my working engine :D

[mrweaseluv]

Hello everyone
I probably should have haunted the forum sooner, but....

I had detailed plans and was sure if ROTC kid from my sons school could build one so could I.

My biggest problem was I tried to duplicate other peoples designs and failed for 1 reason or another on my first few attempts. Finaly, I took it apart, made sure I knew the full function of each part and understood how a stirling worked. (I was too stuborn to come to a forum and ask hehe) Finaly i went full Mcgeiver on the project and it worked.

I believe my biggest problem was finding a working power piston, i tried 4-5 different things (including the jb weld piston but that model failed because of a displacer issue) finaly on my 5-6 trip to the local hardware store i thought of maybe adding bearing to the crankshaft. Looking in the bearing case i saw "bronze bearing tubes" with matching ball bearings. A drop of superglue, a peice of coat hanger and then a small blob of JB weld for strength and i had a rdy made air tight piston. (ok i also add a dollop of graphite grease but it works)

here is a pic of the working model.

motor.jpg (49.84 KiB) Viewed 4462 times

i have a video of it running as well at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7FFpthRy2Y

Lastly I want to offer big thanks to boydhouse as i visited your site many times in leaning to build this stirling :D

[surgy]

just beautiful man, very good work. a few questions though, Why are you testing your engine in a conveniant store? lol also is this actually watetr cooled? how did you do it?

[mrweaseluv]

Ok the convience store bit is because it is very close to my home and the owner a good friend. Was just easiest to film it right there. (i don't have a good cam and she did hehe)
the water cooling is very very simple, a small raised edge around the top of the displacer chamber (about 1/2 in) with a coil of 1/16 copper tubing coming from the tank (seen on back). It work similar to a perkulator the coil (in the 1/2 in of water in top tank) warms up forcing water up the high tube (the weight of the water on the bottom line prevents water flow in this direction) The water flow is very slight but enough to pull cold water from the tank into the coil as warm water rises out of it (basicly a siphon once flowing) but once the motor is going it will stay running for about 30m (runs very well on the woodstove record is about 50m then i blew out the jb weld on the top and had to reseal) I am working on one now with a water pump run on a walking beam instead of the radiator.

I am working eventualy towards a stirling engine fan for my wood stove but that won't be until i have played with a few other models first :D