Full Roast, Gold Blend.......

[Stilldrillin]

My, "Gold Blend" engine. Old photo...........




 At the recent show. Running very well, as usual. 

Towards the end of the day, I went for a walk round, to see the other tables. About 1/4 hour. 

When I returned, black smuts were coming from the firebox. And it was blummin HOT!!!

The twin, beeswax candles, had spontaneously combusted........ 




Balsa wood doesn't like high temperatures.........




The outside of the cap had a thick coating of soot. And, some pretty colours inside........




And a sticky, smelly deposit on the piston and displacer rod. Action jammed.......




Time for another rebuild!

Sigh....... 

David D

[vtsteam]

David, Really good looking engine! Sorry to see the meltdown!     

What is the end cap -- it's very strange looking? 

[Chuck in E. TN]

It's time for a rebuild! Maybe some of us slower duffers can keep up and make our version!
Chuck

[tom osselton]

Look's like the missing lid for the pot!

[vtsteam]

Just figured it out, it's paint wrinkled up. It looked like metal pieces to me with bits of allen wrenches or whatever -- kind of Star Wars looking.

[Stilldrillin]

Thanks Chaps! 

Star Wars! You're right Steve. But it is rather more mundane than that. I used the thin, stiff alloy, of a jam jar lid.

The non stick coating has wrinkled......




Here's a link to the original build. If you have the time.....    http://madmodder.net/index.php?topic=5732.0

David D

[AussieJimG]

I have a feeling that it will return looking and running better than ever.

Can't keep a good engine down.

Jim

[vtsteam]

Oh wow, I missed that thread, David, looks great!       I've also been collecting stainless steel canisters forever with the idea of using them in hot air engines and turbines. My wife keeps wondering why I like going to kitchen stores with her and what all the cups, shakers, thermos bottles and canisters are for...... I have a whole box of them tucked under the bench in the workshop. Of course I also tend to hang onto cans and propane gas cylinders. I easily have enough material for twenty engines.....probably time to stop collecting!

David have you tried fused glass foam for a displacer? I bought a carton of it a few years ago from a commercial kitchen supply outfit -- it's used to clean grease off of grill tops. I haven't used it yet for an engine, but hope to. As soon as I get these other, ahem, few projects off my plate....

[Stilldrillin]

Thanks for your kind comments, Chaps!

Steve. I cannot find anything about, fused glass foam....... 


Hmmm...... Almost a month gone, already! 

Not had much workshop time, recently. Just a few minutes, here and there......   


I made up a bundle of offcuts, to give a 4" square cube.........




And started to turn it into a former, for the new displacer. Messy stuff.........




Finished article.........




Wrapped tinplate around, and soldered the overlap..........




Two off, 3mm thick end discs. Thinned to 1mm, where possible........




The wooden former, held the disc square to the tube, while I drilled for 6off 1.5mm dia rivets

Natural ingredients only, for my engines.......




Then rolled the tin over the end cap, and tidied up with a gentle touch on the grinder.........




Internal boss for the 4mm threaded displacer shaft.......




Held with 2off M2 grubscrews, and hi temp sleevelock........




The assembly spins true, within half a mm. Close enough........




Initial runs, on twin candles were disappointing.
The hollow displacer sounds to be grinding/ grating as it slides through it's bush. Not a coffee table engine any more!

The new displacer weighs 94grms. The original one weighed 69gms, after toasting. The extra weight caused a hesitation, getting over TDC.

So I added 3 extra,  2" x 1/2" x 1/8" weights to the flywheel........




Didn't make any difference! 

So, I tried with my temporary meths burner, and it ran happily. Well balanced, even up to blurred revs. 


I feel another stainless steel burner coming on....... 




David D

[vtsteam]

Excellent work David!!!

Hmmmm, the foam stuff I was talking about was something I ordered a case of 6 years ago and never did anything with. You're getting me anxious to break that stuff out and build a hot air engine with it.

[AussieJimG]

It's still a good looking engine David and I am reminded of it each week when we do the rounds of the supermarket.

Jim

[Stilldrillin]

Steve, Jim..... Thank You! 

Each week, Herself just sighs, and raises her eyes.        As I head off down the kitchen/ houseware alley......   

David D

[John Hill]

That's a beautiful engine make from stuff found in any kitchen,  top marks my man!

I think this is a clear lesson that we should take more notice of the things around us and in the kitchen department especially!


Hmmmm..... looking in my cupboard of old-but-too-good-to-throw-out-stuff I found a stainless steel plunger coffee maker,  thats about a 1200cc stainless steel DOUBLE WALLED container with parallel internal bore!

Surely that could be used for something,  maybe a lovely water jacket for a two cylinder type engine,  a bit bigger than table top size though.

[krv3000]

thums up from me 

[Stilldrillin]

John, Bob.
Thanks for your comments. 

That coffee maker sounds to have great potential! 


And..... Here's the burner, that was coming on, a couple of weeks ago! 

Usual build. Top of a salt grinder/ pot.
Brass disc, base, with central locating bar, and supporting foot underneath the wicktube.......




The crossbar locates nicely, in the rim of the bowl/ firebox.......




Until, my fumbly fingers knocked the burner, fully inside the firebox! 
The only way to retrieve, was to lift the hot engine, while it was running. 

A taller, breather tube, stopped that happening again.........




Here's another, final video........

Job's a good un! 

David D

[tom osselton]

Thanks for showing it runs good although I don't understand just how it all works I'll have to read up on it. It does look like you will have to make another base though with the new burner, it's not that far off from the center of gravity.