52 replies to this topic

[Slapshot]

Mainly in commercial venues if the local fire department walks through thier going to cite you if they see the Coleman Fuel not stored in a metal Flamables liquides storage unit. On the other hand they will probaly do the same for a Napha containers too but again thats the fire department.

Which reminds me I have to fill the camper stove with Colman Fuel as a storms heading this way and power bound to get knocked out.

I am sure many have had good luck using Colman Fuel. Theres no harm in using it but be more careful. I am not going to prove anyone wrong. If Colman has changed to a non petrolium based Napha thats great.

It also is like government rating Alcohol content and proof rating in the Liquor buisness none match up. As 100 proof is not the same as 100% alcohol content. They all contain an mixed addative or bonding chemical aside from the 100%.

For Colman Fuel and Napha there are hundreds of MSDS reviews all not the same. I have looked many times at thier MSDS and aftermarket government review MSDS. Unfortunately Coleman is still a petrolium based Napha. Petrolium Fuel based means combustable addatives. Napha in most solvent based are similar but may not have or may have these same ingredients as it often comes from the same plant. Often times the solvent form has to conform to goverment regulations as to not be fuel based. Sometimes it slips through.

If you look at the end of Colmans own MSDS they specify it has small traces of certain combustable addatives for the fuel basis aside from the 100% by weight Napha.
Due to government regulations on these petrolium addatives they are still reviewed as White gas by the ratings. Thier 100% is based on weight.

Colman Fuel MSDS

Hydrotreated Light Distillate, CAS # 68410-97-9, OSHA-500 ppm, 100.0

This product contains:

*Cyclohexane, CAS # 110-82-7, OSHA-300 ppm, ACGIH-300 ppm

*Nonane, CAS # 111-84-2, ACGIH-200 ppm

*Octane, CAS # 111-65-9, OSHA-400 ppm, ACGIH-300 ppm

*Heptane, CAS # 142-82-5, OSHA-500 ppm, ACGIH-400 ppm

*Pentane, CAS # 109-66-0, OSHA-1000 ppm, ACGIH-600 ppm

I am sure some one will debate this but feel free to use Coleman or the Napha of your choice it is how it is sprayed and the safety methods you use that matter.

Raymond

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

Mike do you sell the Camen brown?

Thanks for the info.

Malcolm

Yes Malcolm. I will have more in by Friday.

[Ken Bryan]

For the last 2 years we have used "stick it lightly" on tires. This week I am going to clean the track (for the first time in a year) and put down some spray glue in preparation for our race next Saturday. I got some thicker glue from Mike Swiss, but not exactly sure how to thin it (have a variety of chemicals) and what to use to spray it. Any advice would be welcome.

Ken Bryan
Spokane, WA

[Victor Poulin]

Ken,

I use Camen brown. I mix about 3oz with around 10-12 oz of naptha. Make sure you shake it up real good. Use a good quality spray bottle, and just mist it where you want it on the track. Dont over do it. It doesnt take very much. Give it a few minutes to tack up, and your good to go. What I like about it is it seems to really last well, and its very easy to wash off. Hope this helps.

Vic

[Mark Wampler]

Wow Ken I was hoping that your track would always be chem free. I understand others coming from out of the area would make it necessary for glue. Nuther subject.

That's a testament to having a chem free track, not having to clean it for a year! Try to do that with a glue track. So the maintenance is going to escalate if you're going to use glue.

Pardon the interruption. I hope it works for ya.

[Zippity]

Spray lightly in the braking zone at each corner, let stand for 20 minutes then drive an old car (you don't want to *&^% up a good motor) on each lane for 20 or 30 laps to evenly apply the "goo" around each lane.

Experiment and apply more "goo" if necessary in the braking zone only.

You will be surprised at just how little "goo" you need to apply.

[Zippity]

Addendum:

The "Secret Recipe" that I was given while I was in California (and the mix we use on the Wellington track) is one bottle of Light or Heavy tire goo (or goop) dissolved in 1 litre of lighter fluid or Fuelite.

