FUEL DIP STICKS

[IBob]

On completion of my build, I made a dip stick for dipping the tanks. I made it from matai, which is a NZ native timber, reasonably dense, fine grained and resinous. I spent some time on it and was pleased with the results.
However, it doesn't work as well as it might: the fuel wicks up the wood and I have to be quick and careful to see the wetted part, otherwise it is easy to get an artificially high reading.
Is there some sealant that I could use to prevent the wicking?
Alternatively, what would be a better material for making another one?

[Marty_d]

If you lightly oiled it, would it still work (and not wick?)

[kgwilson]

I made mine out of a piece of pine dowel from Bunnings. I painted it matt black and calibrated it from the minimum of 10 litres to 100 litres with an indent mark at 5 litre intervals that runs around the dowel using a lathe. Each line was then painted white with a fine artist brush with the number of litres inscribed above also in white. It took a while to make but I have had it now for 10 years, it is dead accurate & the fuel doesn't wick. I also calibrated the other side (180 deg) of it for my wing tanks

[IBob]

What sort of paint did you use, kgwilson?

 

[kgwilson]

Can't remember but it was a spray can also bought from Bunnings. I used it to paint the panel.  (probably the cheapest). The white I remember was a bit of left over 2 pack from painting the plane.

[sfGnome]

Not quite as elaborate as KG’s, but when I lost our dipstick (left it on the wing and then took off… 🙄🫤), I just used some Bunnings dowel (can’t remember if it was pine or tassie oak, probably pine), and tattooed lines and numbers on it with a sharp point. Otherwise unfinished. It was quite readable and I don’t remember it wicking, though I expect that we did a quick dip-and-read so I don’t know if it had time to wick. 
 

Hint for young players. Don’t lose your dipstick, ‘cause if you do, you have to drain your tanks to calibrate a new one. No fun.

[skippydiesel]

A conundrum -

Stick must be calibratable (marked in such a way as to not be disolved by or contaminate fue) to the specific aircraft tank(s).

Must hold sufficient fuel, on its surface, for long enough so the level can be read

Must not be so absorbent that the fuel "wicks" up the stick giving a false (+) reading 

My stick  - a notched (5L increments) dowel of unknown origin (possibly Bunnings Aerospace) "wicks" like crazy. I have been contemplating soaking it in a thin solution of vinyl ester.

[IBob]

I saw a clever manufactured one recently. It had a transparent tube about the size of a drinking straw, you dip it in then put your finger over the top end, draw it out and the fuel level stays in the tube to be read against the marked strip it is attached to. For now I'll fool around with what paints I have, see if I have anything that doesn't dissolve or flake when dipped in petrol.

 

11 hours ago, Marty_d said:

If you lightly oiled it, would it still work (and not wick?)

Worth a shot too, Marty, but I'm pretty sure the oil would wash out.

[Marty_d]

4 minutes ago, IBob said:

I saw a clever manufactured one recently. It had a transparent tube about the size of a drinking straw, you dip it in then put your finger over the top end, draw it out and the fuel level stays in the tube to be read against the marked strip it is attached to.

That sounds intelligent.  Easy to read and it'd never over-read, only under (if you let your finger slip a bit).

[Neil_S]

2 hours ago, IBob said:

I saw a clever manufactured one recently. It had a transparent tube about the size of a drinking straw, you dip it in then put your finger over the top end, draw it out and the fuel level stays in the tube to be read against the marked strip it is attached to. 

 

That is really neat! I might try and put one like that together....

Comes under the "why didn't I think of that" heading 🙂

 

Cheers,

Neil

Edited May 21 by Neil_S

[IBob]

Neil I don't think it's a new idea at all. Just new to me.........😳
I think the tubes used are acrylic, but that thin pneumatic tube would probably work just as well, and would be more readily available.
 

[spenaroo]

the champ I hire from Aldinga has a black metal plate attached to the dip stick down one side.

find it much easier to read then the wood. can see the obvious shine of the liquid on the metal.

[409tonner]

https://www.ausdip.com.au/
These guys make a good looking dip . I haven’t tried one myself 

[Blueadventures]

10 minutes ago, 409tonner said:

https://www.ausdip.com.au/
These guys make a good looking dip . I haven’t tried one myself 

That’s Gold 👍👍👍

[Neil_S]

3 hours ago, IBob said:

Neil I don't think it's a new idea at all. Just new to me.........😳
I think the tubes used are acrylic, but that thin pneumatic tube would probably work just as well, and would be more readily available.
 

Hi IBob,

 

I have some narrow plastic tubing I bought from an aquarium shop  - I was thinking just use zipties to attach a length to my wooden dipstick.

 

Cheers,

Neil

[danny_galaga]

On 20/05/2024 at 8:24 PM, Marty_d said:

If you lightly oiled it, would it still work (and not wick?)

I should think if you oiled it, that would wash out with the fuel pretty quickly 

[skippydiesel]

The hollow plastic tube type: I have one of these (never used)

 

How can it give an accurate measure/level in any tank that is not perfectly linear (is that the right descriptor?)

 

The best it can do is;

Full - you would see that without a stick & hopefully know the capacity of the tank

Between Full & Empty - this would be guess work.

[skippydiesel]

On 21/05/2024 at 1:56 PM, Neil_S said:

Hi IBob,

 

I have some narrow plastic tubing I bought from an aquarium shop  - I was thinking just use zipties to attach a length to my wooden dipstick.

 

Cheers,

Neil

Would the wooden dipstick  have the levels - if so why both a stick & tube??

[Neil_S]

3 minutes ago, skippydiesel said:

Would the wooden dipstick  have the levels - if so why both a stick & tube??

Hi Skippy,

 

Easier to see. The fuel can dry very quickly and it's sometimes hard to see exactly where it was on the stick. Keeping a finger on the end of the tube until read is just more precise.

 

Cheers,

Neil

[skippydiesel]

27 minutes ago, Neil_S said:

Hi Skippy,

 

Easier to see. The fuel can dry very quickly and it's sometimes hard to see exactly where it was on the stick. Keeping a finger on the end of the tube until read is just more precise.

 

Cheers,

Neil

That would work (stick has the level marks) but seems a tad over complicated, simplified if marks can be transferred to tube (no stick needed)

[IBob]

Needs to be bulky enough..and/or with a lanyard to avoid losing it in a tank.......(

[Neil_S]

Hi guys,

 

I just bought some narrow PTFE tube and attached a section with copper wiring to my dipstick.

Works a treat - so easy to see the fuel level now, and it stays static in the tube until I take my finger off the end.

 

Cheers,

Neil

[facthunter]

DRY wood or  a Pale   MATT surface.  Scribing criss cross lines on it will help.  Calibrated to your plane.   Nev

[skippydiesel]

21 hours ago, Neil_S said:

Hi guys,

 

I just bought some narrow PTFE tube and attached a section with copper wiring to my dipstick.

Works a treat - so easy to see the fuel level now, and it stays static in the tube until I take my finger off the end.

 

Cheers,

Neil

Do the copper securing wires correspond with a particular fuel level ie calobated??😈

[Neil_S]

4 hours ago, skippydiesel said:

Do the copper securing wires correspond with a particular fuel level ie calobated??😈

Hi Skippy,

 

Yes - the quarter levels.

 

Cheers,

Neil