First Stirling Engine

Info below.

This one is based on the tin can type, with some changes to some seen in videos. I’d looked at various sites and videos and mixed a few bits together.
The crank is of a smaller stroke than usual, but that’s because of the distance moved by the steel wool inside as displacer.
The engine finally clunked along reliably when the piston crank part was reduced in travel distance.
A fire area was made from another can and works well.
Both sides of the crank are strengthened with pieces of coke can. Super glue sticks aluminium to aluminium really well !
Spacers are made from a piece of wire insulation. Take the inner wire out of the middle and use the outer plastic as a snug fit on the copper crank.
The copper was within a parcel of household type diameter wire, kindly sent by my wife’s dad.

Note the BBQ symbol on the can lol, couldn’t resist using that !
It’s a Summer 2009 Coke can, which was to have been used in a solar furnace project, along with a hundred more.

It clanks along, but it works and it’s been great for realising a long term wish to build anything with a piston.
Total cost – a few icecubes and 3 tealights so far 🙂

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