The lighter fluid is the carrier of the goo which dissolves in the air within a couple of hours of being sprayed on the track - we try to leave it overnight. The goo is sprayed about 2 foot into the corner (the breaking area) and just out of the curve (the acceleration area). We run house cars around the track for about 30 or 40 laps to evenly spread the goo around the lanes.

I purchased a heavy duty 1.25 litre trigger type spray bottle while I was in the States. You need one that will not clog up with the goo hence the need to let it dissolve in the carrier (fuelite) mixture - just make sure that it is well shaken/stirred before you start to spray/apply it to the track.

[idare2bdul]

Wow Ken I was hoping that your track would always be chem free. I understand others coming from out of the area would make it necessary for glue. Nuther subject.

That's a testament to having a chem free track, not having to clean it for a year! Try to do that with a glue track. So the maintenance is going to escalate if you're going to use glue.

Pardon the interruption. I hope it works for ya.

Wow Mark don't you race on spray glue pretty much all the time at BP and Fosters? There is an altenative which the home track guys use, magnets and silicone tires, but most commercial tracks have been using spray glue for quite awhile. Even without spray glue if you don't clean a track it gets dusty and traction is gone.

[Mark Wampler]

Wow Mark don't you race on spray glue pretty much all the time at BP and Fosters? There is an altenative which the home track guys use, magnets and silicone tires, but most commercial tracks have been using spray glue for quite awhile. Even without spray glue if you don't clean a track it gets dusty and traction is gone.

Hi Mike

Yes I do. Glue addict here, lol. I've said this before, but worth repeating. Commercial tracks with F-7 and higher horsepower need the glue. Jail Door cars could probably do fine without it, but the tires would have be widened to compensate for loss of grip. Sure, low powered home tracks and motors are good with silicones. So it was back in the day. I tried out a pair of recapped silicones on BP's King track incognito. They held very nice, but squealing around the corners had people wondering what was going on. The 10 thou or so silicone film began to wear rapidly. I 'd say after 15-17 minutes or so, the handling started to go away with running an F7. I needed to prove it to myself. Fun, but not practical. I'm not up on my history, but glued tracks were not something done in the mid 60's as I remember, at least not locally. I quit in '68 and there was no glue where I raced.

It would be a challenge to use a tire treatment only format and see how everyone does then. Maybe 2 or 3 tenths slower without the glue, but make for some iinteresting racing. Its way too late to start chem free tracks. If a track has a good chem free race program already,then more power to 'em. I'm not a greenie weenie either, but think how nice it would be for track owners to eliminate a lot of track cleaning. Just dusting is all you need.

[Ron Hershman]

For best results only use VMP Naptha..... make sure it says VMP.

Do not use Coleman Fluid for cleaning and/or mixing with glue. This will make for a slick racing surface.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

Mark, we were using "glue" in the mid 60s. At least I was. Was NOT using spray glue, though. Personally, I was doing a 50/50 mix of Oil of wintergreen and STP as my glue.

A stock 36d with silicones is fine on a clean track. A rewind is chancy. Hotter than that and even sillies cannot hook up well.

Locally there is a hillclimb that doesn't allow foam or glue and is carefully cleaned constantly. They only use plastic RTRs. AND? A stock NSR with silicones will spin all the way down the straight. A D3 will spin all the way down the straigt and be undrivable in the corners.

Fate

[Rick]

ANYONE that says they would like a correctly-cleaned track with nothing down on it, has never tried to run a car on one. IT SUCKS! It's not fun...

[MSwiss]

For the last two years we have used "stick it lightly" on tires. This week I am going to clean the track (for the first time in a year) and put down some spray glue in preparation for our race next Saturday. I got some thicker glue from Mike Swiss, but not exactly sure how to thin it (have a variety of chemicals) and what to use to spray it. Any advice would be welcome.

I thought I had given you the formula when I sold you the glue.

