Can Nitro be made??

[oldschoolemaxx]

And if so what do you need to make it?

[MR. Clean]

Of course it can, where do you think it came from? It would be a bad idea at home, cuase on slip and your screwed. Also with paranoid people, police may think your making drugs.

[Maxx_Basher]

To add to that, some the various ingredients are only sold in large quantities, the smallest being (I believe) 50 gallons. The only way it would be economical would be 1., if you're selling it QUICK, or 2., you have a bunch of friends and you all pool money to make your own nitro fuel.

[cuda_tmaxx]

I used to mix my own nitro fuel for my boats that required 65-80% Nitro. I could buy nitromethane, methanol and castor oil in one gallon quantites from a local petroleum supplier that distributed fuels to race tracks and gas stations. They got the nitromethane from Klotz and it was 99.9% and cost $18 per gallon. The castor oil was also from Klotz and cost $7 a quart. I am not sure who the methanol supplier was but it was dirt cheap. Less than $4 a gallon. When it came time to mix all three I always used the metric system and made it one liter at a time to prevent screwing up and wasting some fuel or trashing a motor.

You could buy 1 gallon of Nitromethane, 3 gallons of methanol and 3 quarts of oil and make 4 gallons of 25% with a 15% oil content. Net cost would be $13 per gallon.

If you have to order any of this, mainly the nitro and methane, hazmat fees will be expensive.

[Nitronaught]

You do need to check with EPA and some cities require permits to even have the chemicals to make nitro fuel... WE have a guy at the Track who makes Red Devil Nitro fuel and he had to go through all sorts in order to make it.

I also spoke with Maxy, from Maxy's fuels, he frequents our track very often. WHen I asked him what he had to go through to make his own fuel lots of four letter words and eye rolling happened..... lolll

To make it for just yourself will cost you more than the LHS sells ame brand for, unless you are making quantities and selling off what you are not going to use.... IMHO, I'll leave the making of this rocket fuel to the rocket scientists...... Wit my luck my neighbor would come in with a light cigarrette or something and KABOOM!!!! j/k

Some people do it though.....

[thecoolman101]

DANGER! DANGER!

[cuda_tmaxx]

You do need to check with EPA and some cities require permits to even have the chemicals to make nitro fuel... WE have a guy at the Track who makes Red Devil Nitro fuel and he had to go through all sorts in order to make it.

Sounds plausible if you are selling the fuel on a large scale commercial level, but all the components needed to mix, you are not making, nitrofuel for an rc car are available over the counter.

I'll leave the making of this rocket fuel to the rocket scientists

It is no harder than mixing fuel for a chainsaw or trimmer. Mixing gasoline is even more dangerous than mixing nitro fuel as you have to deal with combustible vapors.

[jatostampsport]

RC fuel Starting Points



Mixing your own fuel RC helpful Starting points (***approximate start points).
Planes
20% synthetic oil, 5% castor for 25% total oil and 30% nitro with the rest methanol).
Example: (.18 piped ducted fan-
15% synthetic oil, 3% castor for 18% total oil and 30% nitro then methanol)
Auto's
Car mixes tend to use a bit less oil and a greater proportion of castor as insurance against lean (hot) runs - a typical mix is 10% synthetic + 5% castor for 15% total oil. 30% nitro.
Note!
The 3% less oil isn't that different, except it allows more methanol so there's a slightly greater proportion of energy per volume of fuel.
If you do like the simplicity of buying premix look at the product information carefully.
If it says 10% nitro (or whatever %) make sure it's by volume, not weight.
Nitromethane is quite heavy stuff: relative density is around 1.14, methanol is around .8 and if it is sold by % by weight you are not getting a true 10% by volume mix.
Note: This is especially important if you are trying to compare different brands of premix for price and performance. One could say its 30% but if it's done by weight, then it's really only about 20% by volume.......BIG difference.

Note: methanol storage, if you buy bulk, pour it out into smaller containers, keeping a full container will reduce the amount of air in the container. Methanol loves to suck up moisture from the air. Every time you open that drum to take out a couple of gallons /liters, you are just replenishing the moisture in the drum for the methanol to soak up.


Oil Mixing chart for RC % For one gallon of fuel..

