55 years ago I used to make my own fuel, the simple instructions were printed in a popular modeling book of the time, and the main ingredient could be bought at the local chemist.

That might sound like an endorsement to go ahead and do the same, it isn't. Frankly its a miracle I'm still here, the things that could have gone wrong, and nearly did would have finished me. I was behaving exactly as kids of that time did, it was a time when we made our own fireworks too, but to get through it you needed to be lucky, which I was. My motors never performed as well with the home made stuff as with the commercial fuel anyway.

There's another reason not to do it, chemistry had advanced, and I think I'm right in saying that the commercial fuel now contains something particularly hazardous.

It is perhaps one of those subjects where if you are sufficiently qualified and knowledgeable to do it, you wouldn't need to ask the question.

Chas

And just try buying amyl nitrate. The Feds would be at your door before you got back from the chemists.

Like horseradish sauce, why bother tryng to make your own when you can buy the stuff for a few bob without risking the loss of at least one of your senses?

Dave M

My little .5 PAW will run for a very long time on this can of juice 😄 and it smells great 👍

Regards Ray

Getting hold of amyl nitrate will give you more that a stiff neck, but there are other ignition improvers such as Ethyl Hexyl Nitrate which is easily available.

Yes it sounds easy to make your own bomb fuel but believe me it isn't fun when you loose your eyebrows by adding to much accelerant to your witches brew.

The biggest problem with vintage model diesel engines is that different manufactures recommended different types of diesel, each one had a slightly different combination of the same petro-chemical substances.

I really sympathise with Richards dilemma as he has a lovely Taplin Twin that he cant use as he needs a specialist mix of fuel.

I am sure that with the right recipe and a great deal of care the correct fuel could be created but the effort, including getting the correct government licence, makes for a very longwinded and expensive project.

Paul

Hi Ray

I stand corrected as I had thought that the reduction in sulphur content from 4% to less than 0.2% made D2 and D3 too lean for model diesels, I have to admit that my last encounter with a model diesel engine was in 1981 and it certainly wasn't anything as grand as a Taplin Twin.

Back then GasOil had a high sulphur content and yet my PAW engine wouldn't run on it, I had to make my own fuel out of Paraffin, 2 stroke engine oil, Ether and Amyl Nitrate. (Hence my experience with singed eyebrows)

Paul