Those on this NG who have expressed an interest in stirling engines may be interested to know that Bullnet, those purveyors of the weird and wonderful, are now selling the 'solar' model range made by PM Research in the USA (mostly based on 1950's Davies-Charlton design). Unfortunately even the cheapest kit comes out at over £100 by the time you have added carriage and VAT.
I don't think this thing needs a carriage! It is only 7" x 4.5", so you should be able to just pick it up and put it in your pocket, once it cools down of course! And I see no reason for a Vat, it is just a little alcohol burner, how long will it take you to burn a vat of alcohol?
That should bring your price down!!!
tongue firmly planted ( |>)))
Dan
You drink the vat of alcohol after which you have to be wheeled around in the carriage ;-)
I've tried running a small stirling engine that looks identical to the first type listed. It was a very marginal performer, difficult to get going at all (although rather spectacular if you turned a blow lamp on the hot end!). Has anyone had any real success with this type? Regards Peter
'Marginal performance' just about sums up most model stirling engines, power output is so low that everything must be just right for them to run at all. However if your engine is a tried and tested design from PM Research, or an original 1950's Davies Charlton
The main enemies of success are friction and air leaks, clean off any old oil and relubricate with the smallest amount of the thinnest oil you can find. There is not much scope for dealing with air leaks if these are due to wear on the power cylinder or displacer rod, but ISTR there is a small blanking screw on this type which might be worth checking, as is joint where the displacer cylinder fits into the main body.
I don't know if the relative positions of the displacer on power cranks can be changed on this type, but they should be about 90 degrees apart (not too critical) with the displacer leading the power piston.
Good luck!
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