Fuel tablets for toy engines?

[JKWidener]

You all have probably seen the Line Mar sheet metal steam toy engines... What do you use for the fuel? i have seen fuel tablets for sale but the cheapest i have found is about 25.00 for a small box... Mine looks like the one in this photo.. I am also looking for a fuel tray for mine.. its the only thing missing..

[Allen]

$25 a box? where do you shop? Esbit fuel is about $6 a box. $25 should get you about 5 boxes (20 tabs/box)

Backchannel me if you need them

[John Herald]

I use STRENO in my little engines,

[KeithW]

Way back when I had one of these I put a cotton ball in the tray and poured a little rubbing alcohol into it. Worked fine and was really inexpensive.

keithw

[Byron Roberts]

JK ::I have run mine on liquid wrench...with the tube feeding it..probably not in the original manual....Here's some Alcaholl pellets much safer... http://www.purveyor.com/index.htm Byron.......looks like $3.80 a box.....cheapest i've seen in awhile

[Andrew Mackey]

I have run Wilesco and Mamod engines on denatured alcohol. Just stuff the fuel tray with some Dryer lint, soak with the alky, and lite 'er up! It will burn for 5 to 8 mnutes, and won't leave the mess that rubbing alky leaves.
Andrew

[B. K. Lahey]

Andrew, is denatured alcohol passed by the managment??
BK

[Allen]

Guys, if you MUST use alcohol, PLEASE add about 2 teaspoons of baking soda per pint....It will make the flames more yellowish, so burning spills are easier to see.

There is a reason that the manufacturers went to dry fuel.....

[KeithW]

Originally Posted by Allen

Guys, if you MUST use alcohol, PLEASE add about 2 teaspoons of baking soda per pint....It will make the flames more yellowish, so burning spills are easier to see.

There is a reason that the manufacturers went to dry fuel.....

Now that is a truly useful bit of information. That has always been a concern when burning alcohol. When I was racing the vehicles that ran alcohol always had a big A after their number to let the safety crew know they were running alcohol so they would be carefully of running into a bunch of fire that they could not see .

keithw

[Robert Haus]

JK, that's a nice engine you have...not Wilesco's biggest, but very, very collectable these days. (Wilesco and Jensen both made a stylized "atomic" engine that was supposed to look like it had a reactor.....they are hard to find now.)

My first engine of any type was a Wilesco D-16 that was given to me for Christmas when I was 6 years old.....I then added an assortment of the little machine tools to go with it...even used them to cut some balsa wood to build a boat.

...it is one of only two or three toys that I kept and still find fascinating...Unfortunately, it was lost in a fire (not related to the engine) a few years ago but I picked up another couple of them that are similar and my 11 yr old daughter occaissionally enjoys them too.


rh

[actionhac]

Your engine is the "Atomic Reactor" model.
That engine used fuel RODS and had a special tray to hold a miniature fuel rod just like the ones used on our navy vessels.
I would take your engine, so they know your genuine and not a terrorist, and talk to the guard at the gate, maybe Hanford or a navy yard. See if they can give you a sliver.
The kit also came with a lead lotion for your exposed skin which you can replicate.

Good luck, Robert

[JKWidener]

Originally Posted by Robert Haus

JK, that's a nice engine you have...not Wilesco's biggest, but very, very collectable these days. (Wilesco and Jensen both made a stylized "atomic" engine that was supposed to look like it had a reactor.....they are hard to find now.)

My first engine of any type was a Wilesco D-16 that was given to me for Christmas when I was 6 years old.....I then added an assortment of the little machine tools to go with it...even used them to cut some balsa wood to build a boat.

...it is one of only two or three toys that I kept and still find fascinating...Unfortunately, it was lost in a fire (not related to the engine) a few years ago but I picked up another couple of them that are similar and my 11 yr old daughter occaissionally enjoys them too.


rh

The photo is not of my Engine, but is Just exactly like it.. Mine is a bit more dusty from sitting in a closet a few years... Also got a Marx steam toy engine... All For free...

[Jim McIntyre]

Originally Posted by JKWidener

...I have seen fuel tablets for sale but the cheapest i have found is about 25.00 for a small box...

One word: Trioxane.

Go to eBay and search on it - you'll find lots of cheap fuel tablets.

[Redwing]

I found on PM Research and they selling ESBIT $4 a box for 20 tablets 4g each.


its pmresearchinc.com

[Allen]

I can't help but wonder why is it that people keep steering people to non-advertisers or evilbay, when one of Harry's sponsors already has the item being sought? Yes, the people at PM are great (I'm also an authorized dealer for them), but they don't spend money to support this board. Does anybody even look at the advertiser/biz card page?

Not mad, just curious

[JeffK]

I aggree with Alan. I already deal with a few of the companies that advertise on the sponsor page and have been pleased with them.

[Beth V]

Umbridge,

Does this answer a few of your questions?

Beth

[Jim Conte]

Beth,
Is this the word you intended? Umbrage

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/umbrage

If so, thanks for getting it out in the open.

[Beth V]

Jim,

Interesting correlation, but nah, I don't think Tristan Lund is responding in that manner.

Beth

[OTTO-Sawyer]

Originally Posted by actionhac

Your engine is the "Atomic Reactor" model.
That engine used fuel RODS and had a special tray to hold a miniature fuel rod just like the ones used on our navy vessels.
I would take your engine, so they know your genuine and not a terrorist, and talk to the guard at the gate, maybe Hanford or a navy yard. See if they can give you a sliver.
The kit also came with a lead lotion for your exposed skin which you can replicate.

Good luck, Robert

Do they limit how many of those fuel rods you can get at one time, or how often you stop for more ????

If I could get a big enough bunch of them, they'd sure be handy to have on hand for the steam powered car I want to build so as to avoid those dang gas stations.