calculate the cost.
Bob
Désolé David, j'ai manqué votre message.
https://hyperfuels-com.3dcartstores.com/Nitromethane-42-Gallon-Drum-_p_361.html
L'expédition la moins chère pour moi ici à New York est d'environ 155 $ US.
Vous pouvez entrer votre emplacement et calculer le coût.
Bob

dckrsn wrote:I just bought a quart of 100% from Hyper Fuels
and spent just shy of $50 shipped. Anyone have
a cheaper source? Several years ago I bought a
quart from Gulf Hydrocarbons, and back then, I
thought it was steep. Oh well.
https://hyperfuels-com.3dcartstores.com/Nitromethane--Quart-Ships-March-1_p_252.html
Bob

HeyBob! Thanks for the linc. Lots of stuff available there, we apparently can no longer obtain locally. I bought a quart just because, incase I need it. The site offered me a $5 discount by giving them my email. So, my total was $43 and change. $20 to ship 1qt, $22.50 to ship 2qts. ( no tax !) thanks Texas, appreciate your Lone Star attitude!

HAHa maybe for once we will need to ship stuff from Oz to the USA! Lol. It always seems the other way around. We can still buy straight nitromethane from scotcher petroleum who do a lot of racing fuel in south Oz for drag cars, speedway, etc. and they sell and deliver locally other nice goodies like toluene I used to use in my TZ. We can also buy straight Nitro from HobbyHabbit a local hobby store here. I havent priced it, as I am lazy and buy premix, but might go to brewing my own.

No doubt South Oz will follow the USA real soon. Worlds best practice and all

Cheers and good luck!

Gary

I got $5 off my first purchase from HYPERFUELS and received this offer in my email inbox.
I’m guessing it’s like the RockAuto discount code that’s useable by anyone at checkout in the box that asks for a Promo Code:



So if anyone else is interested in ordering some, here’s a $5 off code!

bakergw wrote:HAHa maybe for once we will need to ship stuff from Oz to the USA! Lol. It always seems the other way around. We can still buy straight nitromethane from scotcher petroleum who do a lot of racing fuel in south Oz for drag cars, speedway, etc. and they sell and deliver locally other nice goodies like toluene I used to use in my TZ.  We can also buy straight Nitro from HobbyHabbit a local hobby store here. I havent priced it, as I am lazy and buy premix, but might go to brewing my own.

No doubt South Oz will follow the USA real soon. Worlds best practice and all :old_bugger

Gary

Bloody Hell! I went on the net last night and checked Nitro avail in South Oz and it looks like since I last purchased we have implemented worlds best practice also! We can still get Nitro but it has gotten harder. Plenty of pre-mix but raw Nitro is no longer listed where I expected to see it listed. I just get back to having lots of fun with old cox glow engines and the bastards make the fuel I need hard to get. Guess they want me to play bridge in an old folks home or community centre not hanging out at local footy ovals and school ovals on weekends flying my planes and having fun, whilst educating the curious youths attracted by the sound and colour, "wow, is that a petrol (gas) engine?. Yep, it uses that fuel over there. Wow thats Nitro fuel like in drag cars, how does the plane work mister?............. Thats really cool mister thanks. see you round. cheers. Kids/youths ride off a bit and watch fascinated.

I bet electric really excites them like that too. HaHaHa If you havent seen the alternative you just dont know I guess. When I was a kid we used to buy nitro fuel with loose change :-) We didnt have to use mufflers, flew anywhere and anywhen and no one ever complained. They all said at least the kids are outside and doing something. Now Im saying things I thought I would never say!!!! :-) Get off my Lawn

I better go to work before I say what I really think. HaHaHa

Cheers,
Gary

Ken Cook wrote:
5 gallon 50/50 minimum was almost $175.

At roughly $6/gallon of methanol ($15), this puts the price of nitro at about $64/gallon. This makes buying in bulk almost looking like an eyewash. At quart price for nitro we are close to $16. And this is before adding shipping or drive/pickup.


So rounding and estimating for the sake of generating numbers easily, add about 2 gallons of methanol, and 1 gallon of castor.

That's 4.5 gallons of methanol, 2.5 gallons of nitro, 1 gallon of castor....so $175+$18+$70 is about $32/gallon for 56% M, 31% N, 12.5% caster...that isn't far from regular RC fuel except the oil is castor. Yet even more synthetic OR castor will be needed.

I bought some 33% N low synth oil, and can doctor it to approach 22% N and acceptable castor/synthetic content and my numbers aren't much higher than the scenario spelled out above. This just made me understand I can't mix cheaply, and that wet fuel just got dominated by leckie-power.

But I love the smell of burning model airplane fuel...
Sigh!

Hi all,

Just checked by actually ringing one of the few local hobby shops in south Oz. The hobby shop sells raw nitro in 1 litre bottles for Aust $42 which is pretty close to 2 US pints or a quart. At current exchange its roughly US $54 a quart. But at Scotcher Race Fuels nearby here in South Oz I can get pure drag race nitro at almost exactly half the price. I used to buy all my race fuel from them when I was younger and thought I would ring and check and yep, half price, so thats about US $15 a quart, but the one good thing is I know it is really good Nitro and thats around the same price some of you seem to be paying. Proper race quality methanol is Aust $ 1.75 a litre so about US $2.25 a quart. The local motor sport racing people mostly buy from these blokes so at least its good fuel for what you pay for it.

Mind you, as long as its easy to get from local hobby store pre-mixed and decent quality (which it seems to be), for the amount I use in a year its an awful lot easier to just buy pre-mixed a few litres at a time as I need it and add some Castor. The main thing for us on this side of the pond is talking to the bloke at Scotcher there is no issue with the likes of Earth Straps and Stuff to take it out of the shop! The people that deliver/supplier to them definitely have a truck with all the earthing and hazard signs and stuff, but so far availability doesnt look like a problem, mixed or raw. Scotcher will also mix/blend the fuels for you if you want. I should ask them what that would cost, might be the right happy middle ground for me. Really good blokes. I used to also buy toluene from them in 20 litre drums to give my race bike a bit of extra zip which it certainly did. Very nasty stuff on seals etc. required a lot of discipline to drain and empty things after every race during a race meeting and then flush everything after a race meeting.

Cheers,
Gary

Ordered on Monday, delivered on Friday. No knock on door. Never even heard the Brown Truck pull up the drive.
SURPRISE sitting on the door step!


ZOOM zoom engine go BOOM !

Marleysky wrote:

ZOOM zoom engine go BOOM !  

Lol.   That has really started my weekend off the right way.! first thing ive read this morning

Off to Scotcher Race Fuels this morning with a mate to buy a Gallon of Nitro  and 20 litre drum of methanol we will share.

things will certainly go BOOM this arvo with a few beers

Cheers,
Gary

has anyone tried GlowPlugBoy fuel that is on the bay? Shipping not bad if you buy 2 quarts.  It's 35% n,  18% castor.

Hey Grf4413, WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!
IMHO GlowPLugBoy is good stuff. We've had several "Tach Races held by
this forum, and at least once GPB was used in all the engines.
Bob

Grf4413 wrote: has anyone tried GlowPlugBoy fuel that is on the bay? Shipping not bad if you buy 2 quarts.  It's 35% n,  18% castor.

Oh yeah Fitzfuel is Great!  I believe he was/is a sponser of the S.M.A.L.L. Meets
Did a quick check, shipping on 2 Qts is only 13 bucks direct off his webpage:

http://fitzfuels.com/index.php?controller=contact




Great stuff especially if you don’t want to mess around blending your own !