[SEL] RE: Power Kerosene replacement recipies

[Rob Skinner]

> Now that Power Kerosene is well and truly unavailable, what 
> are people using instead? If used a 50:50 mix of mineral spirit 
> and lighting kerosene used but it fouls the plugs (not hot enough 
> - too much soot?).
> 
> Yes, I know you can just run the engines on petrol, but I 
> like playing with stuff :)

Hi Paul, 
Your experiments make perfect sense.  Running a kerosene engine on gasoline is
like inviting Wolfgang Puck over for dinner and serving him Hamburger Helper.

The Jet-A that is available from the airports is very similar to kerosene.
We've used this in the Rumely, but don't any more because airports are not the
friendliest places for weird guys who want to fill the back of their vans up
with fuel.  

In our Hornsby, we burn 1-K which is readily available from petroleum products
distributors.  Sometimes it's dyed red to discourage people from using it in
their Diesel engines on public roads.  It would seem silly though, to run $7 per
gallon kerosene when Diesel is available for a third that price.

The Rumely is thirsty and not economical to run on 1-K, so we mix Diesel and
gasoline.  The mixture we use varies, but perhaps a mixture of two parts
gasoline and one part Diesel would be a good place to start experimenting.

Since you already have kerosene on hand, you can try sweetening it up with
gasoline.  

Rob