Directions For Making Biodiesel Fuel

How to go about making biodiesel?

In this article we will explain how to make biodiesel for the first time. In order to produce your own biodiesel you will need the following:-

1. At least 1 litre of vegetable oil (canola, corn or soybean oil will be okay).
2. A blender that has variable speeds including a slow speed option and that has a glass pitcher (also ensure that this one will not be used for food production afterwards).
3. Scales which you can accurately measure 3.5grams (12oz) on. A good digital scales would be your best option.
4. 1 bottle of sodium hydroxide (available from any good hardware store). It is important that you follow all safety precautions when handling this product as it is poisonous.
5. At least 200mls (6.8 fl oz) of methanol. This is widely available in 12 oz quantities and normally known as gas tank antifreeze in your local auto part and hardware stores. However it is important not to select one that contains isopropyl alcohol as this will not work. It is also important that you follow safety precautions when handling methanol as it is both poisonous and flammable.
6. A glass container that is marked for 200mls (6.8 fl oz).
7. A glass or plastic container that is capable of holding 1 ltr.
8. A glass or plastic container that can hold at least 1.5 ltrs and has a wide mouth.
9. A wooden spoon.
10 Safety Glasses and Rubber Gloves. Remember both methanol and sodium hydroxide are poisonous. Also work close to a sink or hose or a bucket of water close at hand in order to wash off any chemicals that come into contact with your body.

Now let's go through the process of making biodiesel. Before you start making your own biodiesel it is important that you carry out the work in a well lit and ventilated area (it is best if you can carry out the work at or above room temperature). Also put on your safety glasses and gloves before you start to use the chemicals.

Now measure out the 200mls of methanol and pour into the blender next weigh out 3.5grams of sodium hydroxide. Turn the blender on to a slow speed and add the sodium hydroxide to the methanol. Once the sodium hydroxide has dissolved in the methanol (about 2 minutes) add a liter of vegetable oil to the blender again blend at low speed for between 20 to 30 minutes.

Once blending has been completed pour this mixture into a wide mouthed jar and leave to stand for about 30 minutes to 1 hour (it is best that you label this up as poison and also make sure that it is well away from where children can get to it). After this time you will notice a darker colored glycerin has begun to settle at the bottom and a lighter layer at the top (this is biodiesel). Now wait a few more hours for the mixture to settle completely and at this point you will be able to carefully pour off the biodiesel or if you want use a pump to remove the biodiesel from the jar. There you have it you now know how to make biodiesel.

New Car Shopping Online

Today, more and more people have become tired of searching for a new car by visiting new car dealers one at a time to learn what new makes and models they have, what improvements have been made with the new models and of course what price tag you can actually haggle to obtain.

Your own computer and the Internet is fast becoming a favorite for those in search of a new car. The benefits of searching online has become a major draw for consumers and the car dealers are beginning to love these new consumers and give them deals just for shopping online.

Now, before you begin you should know the fundamentals for saving money and getting the best automobile that fits your needs or desires. These five tips will aid you in finding the best deal for a new car online.

Tip 1: Do Your Research

Car manufacturers change their models every year to stay up with or ahead of the competition. It is important for you to learn what is going to be available from the different car manufacturers so you can make an educated choice for your new vehicle. There are several different models you can choose from but before you begin your search you should have a few basics in mind such as do you prefer an automatic or manual transmission, do you need a large cargo area, do you have a reason for a four wheel drive vehicle? Now, that you know these answers you can type in the models that best fit your needs in a search on your computer and be able to see all the new models that fit your needs.

Tip 2: Know What You Can Afford

If you are going to pay cash, then you already have a good idea of how much you are going to allow for a new car. However, if you need financing, you should have a bottom line and a top line that you can afford to pay in monthly payments without feeling strapped. This should help you, if you remember, only look at cars that are in your price range. If you go over your limit, you may have the car taken back by the bank and that is not a pleasant car buying experience. Remember, stay within your limits.

Tip 3: Get Your Own Car Loan

Many car dealerships online and offline will try their best to feed off your emotions if they know what they are. These means if they know you are interested in a more expensive car than you can really afford then they will do their best to get you financed for that car, not considering whether you can afford the payments or not.

If you apply for car loans online, you will have a better chance of finding loan companies that will give you loan that you can live with instead of charging you extra.

Before you apply for a car loan be sure you know what is on your credit report and what your credit score is, this has a lot to do with how much you will have to pay in interest rate fees.

Tip 4: Use the Internet

When you find a car dealership that has the model you desire, go to their website. Today, many of these car dealerships have Internet salespeople that are trained to work with consumers and help you the lowest price on the model you want. Contacting car dealerships through the Internet also allows you not to show emotion and you chances of a better deal are higher.

Tip 5: Negotiate Price

If you have negotiated a good price and you feel comfortable with the salesperson and the dealership, it is now time to take that new car on a test drive. Go in person to the dealership and drive the model that you have been discussing online. Make sure that you feel comfortable with the car, the dealership and your Internet Salesperson before you sign.

