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#8102 Wed Mar 08 2006 03:32 PM
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We all know gasoline has dye in it. Bronze, red, purple, blue, green - all have been used at some point in time to denote various types of gasoline, for a variety of reasons.
But - in the beginning, gasoline was sold from the refinery in it's natural state - still described to day as "straw-coloured." Even if it contained octane boosters like TEL (lead)or other additives - even oils.

Does anyone have any idea when - and who - started dying gasoline?
The reason I ask, is because there is plenty of conflicting information. I know of at least two companies that can not tell me definitively when they began to dye their gasoline to differentiate their regular from their "Ethyl".

I have come across an interesting anecdotal story from around 1910 in Canada...


Always looking for Texaco Canada, Supertest, White Rose, McColl Frontenac, and Miller Oil Co. info.
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#8103 Wed Mar 08 2006 06:21 PM
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When they started ADDING LEAD to boost the octane, they were required to color the gasoline. The different colors were a ploy by the oil companies claim that their gas was superior.
Gasoline without any additives is clear.
DB

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**PUT A LID ON IT**
1qt CAN RE-LIDDING

#8104 Thu Mar 09 2006 08:19 AM
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Thanks! Got a couple of email responses too, adding a bit to this puzzle.

Actually, The Ethyl Corporation tells me that in the beginning, there was no legal requirement for gasoline with TEL in it to be any colour. It was legislated later. And some gasoline had more lead in it than others, and octane testing in the early era was "iffy" at best.
TEL does not in itself add colour.
I'm still waiting on more info from Ethyl.

I have a credible story about a fuels distributor for McCall Frontenac products getting together with a dyemaster at a local fabric mill, and coming up with a hydrocarbon-stable red dye to put in his high-test to differentiate it from his regular gasoline. Of course in a visible pump, this would be quite apparent.
The story is that it was added to a delivery tanker and sent out to several local atations as a test. The tanker was emptied, but the next time it was filled, residual dye left in the tanker from the test coloured the next delivery lot, which was sent to towns farther away who were unaware of the test. When the gas was delivered, it caused quite an uproar at the stations as it was an unfamiliar red colour.
This distributor used red dye in his premium right up until blue dye was legislated as the standard. Again, I'm waiting for dates on this from the government. Should show up sometime this decade, I'm told.
(Interestingly, this distributor also sold a brand of gasoline containing oil, under the brand "Sun Lubricating Gasoline". It contained 3% oil, and was yellow. Apparently, it was not uncommon to add oil to a tank of gas for top-end lubrication.
This company no connection to The Sun Oil Company in the United States, and is a precursor to Suncor in Canada. Sort of.)

Prior to dying gasoline, there were plenty of accounts of unscrupulous dealers selling two brands of gasoline - from the same tank...
And the price differential between the two was originally quite high - around 25%. When regular was 3 cents per gallon, premium was around 4 cpg - so this could be quite lucrative to the crooked dealer.

[This message has been edited by silent chief (edited 03-09-2006).]


Always looking for Texaco Canada, Supertest, White Rose, McColl Frontenac, and Miller Oil Co. info.

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