Disclaimer The following dates back several years and contains portions of correspondence between model builders regarding

the use of O rings in place of iron piston rings in model engines. I believe this correspondence pertained to hit n miss or farm type engines. Im not sure how well O rings would work in high RPM, radial engines, V-8s and the like. (They might work fine?) I have not tried any of the following, but my source has been using O rings for several years and feels this is the way to go. I intend to use an O-ring in the future. Any narrative in ITALICS has been added by me.

THOUGHTS ON USING O-RINGS vs CONVENTIONAL PISTON RINGS and PROPANE as FUEL

Im glad to hear from a model maker. I went to Propane at least 10 years ago [this was written in 1998] and have had excellent results. I have used O-rings in all the models I built in the last several years. ONE O-ring is all you need. They have better compression and I run my engines all day without any water for cooling. I have run my Allman with the same O-ring since DeBolt made the kits and it still runs good. This engine will hit one time and coast 30 to 40 revolutions and hit again. When I bore a new engine, I always leave .010 under size so the O-ring will seal a little better. When choosing an O-ring, get one that will fit the cylinder and not fall out. [my friend who gave this to me said he has built several engines with standard size bore and it doesnt seem to make any difference when using an O-ring] I assume you have a pressure regulator and flow control valve. (demand valve). To run on propane you need a good choke on your mixer. If you mixer has a check valve in it, you need to take it out. The air to gas mixture is critical. Most of my engines run with the choke closed half way or more. [the common mixer on a Mery engine requires only a #54 drill hole for the air intake] I have converted several engines to Propane. Sometimes I had to enlarge the [fuel] orifice at the needle valve to get better results. Dont give up! Once you find the right mixture makes it worth while. I use only Cast Iron or Aluminum for Pistons. I used Teflon on main bearings. It wears good and is supposed to be less frictional material. [What follows was written in 1994] I have tried the 1/8 O-ring but believe they have too much friction. I like the 3/32 best. They measure .100 thick and are more flexible than the 1/8 . Last Oct. I purchased a 1/6 scale Fairbanks model of a 25hp made in Oregon. It has 1 7/8 bore. It was almost finished when I bought it, but the owner passed away. I finished it and ran it 6 or 7 days. It had 2 cast iron rings with .093 width grooves in the piston. The only O-ring I had was 1/16 dia x 1.78 OD. I decided to try it. I cut the groove a little deeper and tried it. That was last week and I have run it about 4 hours since. It is running much better. It hits one time and coasts roughly 20 revolutions between firing.

Most of my models have bronze bearings, including the Fairbanks mentioned. I experimented with Teflon on 4 of my models. I cant see that much difference in their running. I will use it in future models, as I have easy access to the material. I am going to brag a little now. I have been complemented many times by a lot of people who say my models seem to run a little better than most! I am convinced, without a doubt the key is to have a good smooth bore and a good fit on an O-ring to cut down on friction. Another tip I would like to do this on all models I build IF I have the room. I make the exhaust valve and exhaust port larger and sometimes enlarge CAM lobe to open the exhaust valve a little more so while Engine is coasting, air can get in and out much faster. On my Woodpecker model, I have to close my choke almost all the way to get it running on propane. Brooks Pendergast and I have talked about O-rings a few times. I believe he is ready to try one.

O-ring should float in piston, but fit the cylinder.