Diesel fuel tank

[John A Cole]

Anyone know where I an buy a metal control line and free flight fuel tank suitable for diesel fuel? thanks

[Allan Jordan]

Hi. john. I've no idea where you are located
but if you are in surrey you could try
MICK CHARLES MODELS in EWELL
TEL. No. 0208 393 3232. OR dare I suggest
making one. regards .

[John A Cole]

Thanks. I'm only in Hampshire and travel with work so its a possibility!

[Myron Beaumont]

What size? freeflight tanks arent wedge shaped & can be made from baked bean or similar containers (e.g certain beer cans)Have a go at soldering as per RCME features its not that difficult & very satisfying Youll never buy a tank again By the way they are not heavy & thats important for our anti gravity m/c s.Have a go !Its all Ive ever used for 50 odd tears & still enjoy making a shape to fit perfectly .Good luck!Enjoy it .Tis called modelling They now call it re-cycling nothing is really new is it .Am new to digital stuff by the way & am glad Its now possible to talk to fellow modellers

[Allan Jordan]

Hi. john. looks like I'm not the only
one that makes fuel tanks. the best material
source is biscuit or sweet tin.( they are
usually ready tinned on the inside
].regards
Allan J TTFN

[Malcolm Fisher]

If you can find one, the Colman's oval mustard tin tanks make very good diesel tanks of around 50cc capacity - used them for years in C/L models and even in my early R/C models.

For larger capacities I have used tomato puree tins which hold abot twice as much fuel as the mustard tin.

[Allan Jordan]

Hi. Malcolm, Glad to see that your'e doing
your bit for re-cycling.Keep it up and maybe
we'll all end up with a gong! Regards Allan J...TTFN

[Mike Rolls]

John

A very easy tank for profile C/L model use can be made with an empty 2 ounce dope tin. Punch a hole in the middle of the base and solder a 3mm bolt in it - that gives you your mount by simply passing it through the fus and securing with a nut on the other side.

For vents punch two holes just under the rim 90 degrees apart. Thread 1/8" brass tube through each so that they almost meet at the opposite sied, maintaining the 90 degrees betweeen them. Solder them in place and replace the top of the tin - in most cases you don't even need to solder the top, thus enabling you to replace or re-solder the tubes should that prove necessasry at any time.

In use mount the tank with the 'meeting point' of the tubes level with the spray bar of the moter (assuming a side mounted motor). Join the lower tube to the needle valve with fuel tubing.

To fill the tank hold the model vertically nose down with the fuel tubing removed from the needle valve. Fill through either tube and when full fuel runs out the other. Turn the model horizontal and re-connect.

This tank will give 5-6 minutes motor run on a 19 diesel such as a PAW, and about the same on a 15 glow. Iused it for demo models at teh Sandown symposim back in the early 80s and a mate wrote it up for Aeromodeller at the time.
Oh - and it's a lot quicker and easier to make than describe!
HTH

Mike

[Al Dee]

For small free flight tanks contact the lovely pauline at www.flitehook.net.

 or for control line tanks try Bob Meager at Hallam Models in Sheffield.

[Former Member]

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[Malcolm Fisher]

Silicone might be OK for glow fuel, but is useless for diesel the constituents of which cause silicone to expand and come unstuck

[Former Member]

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[Mike Rolls]

Malcom/Eric

I think it may be a case of 'there is silicone, and silicone'. I have used silicone tubing with diesels without problems; one small stunter (2.5cc) was in use for several years with the same tubing in place. Neoprene over that sort of period tends to go hard and sometimes lose its grip.

Mike

[Malcolm Fisher]

Mike.

 After having problems with silicone tubing expanding and coming adrift after a very short period, and trying several colours and wall thicknesses, I never used it again with diesel fuel.

 I agree that neoprene does harden but has rarely cause me any problems and I replace it when I notice it becoming hard enough to allow air ingress. In C/l models it lasts a long time - with PAW type throttles, more frequent replacement is needed

There are other flexible diesel fuel resistant tubes which IME have stood the test of time and I use these when making clunk tanks for diesels. Again I keep a check and replace when they show signs of becoming less flexible.

Silicone sealant does eventually come adrift in water wet situations and I wouldn't trust it at all with diesel fuel.

 Malcolm

[Mark Lubbock]

You need to look for a tubing known as 'Tygon' for diesel (and petrol) engines. It is a transparent, yellow colour & is sold for some of the better chainsaws etc. I think the jet jockeys use it as well. You can pick it up at shows sometimes, about £3 a metre, but it lasts virtually forever. I have seen it on Ebay also.

Regarding tanks, all the above suggestions are valid for control line, one of the best tanks of the '70's era was the Colmans mustard tin tank-ideal size for 2.5 ish cc engines, but anything larger, I would have a go at making one from scratch.

For free flight, I always use 2.5ml plastic syringe bodies-they are graduated, so help when determining engine runs & are available from most chemists if you explain what you want them for & that you don't need needles etc., otherwise make friends with a nurse (I married one!!), doctor or vet!!!

[Myron Beaumont]

I use them for 4 st "after run oiling"as well (the syringe that is )

[Former Member]

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[Malcolm Fisher]

They are also very usefull for applying PVA in small amounts to relatively inaccessible parts of e.g. a fuselage under repair.

[Al Dee]

Kavan produce a special diesel fuel tubing.  Tygon fuel tubing from just engines is also used for diesel.  I often use windscreen washer tubing from my local car shop too.

[Malcolm Fisher]

Last tubing I bought fir diesels was IIRC Kvan

[Former Member]

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[Myron Beaumont]

Eric    It's a sort of special silicon for fish tanks. Most DIY type tubes of it  say not suitable for aquaria.I always used neoprene (of the 50's era ) when I used nothing but diesels .Yes it goes hard after time so you replaced it ! 

[Former Member]

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[Erfolg]

I am a little suprised that no one has mentioned resin/glassfibre tanks.

I have only seen one, used in a control line model.

From what I understand, you get a small block of polystyrene (the right shape and dimensions) and cover it with masking tape. Release agent can then be applied to the block.  Using glass cloth (similar to wing cloth) you lay up the five sides. A flat end panel is layed up on glass or polypropylene (or similar stuff)sheet.

When everything is cured, the polystrene is dug out of the bucket shape and the masking tape is pulled out. The top of the tank is sanded to a flat edge. The end panel is trimmed to fit. All holes required are drilled. Metal tubing fitted.

The assembly is then closed using resin as the adhesive and sealant.

Dead easy and convienant, should only take a week or two.

Of course if you are pressed for time, the tin can route will only take a few days.

Me! I would buy one. Unless Mr Coleman or other gentleman (Mr Kiel and Mercury was good as well)  had left a suitable container.

A very lazy

Erfolg 

[Former Member]

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