Turbo heads by Kamtechnik

Yes Brad but just checked and the 3 bladed Master Airscrew is in fact 6x4..hot plug, maybe I should keep experimenting with medium plugs and varying number of shims.

I am not discounting the Kamtechnik Turbo heads... Always good to have options and competition...for us customers

BUT Galbreath, and others, still make and sell retro heads for the Nelson 3/8" plug for a wide variety of engines.

And a LOT of East European engines are designed specifically to use the Nelson Glow plug...

Nelson Plugs in two heat ranges are mostly in the $5 us range and when I calculate Euro costs per plug they are on par with US domestic prices

Merlin made a bunch of Nelson Glow plugs and some were specialty sized for normal 1/4" wrench and twist on ignitor...So far it looks like the family is NOT going to continue the Merlin Glow Plug line...pity

Yes Fred I was searching but did not find Merlin drop in plugs anymore and for me importing Nelson plugs is also not economical. Standard turbo plugs are sold here so at least for me the Kamtech heads are ideal.

Damn Brother I bet shipping from whoever the Ukrainian guy is ---would be a LOT cheaper than for me to send you 5 or so Nelson plugs....But I will if you need a few

Every Good Turbo plug I see is twice the price of the Nelson...BUT I am not in Budapest Hungary

Thanks Fred I really appreciate your generosity..I actually buy standard turbo plugs here at 1700 Hungarian Forints i.e. 5.7 $ a piece.

http://jakomodell.hu/webaruhaz/automodell-alkatreszek/automodell-alkatreszek2013-09-14-21-01-03/robban%C3%B3motoros-aut%C3%B3modellek-alkatr%C3%A9szei,-kell%C3%A9kei/izz%C3%B3gyerty%C3%A1k/sh-izzogyertya-t4-detail

Problem is that whatever in import is declared to cost more than 25 bucks goes into customs and is stuck there for ages..I bought 5 plugs from the Ukrainian guy and despite they are neighbors I did not see the plugs for 3 weeks..

Plugs start at $4.87 on ebay in small batches / Free shipping USA
Single buy plugs start at $5.47 / Free shipping USA
Here in the US many offer free shipping.

Current offerings and total sell ads of each brand:
(11,204 units)

Brands
Dynamite (15)
HPI (9)
Kyosho (1)
Novarossi (33)
O.S. (220)
O.S. Max (14)
Team Associated (15)
Unbranded (13)

I click on world wide search and plugs are offered even in Holland.

Thanks Brad I saw them but again, buying them even in small quantities at a total cost including shipping (which even in a small envelop starts at 15 bucks) exceeding 25 US Dollars from any source abroad will end up with the plugs going into customs. It is not the 27% value added tax and customs clearance costs I must pay that make it uncomfy but the waiting time before they reach my doorway.

I am happy the Kamtechnik heads made turboplug application way simpler for me than Nelson no matter if they are very similar in performance. You guys sitting on a bonanza of modelling supplies within simple and quick access may find it weird but it is what it is.

I wonder if anyone else would want to take on the Merlin line. Not a liquidator like MECOA. I think it would take a lot of people to do that kind of work, with good eyesight. He carried a full line of plugs and even the Glowbees. Not the middle reach that OS and Enya use.I personally like the turbo plugs for anything less than a .15 because they are 1mm smaller in diameter in the head window. Price is pretty high here too. There is an Italian Nelson style plug that may work out cheaper in Hungary. I don't really like the Nelsons because of the odd size glow clip needed . I just bought another clothes pin one this year though.

Yes those Italian turbo plugs (standard not the Nelson size) are also sold in the few hobbyshops that still sell stuff for nitro engines..a bit more expensive though. Whether the one I bought at 5.7 USD equivalent is an El Cheapo that blows after a few runs is yet to be seen..I must confess that even genuine Nelson plugs got blown in my 049 TeeDee-s notwithstanding only 20% nitro in the fuel and 3-4 shims under the head..anyway at least the standard turbo plugs are readily available within a 15 minutes drive in my neighborhood.

1/2A Nut wrote:Good to hear your order made it across many miles!
So with the screen on the venturi .09 you saw 16.2k with the cox plug?
Medium temp turbo plugs?

Brad what is your best choice for the temp rating of turbo plugs? I would think that unless you have a throttled carb where you want a stable idle,with the hot plug  the thermal efficiency of the engine and with that the output is lower than with medium or cold plug, because hot plug radiates more heat into the compression cycle.

Sorry if my question is too bookish...just wanted to guess but please propose based on your best experience with 049 and 09 engines. Checked the web fir an answer but none for the 049 engine size range. Ageneral rule of thum seems to be that small engines go with hot, large engines with cold plugs better. Nitro and ambient air conditions may dictate differently.

