Corian

[lugnut]

I just bought a lot of corian on ebay. Sink cutouts from a cabinet maker. The stuff looks like it could be fun to play with. I know Tin Falcon has posted some air operated engines he has built using the stuff, has anyone else used it? I've already found that it's fairly nasty to your nose and lungs to breath any dust from sanding it. and that super glue if used right will bond it pretty good. So far I like it. What are you experiances with it?
:?:
Mel

 

[Tin Falcon]

Mel:

I've already found that it's fairly nasty to your nose and lungs to breath any dust from sanding it.

Wet sand it a lot less dust that way!!!!!!

Seriously though it is great stuff to work with I have made a bunch of pen pencil set with it. It is real nice looking for engine bases. I have heard of guys using bits of it to make insulators for hit and miss engine spark plugs. yes super glue works . you should also be able to use liquid weld used on Lucite. It is IIRS a methlacralate plastic similar to Lucite. so bogs trick of pvc pipe cleaning solvent should work also. Polishes up looking like marble see the thread in the tips and tricks section on polishing plastics lots of good info there.
from the safety stand point you may want to download a MSDS for it. Wear a dust respirator and use a shop vac or dust collector to suck the chips off the tooling . Prep your drill bits like you would for brass to prevent chipping on break through. If you plan on deep drilling like for PEN/ pencil sets parabolic drills work well.
Tin

 

[Kactiguy]

I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. I thought I could show you my very first engine, built with Corian and other things I found sitting around the house. This was before I had access to a lathe and mill. The Corian was easy to work with and my little stirling engine still works wonderfully.

 

[Bogstandard]

Hi K,
Welcome to the forum.
Very nice engine you have made there, it just goes to show that you don't need all the trappings of a full blown workshop to make a working engine.
Thanks for showing it to us.

John

 

[lugnut]

Kactiguy, welcome to the forum. That Corian engine is great!
And thanks for joining in and sharing your work. That’s what we are all about, sharing and helping to build unique model engines. Some how I have this feeling that the one you showed is not the only engine you have. Don’t be bashful we crave new and unseen engines.
Thanks for sharing
Mel

 

[Tin Falcon]

Kactiguy:
A LTD stirling on your first engine amazing. Tell us how you built it.
Here are pic of my two corian engines. well actually one is the wifes.

Cory the corian engine

My wifes Idea a heart shaped engine of rose colored Corian we now have Rosy. This is kind of an upside down cory the piston and pivot are below the fly wheel.

Tin

 

[wareagle]

Kactiguy, welcome to the site! We are glad to have you.

Your Sterling is a very nice engine. As the others have said, please share the build with us!

 

[Kactiguy]

Thanks for the welcome and for your kind comments.

As for the build...

it's pretty much what you see is what you get. I patterned it after engines I've seen in photos and mostly just made it up. I did most of it with my Dremel tool, a cut off saw, and a drill. The column was made out of old sprinkler pipe. The base out of a section of drain pipe with Corian top and bottom, sealed with silicon caulk and screws. The cylinder was made out of a bushing I found at Lowes and the piston was made out of a snug fitting teflon something or other, that just happened to fit. The displacer was some of that blue foam construction inslulation, sanded to fit. It's very light and works well. Everything else was made from bits of thing I had lying around. RC bearings, brass rods whatever worked. It will run all day on a coffee warmer.

Lugnut- here is my second engine. I finished it a couple days ago. Hopefully I will have more to come. I runs really well, but there is a bunch of things I'd like to fix on it.