That’s it! Now you can drive home your new car and know you got a great price for a vehicle that fits your desires and needs without all the hassles of shopping all over town.

Why Do American Automakers Pay Millions to Consultants?

Do you ever wonder why companies like the Big Three US Automakers spend millions to tell them what they should obviously already know? They spend millions in consulting fees. Interestingly enough this topic became a rather charged debate recently in our Online Think Tank. We all know that the US Consumer wants cars that look cool, have good performance and do not use too much gasoline or fuel right? Yah, dah you say.

This is why last year alone Toyota captured an additional 10% market share and Ford announced losing 16 Billion? Ouch, hello! Why is this happening, why are both GM and Ford in a world of hurt? Didn’t they already learn this a few decades the prior? Now they are paying millions to consultants to re-learn what they already learned the hard way?

Last time after Charles Deming told them for free what should be done they did not listen, while the Japanese took him for his word and the Big Three paid twice. Datsun and Honda days sure showed Detroit back then and Toyota and Honda are doing it again now.

Amazing that the Big Three are learning the same lesson again as China sells franchises in NJ of an Chinese Automaker, which is actually partly owned by the Chinese Army, meaning you buy a fuel efficient Chinese mini-SUV and the Treasure Fleet Sails Again only this time with nuclear submarines carrying anti-satellite weapons of course?

Admiral Zheng was a great man in Chinese History and his legacy is likely to rise again, China is surpassing the US Navy Fleet in number of ships as we speak. Why are the US Automakers not seeing the bigger picture here? What a disaster of inefficiency and hard lesson in failing to deliver to the customer what they desire at a price point competitive with the Free-Market?

Well, you are probably asking if I could do better? Yes, that is affirmative, but after paying out all that money to others, doubt they have much left actually. I hope this article will propel thought in 2007 and perhaps a re-bound for US Automakers by 2008

Your Car Will Not Blow Up If You Don't Change Your Oil Every Damn 3000 Miles!

Your car WILL NOT I REPEAT NOT blow up if you don't change your oil every 3000 miles!

I am an ASE certified L-1 Technician with over 15 years of experience. believe me it will not blow up. The auto repair industry makes money knowing you don't know that or at least hopes you believe that if you don't change your oil your car will blow up or something. You can safely go 7500 or even 10,000 miles before you have your oil changed, just be sure to check your oil when you buy gas remember the days when someone came out to your car ,pumped your gas and checked your oil?

Well unless you have been asleep for 20 years that responsibility is now YOURS it's called self service, YOUR self your car. You can top off all your cars fluids you can check the air in your tires. Then you can go for your oil change knowing your vehicle is ok because YOU already checked it YOURSELF just change my oil and filter, see ya next time I don't need one of those little stickers to tell me to be back in 3 months or 3000 miles because I know my car WILL NOT BLOW UP!

The auto repair industry uses the Cheap oil change as the most valuable tool to "get people in" why because they know people gravitate to cheap things to avoid the things that actually need to be done once you are in the shop you are more likely to agree to fix the items recommended as you are "already here and been meaning to come in anyway" the shops loose money on the oil change and make it up on all the things they find during the courtesy inspection and sell you because the shop manager tells the mechanics that every oil change vehicle should have at least $300.00 of needed repairs FIND THEM! Think about it.

Electric Scooters: The Alternative Transportation

Years have passed and the glory of having your own car has long worn away. Your sitting solidly in the middle of the middle class and the high price of gas is starting to wear away at your budget. As you drive from the grocery store to the bank and then across the road to the hardware store, you notice a little old lady pulling out of the beauty shop, a brightly colored scarf protecting her newly curled hair as she putts along on her little eclectic scooter.

Glancing at the gas tank you realized that simply running your weekend errands has used up nearly a quarter of tank in your pick up truck. You glance back at the little old lady as she vanishes around the corner, you remember you old scooter and how all you had to do is plug it into a wall for a few hours and it was recharged and ready to go. It had been such a carefree method of travel, so cheap and clean. You wonder if life will ever return back to those simpler days.

Guess what, they can.

As a result of the rising cost of gas more and more people are buying electric scooters. They claim that the electric scooters are convenient, user friendly, efficient, and fun.

Electric scooters are becoming more and more popular as a way to run errands. They are faster and less physically taxing than walking, and dragging bags of groceries, clothing purchases, and newly filled prescriptions back and forth across town gets really old really fast. Although the electric scooters are not as fast or powerful as their gas guzzling cousins, they are small, silent, lightweight and can scurry up most hills without a second thought. If you rely on public transportation an electric scooter can fold into a neat little compact bundle and go right on the bus bike rack. A gas powered scooter is usually not allowed.

Electric scooters aren’t all fun and games. Though there are models with headlights, taillights and turn signals, approaching traffic may have a hard time seeing them in foul weather and at night. They do not mingle well with traffic and require strong defensive driving skills.