I have tested all Kamtechnik turbo head adapters with OS Gold plugs:
Hot plugs low nitro / high nitro colder plugs rule of thumb. Yes with a RC carb
you want to go from idle to full throttle without the engine stumbling.
Colder plugs last longer of course so you want to ride the edge of reasonable
idle that you can live with and lean towards a solid top end and longevity.  
I rarely blow plugs with that rule I do check them for lean run damage and
age. If they are pale the coating is gone time to change them out to be on
the safe side. Good plug choice should last as we all fly small engines here.
Big engines break plug elements if not careful the piston eats them. High
rpm and high nitro can to we all do a careful dance to choose the best plugs.
I like having a choice!

I have tested all Kamtechnik prototype turbo head adapters with OS Gold plugs:
I also buy production run adapters for confirmation and to outfit my engine collection.  

P3 Ultra Hot TD .020 (could not get any improvement with RC carb)
P4 Super Hot TD .020 (best all around and good idle with RC carb)
P5  Hot  (not tested yet but should be good with 25% -45% nitro as the compression is from a .020)

RP6 Med. TD .049 / QB / .09 / .15 (good idle 25% nitro) Blew a plug at 33.7k rpm undecided if this is a issue yet.
RP7 Cool TD .049 (*best with tuned pipe) / QB / .09 / .15 no issues perfect with high nitro.

RP8 Cold (tuned pipe  or 45% - 60% high nitro) Yes will be tested with a TD .15 / Mark II with RC carb.



Note this flight was with the Kamtechnik turbo plug adapter using a Gold OS RP7 no idle issues
jumped up on the pipe the minute I launch the plane no engine stumbling full throttle punch. Perfect!
You can't go wrong with these adapters they are the shizzle.

I just received 2 of Greg's .049 Turbo Plug heads.  I had no reservations abou buying from him after previously purchasing his .010 and .020 aluminum backplate mounts.  These little heads were just as beautifully machined as the other parts were!  I haven't used them yet but have run similar Turbo Plug heads in the past from Ron Valentine a d Tim Wiltse.  Those parts ran great on some hot reedies and TDs in conjunction with OS P4 Turbo Plugs.  I figure these will perform equally as well for my needs.  If you're on the fence and looking for some cool machined bits for your Cox engines, Kamtechnik parts are worth a look! I don't recall burning out any OS P4 plugs when I was using them but I stocked up on a few more to have on hand just in case. Hoping to get back to flying some hotrod reedies soon!

Waiting for the Cox .020 turbo head to become available. Wondering if that will make it into production soon.

Oh, I hope so! I'm holding off on buying more .020 glow heads for now to see if these make it into production. My TD .020s are chomping at the bit for those.

Prototype G was tested Feb. 28th as I recall and made more power than all
the other stock proto's out of the bag using 3 shims and a OS P4 plug.

Directly checked after cool down against a fresh vintage high compression Cox
plug (used 2 shims for best reading) the type with the knurled ring vs 3 shims
used with the G proto adapter. Proto made 404 rpm more after temps stabilized
using a Cox 4.5x2 / Peak 19.04k rpm temp stabilized 18.3k in my environment.  
Nearly there adapter needs to be tweaked for best peak using 2 shims rather than 3.
Also there is another mod to be incorporated for a bit more rpm. P3 / 4 and 6
depending on time of year prop and nitro content. Have not heard from Greg
since all this Covid-19 mess started up, hope all is well.

Brad my best rpm readings with Kamtech heads come with a single shim at 20% nitro with reedies and TD-s both. My Quickie100 flight video having a red postage stamp reedie with No1 cylinder and Kamtechnik head refers..unloading rpm-s wir3h a 4.5x3.5 APC prop above 28k..

Good to know it's still in the works! Greg just shipped me these heads over the weekend so I assume all is well on his end.

I would like to get turbo heads for the TD.020, TD.09, and the TD.15.
I have enough money in Glo Bee, Galbraith/Nelson, and Cox 1702 glow heads for the .049/.051/.061NV to last a very long time.

There is a slight gain in performance from a TD head with a smaller prop, and a big gain over the low compression head.  In the case of conversion heads, a standard 1/4"- 32" plug loses a fair bit of performance from a stock one.  As for anything other than an .049, there just is not that much available any more, and the turbo plug doesn't lose any power from a stock plug.  The plugs are "fairly" reasonably priced compared to the Cox ones.

All that mentioned above plus they are nicely machined custom pieces that are made by a fellow hobby enthusiast who appreciates these engines!

I saw big gain with a APC 4.2x4

Turbo plug adapter 1 head gasket 15% nitro with throttle sleeve

24,386 rpm +1,486 rpm
VS
22,900 Cox High Compression Plug 1 gasket 15% nitro

If they were available I’d buy ten to build custom pee wees with the printed backplates. Impatiently waiting with cash burning a hole in my pocket.