It's been a a while but if it was Koford Heavy or Camen Brown, add 16 oz. naphtha.

[Zippity]

This is the spray bottle to use

[Rick]

Yup, that's the one to get, Zip. They last a good long time, the naphtha does not attack the o-rings in this spray unit, and it's cheap.

I would like to add that the spray glue formula I gave is a conservative mix, so you don't over-stick the track.

I used the heavier mix when we began a USRA style race as the motors are more powerful and can pull a heavier spray glue formula. It's much eaiser to give it another coat on the turns than it is to try to fix an overglued track.

And don't hold the spray bottle too close, allow it to fall onto the surface with a nice fine spray. You can see what you are doing if you look at the track at an angle as you go.

Just my 2 more cents...

[Ken Bryan]

Mike-

I couldn't find the instructions you gave. After your message I went back and looked. It was back in August. You said 15 oz. to the bottle of glue.

Ken

[Rick]

If you get real ballsy, you can mix with lacquer thinner, too. Absolutely no residue but glue when it dries.

[SlowToyCars]

From a racer's perspective:

I've run in a lot of conditions, with a lot of different sprays, and on a LOT of tracks.

What doesn't work:
Coleman - About 10 years ago, Coleman changed their formulation for a while. It got REALLY oily, and was making tracks slick. Good to see it's 100% Naptha again, but that left a bad taste in my mouth.
No Glue - Worst possible conditions, though, honestly, it will help equalize your competition, as cars with power will have trouble hooking up. Expect complaints from people like me if your track is like this!
Red or Light glue mixtures - Almost as bad as nothing, this creates a slimy surface to the track. It is oily feeling, and will minimally aid in traction. Worse yet, it doesn't seem to allow the rubber to build up, which is where it really causes a problem. It doesn't get better with time.

What works:
VM&P naphtha - Always the same, can always be trusted to work.
Koford Medium/Heavy Glue - A very good choice for spraying a track.
Camen Stick-It Brown - Another very good choice for spraying a track.

Advanced lessons:
A track owner turned Regional USRA official, during my tenure as a Division 1 President for the region, was put in charge of track prep at every race for the season. The track owners were kind enough to allow us to prep the tracks. He was using a mixture containing Koford Drag glue. Honestly, guys, that's the best stuff I've ever seen for spray glue. It is SLOW to build rubber, lasts forever (a month or more, without having traction problems generally) and never seems to bog cars, never seems to lack traction. Makes for some great racing conditions. From what we could tell, most tracks were going .1-.2 faster with that prep than with anything they were using locally, based on the locals times.

[Ken Bryan]

Good news to report.

I cleaned the track last night. Used VM&P Naphtha. To my surprise, I was able to clean the track in about 20 minutes. Track is 82' long, 4 lanes. I mixed naphtha and a small bottle of brown glue per directions given by Mike and Rick here. Misted the track once and corners twice. Waited until the naphtha evaporated and raced. Great racing conditions right off the bat.

Took a before and after picture as I was cleaning. You might notice a subtle difference:



Thanks for the advice, everyone!

Ken

[DocSlotCar]

Where did you purchase SKU 075577024544 Prod # K01661714-16 Manufact. VM&P Product: Naphtha.

Having an issue finding this locally.

Thank you,

Doc

[Rick]

Lowes carries the Spraymaster spray unit and Ace Hardware carries VM&P naphtha...

[Cheater]

Doc,

I'm pretty sure Home Depot carries VM&P naphtha, too, as should any decent paint store.

[Cheater]

Doc,

I'm pretty sure Home Depot carries VM&P naphtha, too, as should any decent paint store.

[The Bugman]

And in Calif, it's about $9 a quart. Use sparingly... LOL!!

[MSwiss]

I get my naphtha at Menard's because they sell it in gallons. It's up to $11-12 but that's still way better than paying $7-8 for a quart at Home Depot.

Not sure about Lowe's because none are real close to me.