Hot air engine
Here is a photo of my hot air engine. I first became intrigued
with Stirling cycle engines several years ago, reading about them
in various magazines. Then I got a box of books at an auction and
one was about hot air engines. I read and reread that book but had
a hard time understanding how an engine could run just on hot
air.
These engines are extremely rare in Canada. I had the
opportunity to see one at the O’Keefe ranch near Vernon, British
Columbia. Then things made sense and I decided to build one. I
tried to find plans and had no success until I borrowed a copy of
Steam & Stirling Engines You Can Build. It describes a 2-inch
scale model. From this I scaled to the 5-inch size I had started to
build, trying to replicate a Rider-Ericsson.
It is all built from ordinary materials. The cylinder is a
section of hydraulic cylinder barrel, 5-inch bore. Most of the
linkage has ball bearings. The pump is from brass stock and
stainless steel. The power piston was machined from solid bronze.
The flywheel came from an old bundle cutter and the firebox was a
section of a grain chute. The burner is from a water heater. The
firebox is brick lined and has grates so it could run on wood or
coal, though I’ve never tried that. It is too easy to use propane.
It takes 10 to 15 minutes after you fire up until it is ready to
go. You just give the flywheel a flip and away it goes. It runs
about 60-80 RPM and pumps about 100 gallons per hour.
This project was a lot of fun to build and even more fun to
watch run. There are no gears, no ignition, no carburetor and no
governor. I think I now understand how and why it runs, but it is
still hard to explain. This engine is mounted on a skid, together
with several other pump engines and water pumps to take to
shows.
Don Voss, R.R. 1, Spiritwood, SAS, Canada, S0J 2M0
New Way
This is a 1915 New Way 1-1/2 HP engine before and after. It took
about two years to get it running. It is air-cooled, has spark plug
ignition and runs backward. The serial no. is 850.
I also need a recoil for an Ohlsson & Rice power plant. I
think it was made in the 1960s.
Norman Smyth, Box 27, Birtle, MAN, Canada, R0M 0C0
Correction
Last issue we put an exclusive story on our website concerning
the Stephenson County Antique Engine Club, Stover engines and
ledgers. We said C.H. Wendel had donated Stover ledgers to the
club, located in Freeport, Ill.
We’ve since been informed the club has yet to receive the
ledgers, though the donation was announced at the Stover Reunion in
July of last year. Photos in the article showed Wendel, Curt Andree
and Ron Wiley posing with sales ledgers already belonging to the
club.
Also, the photo of the Stover upright engine labeled as Curt’s 5
HP Model C engine was incorrect. His engine is directly behind it
with the Stover name on the water tank. – Editor
Engines from Down Under
The Talbot Vintage Engine Rally was held March 17-18, 2007. This
is a little rally in Victoria, Australia. The town’s population
reaches no more than around 150 people, however this is where a
great family-orientated club is based. This year, the rally
coincided with the very famous Talbot farmers market, which was
great for both ventures.
We had a good number of engines (see the following photos) on
display at the rally from chaff and wood cutting to flour making
and anything in between. The engines on display ranged in origin
from Australia, New Zealand, England and America.
Sunday saw the local Country Firefighting Assn. do a
firefighting display, there were also classic cars on display as
well as tractors. A fabulous and fun weekend was had by all who
attended.
Brent Freeman, Maryborough, Victoria, Australia;
pipbrent@optusnet.com.au
Briggs & Stratton
Years ago, when I was making a service call on a 1947 Plymouth,
its owner offered me an old 1-cylinder engine. I knew it was
unusual, but years of use and decades of disuse had left it a
dirty, oily mess.
My first task was cleaning the engine. What appeared out of the
grime was a 1936 Briggs & Stratton Model ZL, serial no. 6758.
It is of prewar design with an integral P.K. Lindsay air
compressor, Model E12, serial no. 2772.
The Lindsay compressor fills the two long blue tanks under the
frame and is driven directly from the B&S crankshaft.
I have currently bypassed the magneto and use only the points to
provide the spark. That is the reason for the small 12-volt battery
you may be able to see below the carburetor.
In application, this engine-compressor would have served as a
mobile air source for tires, tools or spraying.
Henry Dodgen, 1105 Hillcrest Road, Newberry, SC 29108; (803)
276-0325
Send letters to Gas Engine Magazine, 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka,
KS 66609; eshipps@ogdenpubs.com