Oil % # of OZ's
5% 6.4
10% 12.8
12% 15.36
15% 19.2
20% 25.6

Nitromethane% # of OZ's
5% 6.4
10% 12.8
12% 15.36
15% 19.2
20% 25.6
25% 32
30% 38.4
35% 44.8

Methonal % # of OZ's

50% 64
60% 76.8
65% 83.2
70% 89.6
75% 96
80% 102.4
85% 108.8
90% 115.2

[jatostampsport]

Nitro fuel It is NOT gasoline! Never try to feed a rc nitro engine gasoline, because it will cause all sorts of problems. Besides, it won't work anyway! RC nitro fuel is made up of a custom blend of 3 primary components.

1) NITROMETHANE. Also commonly referred to as NITRO for short. Nitromethane is derived from propane. In itself, nitro is not even extremely flammable as one might think. The real power producing potential of nitromethane is that it carries additional oxygen with it into the combustion process. It acts as a fuel too, but the molecule carries oxygen along with it. In a way, nitromethane is sort of like a chemical "supercharger" for an engine. It helps get more oxygen into the engine to help burn more fuel and produce more power. For the most nitro engine used in RC trucks, a 20% nitro blend is probably a good balance. Most nitro engines in cars and trucks could probably tolerate fuels with up to 30% nitro, but it's probably best to avoid going much over that in a typical nitro engine. 20% nitro is probably one of the most common fuel blends for rc truck nitro engines, and would be a safe choice for most people. Follow the recommendations of your engine manufacturer, and you should be safe.

2) METHANOL. Methanol is sometimes referred to as "wood alcohol" because originally it was derived from distilled wood products. However, methanol can be made from more than one source, and today it is very commonly derived from natural gas. Methanol is the primary fuel component of nitro fuels and is usually also the most dominant ingredient in a nitro fuel mixture. Methanol is also a common fuel used in full size motorsports and racing. The methanol has a natural intercooling effect that helps to cool both the intake air/fuel mixture which means cooler, denser (more oxygen) and more power potential. Also, the evaporative cooling effect of methanol can help keep engine temps running cooler than other fuels. Methanol contains the primary energy content of nitro fuels.



3) OIL. The oil portion of the nitro fuel blend is very interesting. Over the years, there has been much debate and changing recommendations. First there was castor oil. Then there were synthetics. Some fuels have been blended with all castor oil and some with all synthetic oils. Today, most nitro fuels contain a combination of both synthetic and castor oil. Castor oil is a naturally occurring oil that is derived from a plant. It is a natural lubricant that has some very unique properties. When subjected to higher temperatures, castor oils will actually begin to break down. Normally, this would be a bad thing for a lubricant to do in an internal combustion engine. However, in the case of castor oil, this "breaking down" is one of it's greatest strengths! When castor oil breaks down at high temperatures, it's properties change and it's high temperature lubricating properties actually increase! As engine temperatures go up further, the castor oil continues to break down and forms a lubricating film that actually protects the engine better. In the process, this film or residue (like varnish) can also gum up the engine and cause other problems. On the other hand, synthetic oils typically are much cleaner and normally do not leave residues behind. Synthetic oils can help lubricating metal surfaces at higher RPM's when temperatures are lower. However, when temperatures rise, synthetic oils can break down and actually burn off leaving little protection for the engine. So, there are strengths and weaknesses of both castor and synthetic oils. Thankfully, most modern rc trucks run on nitro fuel blends that utilize the strengths of each type of oil, and contains a blend of both castor and synthetic oils to help offer maximum protection for the nitro engine under many different conditions.

In addition to these 3 primary components to rc nitro fuel, there are often other additives added in small quantities which help alter some of the characteristics of the nitro fuel. Among others, these additional rc nitro fuel additives might include anti-foaming agents and substances to help prevent corrosion inside the engine

[Nitronaught]

Sounds plausible if you are selling the fuel on a large scale commercial level, but all the components needed to mix, you are not making, nitrofuel for an rc car are available over the counter.

Yes many componants to make many different chemical compounds are available over the counter. So are bomb making componants, certain illegal drugs are made with over the counter items as well. Seperate no problem combined could be a big problem.

That does not mean that with mixing the different chemicals, even in your own home, without checking with City, County, State and Federal agencies.

Yes, Nitro fuel is not really cobustable it's the fumes, or when the fuel has been atomized and put under pressure that makes them go Kaboom. Yet the fumes from making the fuel in a poorly ventilated area can cause a good deal of trouble.

Like I said, It's just not cost effective unless you make it in quantity and then you have more fuel than you need..... And Maxy said enough to me about how the city and county had him jump through hoops in order to mfr fuel in any form of quantity.... Halon systems, special EPA signs, OSHA had to inspect the facility and his insurance went up too. But yeah he makes it in quantity of coarse.