The average electric scooter can travel anywhere from 8 to 25 Mph, depending on the type. Traditionally electric scooter seldom experience mechanical problems and are easy to maintain. Charging an electric scooter’s battery can sometimes take as long as 4-6 hours.

If you decide that an electric scooter is the scooter for you there are a few things you should consider before you purchase one.

1. Ask yourself what type of terrain will you be riding on? Are you going to be going up and down a lot of hills?

2. How many miles do you plan to travel on the average outing on your electric scooter? Remember that trips back and forth to the grocery store and laundry mat add up to a lot of mileage. Once you have decided the average length of your trips look for a scooter capable of traveling at least double the length per charge.

When you find your perfect scooter don’t forget to purchase some basic safety gear at the same time. Helmets and knee and elbow pads are an inexpensive way to avoid a lengthy stay in the hospitable.

My Favorite Car: Now You Know

I guess this is what you call writers block, I just can't seem to think of anything to write another article about, of course it will be about a car, but what car, that is where I'm stumped, I have written about the camaro and corvette so many times, I don't know how much more I can write about them, they are the two muscle cars that I know the most about, the two that I have played with the most, and with out a doubt my favorite.
This article will not be really specific this time, I just thought that I'd tell you a few of the reasons why these two cars are my favorite muscle cars, now as far as the camaro goes, I owned a 1969 Z/28 as a kid, and man I'll tell you, the fun time that I had in that car can't even be counted, I got the car, and with in the first year I was putting a new high performance 302 in it, this engine was running a 620 lift 320 duration roller cam, and during that there was no such a thing as a street roller, this was a full race camshaft, and not intended for street use.
Thus offering no low end power at all, my power range started at about 2700 RPM, although the car ran a 4 speed Muncie M22 rock crusher transmission, it still took some getting used to when you were behind the wheel, you were not going to mash the pedal from a dead stand still and turn the car side ways, it had it power up high, and it in turn treated me very well at the drag strip, it ran 3.73:1 rear gears for the street, and 4.10:1 on the race track, it also boasted 12.5: compression pistons, and 2.02 corvette fuely cylinder heads.
It constantly ran 10's and 11's at the drag strip, and drove me to work every day, there would not be enough paper in the entire world for me to tell you all the fun this car made, the car was blue with white racing stripes, it had a Z/28 center console with gages in it, it did not have a factory cross ram, but I bought an after market crossram and installed two Holley 700 double pumpers on top of it, the car turned me in to a boy, and a man at the same time, every time a drove it, I felt just like I was god, and nobody could stop me.
This car was my savior, and the only religion that I ever really believed in, and it still is to this day, this is the reason why I write these articles, in hops that I may help some of the kids of today see the light, and realize that America builds the best cars, and the most fun cars that you can own.

The Four Key Skills of Automotive Business English

A Japanese businessman (or a Korean, a Chinese, or any other non-English speaker for that matter) working for a global organisation that make cars or parts for cars needs to acquire four key skills if he want s to master English as a Foreign Language. Here we consider what these skills are, and how they might be of use in the marketplace.

1. Reading

The first things that leap to mind are e-mails. In-boxes around the globe are inundated daily with huge amounts of written information – bosses, colleagues, customers and suppliers all wanting you to know something and usually to do something about it. Then there are reports submitted by overseas colleagues – so often in a different language to your own. When the executive travels there are signs, notices and written information coming at them from every angle, 24:7. So our businessman needs to learn to read English.

1. Writing

Then he needs to be able to write – simple answers to those mails: “please accept my apologies for the late response to your mail – I have been away on a business trip since last week. I will deal with your enquiry immediately”. Writing is also needed to fill in forms – starting with visa applications, immigration forms and all the bureaucracy involved with trips to a foreign land. Then come reports, business letters, and notes for hotel staff and new friends. Our businessman needs to be able to write English. These first two skills are often easier for people to master – they can be practiced at their own pace – time can be taken over understanding – bi-lingual dictionaries (now in electronic format too!) can help make sense of things. The second two need more confidence and practice, and this is where a good teacher really is worth the investment.

1. Listening

There are so many ways to practice this skill, and from it comes the fourth, speaking, which will be the real mark of progress for the learner, and the proof to his bosses (the investors) of the value of their investment! Spoken English flies around the world – you hear it on planes, at airports, and once you’ve landed in the English speaking country you hear it everywhere in all it’s shades and colours! Watch a movie, hear a song: Hollywood and Nashville have an international audience! For the businessman good listening skills will enhance his ability in negotiation and information gathering.

1. Speaking

This is the difficult one, but once mastered the most important – especially in meetings with international partners, customers and suppliers. The only way to learn a foreign language is to speak it with a sympathetic teacher. Be prepared to make mistakes and to be corrected. As you progress, the corrections will slowly disappear, your confidence will increase. Talk about things that you love (family, holidays, sport, and music – anything but work), relax, enjoy, and learn!