Model Engine Maker
Engines => From Plans => Topic started by: Zephyrin on March 05, 2018, 10:53:47 AM
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Here is my contribution to the recent posts on flame gulper engines…
This is an engine I made years ago, which ran well but recently refused to start. A trace of corrosion (rust in fact) inside, was sufficient to increase imperceptibly the resistance to rotation in preventing it to gain momentum. the main problem of vacuum engines in fact, owing to their miserable power.
I heated the cast iron piston to bright red for a few minutes and let it cool...
After this treatment, the piston regains a little in diameter sufficient to redo the running in of the piston…and voila, it worked a treat !
This is the first time I try it on a piston of this size, 25mm, whew !
It is a tip described here by Ramon for the rescue of small pistons of vintage “diesel” model engines….Thanks for it !
I also took the opportunity to hone the port and the intake valve flap, for a seal at the top.
My engine runs now as new, with its familiar noise from the flap, but alas still not with a candle as claimed in the plan !
[youtube1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdENVKynsBk
[/youtube1]
The original plan (Popular Mechanics, 1938 ! ) can be downloaded here :
http://www.plans-for-everything.com/downloads/stirling_engines/ST%20CandleEngine.pdf
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Nice running engine Zephyrin. After looking at the plan pdf, I guess back in 1938 few home shops existed with machine tools, given the amount of filing parts out of bar stock rather than machining noted in the plans. Just goes to prove though that mechanical "toys" have always been popular.
Bill
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Yes, tooling do change rapidly and technology too.
In this plan, the piston bears a piston ring made of asbestos cord soaked in graphite, which is actually a no no for a flame gulper builder !
just like going to the moon right now would require entirely novel technology !
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Zephyrin--I like that engine a lot. it runs more consistently than the one I just completed.---Brian
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thanks for your appreciation Brian !
It is the first vacuum engine I did years ago, I care a lot about it and I'm quite happy to see it running again!
I had to repair it owing to rust on the cast iron piston and steel cylinder.
I usually oil the cylinder for storage and remove oil before running, looks silly, but any trace of oil or WD40 stops my engine !
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My first attempt at designing and building a flame gulper used a flapper valve like your's, didn't get it going. I saw a diagram in an old ME, so I built that instead.
Ian S C
(http://)
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First post ever here. ..
I'm building this engine now (my first engine project of any kind) and I'm very surprised more people haven't done it. My head & flapper arrangement may be a little different because of the style of pipe caps now. I'll post pictures of my parts soon so you can see what I mean.
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Hi Craig, and welcome even though you have been a member for a while now. Hope you will post a short introduction in the "introduce yourself" section so we can all get to know you better.
Bill
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Thanks Bill, and will do.
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Here's my parts (1" cap turned smooth, 1" x 5" nipple cut in half and bored true, and 1" plug turned down) so far. They all came from Lowe's.
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2nd photo. Love the op's engine!
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Hi,
I wish you a lot of success with this project!
I started the build from the plumbing parts from the DIY store too...
I'm very surprised more people haven't done it.
yes, for a plan that dates back to 1938 !
and which is no more difficult to build than any other flame-gulper engine, the intake flap looks fascinating on the move, as is the noise...
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I suspect quite a few have been made over the years but they did not post about it on the internet as that is a recent thing, Not only the actual posting of the build but also the availability of the plans from the net.
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I fully agree on these two points, Jason ...
actually I'm aware of only one other of these engines visible on the internet...I'm looking for the thread somewhere in a CNC forum, about 10 years ago.
It is difficult to know the diffusion of these old plans of "popular mechanics" among the modellers, probably less numerous than at present.
I built mine with a translated plan published in a french magazine of 1959, "Le Bricoleur", 21 years after the original one of 1938 ! I found a pile of these old magazines in a flee market, I loved all of these plans, the cover of the issue that contains the plan is my avatar !