Magnum fuel-Opinions please

LAST EDITED ON Jun-15-02 AT 10:10 PM (CST)

Our Local Hobby Shop has started carrying some Magnum 10% nitro/25% castor blend fuel. Anyone have any experience running this fuel? Good for FP/LA type engines? Is it all castor or a mostly synthetic with a bit of castor blend? There's also the question of whether the oil ratio is figured by weight or by volume. Thanks in advance.

Under the nitro pecentage sticker was written with a fine point marker "25% Castor" but the red fuel color tends to suggest part of the oil content might be Klotz or something similar.

I'm not sure you can go by the color of the fuel when it comes to the lubricant used. I think they use various dyes to color fuels..

L.

LAST EDITED ON Jun-16-02 AT 12:50 PM (CST)

Magnum fuel is produced by Powermaster Fuels. Check out their website. http://www.powermasterfuels.com/ The answer may be there or you may be able to email them and get the information you need. I remembered having two gallons of Powermaster in the garage. Both say "GMA Blend", one is 10% nitro x 29% castor. The other is 10% Nitro x 22% oil, castor synthetic blend. If your LHS doesn't have that, he can get it for you...ours does. Steve

LAST EDITED ON Jun-16-02 AT 01:47 PM (CST)

LAST EDITED ON Jun-16-02 AT 01:45 PM (CST)

Steve, Mabey there are two Magnum fuel companies. We have one in Denver Colorado, the owner here also runs Heliport Hobbies.
I live 40 miles north of the his shop and stopped by last year in hopes of getting some nitro, to boost my Sig 10%-N, 25%-C fuel up for flying at these altitudes. Sig sells no 15%-N, 25-C fuel.
The owner was happy to sell me the nitro and mentioned he could make any type fuel I wanted. He said he ships his Magnum fuel all over the country and has orders for controline fuel all the time.
I have not taken him up on his offer as I had enough on hand but my next fuel purchase will be from Magnum fuels in Denver. I'm positive he handles large ammounts cause I stood next to approximatly 15, 55 gallon drums of fuel ingredients.
Like I said maby there are two Magnum fuels, but this guy seems to be the man for Magnum fuels, mabey he sells to Powermaster.

LAST EDITED ON Jun-16-02 AT 05:04 PM (CST)

This fuel is from the Colorado company. It must be different from Powermaster because it comes in a jug and I think Powermaster uses metal cans for its gallon size.

Hiflyer is right...different companies. The Powermaster website referred to Magnum, apparently the engine brand. There still may be some useful info available there. There doesn't appear to be a website for the Denver Magnum Fuel producer, but you might call and ask what the oil blend is. According to Powermaster, the castor is half the price of synthetic, so if it is saving money that is the motive, the more castor in the blend, the cheaper. I used all synthetic in speed fuel, and didn't see anything bad about it, but castor is an important part of tuning a 2 stroke stunt engine...expelling heat. Still, a small % synthetic might be nice to prevent carbon and varnish buildup. Steve

Guys, Magnum fuel has no web site as they normaly are wholesale only to retailers. I got my nitro by talking about the old days of controline flying and since I was local he agreed to make me custom fuels and sell me nitro. I could order Magnum fuel from HobbyTown USA in my area but wouldn't mind visiting with the owner.
The owner of Magnum fuels is also the owner of Heil Port Hobbies at 303-430-8828, houre are noon to 6PM - week days, and 10AM to 4PM on Saturday. I'ts an R/C only shop, and I would like to visit it again due to a recent intrest in trying Parkflyers.
OK, I'll admit it, I'm an X-R/C flyer who ran out of big bucks, but the electric parkfliers are a lot cheaper and more fun and you dont need a club or a special field.
If you would like to try Magnum fuel and your local hobbyshop caries the brand, ask them to order some C/L fuel from him, I'm sure Magnum sells the standard C/L mixes.

LAST EDITED ON Jun-22-02 AT 08:05 PM (CST)

Just noticed on the little sticker on the jug the word synthetic had been crossed out which leads me to believe it's an all castor fuel.

LAST EDITED ON Jun-29-02 AT 10:32 PM (CDT)

We took four capfulls of fuel and burned it up in a cut up pop can at the field today. We had one capfull of oil left over after the alcohol burned off. Looks like the stated oil content is accurate. Hope to run a few tanks through the FP40 tomorrow.

I've ran about a gallon of this fuel (some castor and some castor/synth blend). So far, it works fine. Seems to be a little less foamy than some others I've tried, but it could just be that I like the color.

Ran three tanks through the FP40 today and didn't adjust the needle from where it had been when runnng the Powermaster 10/29. Couldn't tell any difference. Looks like this is pretty decent stuff.