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Rich D - The video that followed the walking-beam tin can Stirling website was from www.greenpowerscience.com, which turned out to be helpful in the right direction. A V-2 Compressor assembly just might work out, or get me close enough with some modifications for heat insulation and the addition...

Hydrogen gives a very small advantage over plain air, and sealing is just about impossible, as are Helium and Nitrogen. The danger of hydrogen far outweighs any benefits gained. Plain air works just fine. Gasses other than plain air are tried largely to increase heat exchanger efficiency...

Actually, I'm here asking for links and references. Yes, there are quiet Stirlings, many with low power. There are some with considerable torque. The one I saw was not quiet. The main problem with automotive application is the Stirling's tendency to be difficult to accelerate quickly - it is far...

Thank you for the links. The Beta-type and Gamma-type Stirlings I see on the internet are either slugs or extremely low power designs. I have seen an Alpha-type that was less that one cubic foot volume of the crankcase + cylinders + heads that put out about 3 horsepower, sufficient for a...

I'm considering an Alpha-type Stirling engine build for use with a "surrey" (4-wheeled "bicycle") - firewood powered engine + legs & pedals powered. I will very likely use the Stirling engine, belts & pulleys, to drive an alternator for recharging a battery and go with an electric motor +...

I have not heard of anyone burning out a 2-56 tap with a wire EDM....not saying it can't be done, but perhaps building another head is a better idea. My guess in the dark - if there are leaks, the 2-56 screws do not give enough pre-load. A bolt is basically a tension spring. Torquing it into a...

The look of it makes me want to build a steam boat for it to power, or perhaps an old mining stamp mill. It sure has an 1800's look to it. Your model is much more attractive than the original. What approximate scale is your model?

It looks like you could slap a degree wheel on the end of your fixture and pre-cut the cam very, very close before final grinding. The only cam grinding machine that I have seen had the grinding wheel on an arm not unlike a chop saw and was geared to the lead screw.

Is the side milling fixture a vise jaw with a clamp on top? I might have mounted the rods through the holes with tight-fitting bolts, but I love your solution.

HUGE THANK YOU, Chuck! I will be reading over the thread about the dividing head. Looks awesome. Great idea!

Chuck, Your first photo on post #54, when you cut the gears - you mentioned the Arduino stepper motor setup that greatly reduced the chance of error in gear cutting. Could you post a photo of the setup, or perhaps photos of the machining sequence? Sounds like possibly an improvement over a...

Off-topic, perhaps, but I developed an 8-stroke cycle engine that was denied a California Dept. of Energy grant on grounds that they were no longer funding internal combustion engine research. The timing challenge was valve timing, which I solved by using very long-stemmed valves to keep the...

I'm sure it is - I'd never heard of it before I read this thread, and still have no idea if it is a steam engine, a heat engine, and I.C.E., or what? I was just hoping the thought sequence might help...triple expansion timing sounds like a challenge, but every engine I've ever timed had a very...

Just a line from an engine machinist...1) Know "firing" sequence 2) locate TDC for #1 piston - on the "firing" revolution, NOT valve rock-over, if applicable 3) set the timing for cams, valves, spark / injection device, etc. - the complete system - to "fire" position, 4) "dry" turn the engine by...

Thank you, Chuck, for your generous efforts at documenting and posting the project. This is a great help for my efforts at a new twist on the Alpha-type Stirling I'm designing. Your workmanship is impressive, too.

Alec - If heat transfer is critical, you would be wise to machine the entire base for maximum contact with mated parts instead of shimming. Just a suggestion, good luck! BTW, for everyone's benefit, what is the purpose, type, and cycle of these engines? I'm guessing steam power? Are they unique...

My design instincts go along with N4 - use some kind of valve instead of a pump, as it lends itself toward low force, is easily seated by a spring, and could have a lever to the basin that is sensitive to the weight of the spent water, limiting the total water charge allowed to pass through the...

Phillip - just a note, perhaps getting too far into details, but fwiw, the goal for the finish inside the cylinder is usually a 55 degree crosshatch pattern, although this is usually applied to piston ring seating, not a rotating piston, so you may consider highly polished with 0 degree...

Well, it's now 2013....has anyone thought about making several cylinder heads (end caps) from different materials and seeing which one runs best? Should be a fairly cheap materials test with very real-world results. Those of you looking to build Gamma-type Stirling engines for low-temperature...