Homemade Stirling Watts Beam Engine , Hot Air Engine .

Hi , This is my home made Stirling Watts Beam Engine . Its the third engine that i have built so far and the one that's taken the longest at nearly 6 months . A lot of the time was spent staring at it during the build wondering how to make the ideas in my head a reality . There is a slight tap coming from the linkage i have fabricated that needs to be fixed , but other than that its almost silent .The displacer cylinder gave me some problems when it was first run before painting , i had to have a very large flame to produce a small amount of movement at the power piston , this was caused by the mdf board i had used to make the centre bolted joint of the displacer , when i put the cylinder in water and pressurized it air was easily passing through the porose mdf and so not letting pressure build in the displacer cylinder . Once i had taken it apart and sealed the wood it lost no air and ran perfectly with a small flame .To support the upper levels i inserted plastic raw plugs into the aluminium tube pillars with a few drops of super glue to help hold the raw plugs in place and used counter sunk screws to fix it all together .The hand rails are made from wire coat hangers which i soldered into the copper pipe posts along with the ball bearing post tops .The power cylinder is a used aluminium alloy rear wheel cylinder off of a vauxhall astra , i modified it by cutting off the round boss at the rear of the cylinder which then left a nice square base to the cylinder , i then removed the pistons , and capped off one end of the cylinder . You only need one piston, which when you remove the rubber seal , cut off the end where the boot fits on and file off the lip that stops the piston entering the cylinder too far , gives you a snug fitting piston that moves freely , I also drilled a small hole above the outer most position of the piston and fitted a piece of brass tube to allow the piston to be oiled while running . I got some of my ideas for the design from watching videos of the magnificent Crossness pumping station . Must go and see it one day as i only live about 20 miles from it .I thought i would incorporate the "Watts Parallel Motion" linkage into this engine . Hope you like what i've made , this was also built with no special equipment , just the normal DIY tools and done in the living room and garden as i have no workshop to use, but i did need to buy various sizes of brass and aluminium tubing etc . cheers and thanks for viewing . Gary

[@reypolice5231]

If you can make a video of it running a long time with the ticking. It actually has a calming effect. Simpler machines for a simpler time. Thank you.

[@bobeileen1]

A work of art on all levels.

[@Nutticus]

An absolutely beautiful piece of machinery. An artistic homage to Industrial Age.

[@warraweewildcats8660]

Very nice indeed. One comment: I believe the Watts linkage was originally designed to avoid the tilting of the piston rod: You can see that quite clearly happening on the power piston. It's the lateral force which is quite likely leading to the clicking noise you refer to. When you make your next one, perhaps you could incorporate a Watts Linkage on the power side too.

[@garyknight4150]

Hi Warrawee , thanks for the comments , it is possible that there is some lateral movement on the power piston connecting rod , but the power piston is connected to the rod by a horizontal lubricated gudgeon pin and the movement seen on the recording is in an upward motion , so this should not cause a problem , what i think it is is that the connecting pin on the fly wheel is not perfectly in alignment , so that as the flywheel rotates its making the front end of the rear connecting rod move in a slight side too side motion as it moves forwards & backwards . A little more tinkering is needed .

[@aslimlines3069]

beautiful, craftsmanship. congrats

[@Sanatan_humanity]

wonderful art piece you made, appreciate the amount of hard work done behind making it

[@vjbk1587]

Very good!! Get some lego men and create some kind of factory scene!

[@bonesshed.]

Superb !

[@mheermance]

I really like this engine. It looks like a working scale model of a Victorian era industrial machine.

[@Whatload]

Wow. That is by far the nicest handmade stirling motor ive ever seen. Excellent work.

[@sbooder]

It is a thing of beauty!

[@attiliobastosguarnieri5416]

Apesar de já terem se passado 6 anos, o modelo é simplesmente genial. Pode-se deixar este vídeo por anos que todos vão continuar admirando. Normalmente é o que acontece com obras de arte.

[@IWA-ke3pv]

Hello Gary Knight. Wonderful, amazing, excellent. I wish you further creative success. Sincerely, Valery.

[@Hvtesla]

Quote: 'I'm very pleased with the way this one has turned out' And so you should be! A lovely creation.

[@cromwellcruiser]

Wonderful engine! Loved the way you slowed the engine down--that's one of my principal qualms with stirlings.

[@olgerdlaslogb8542]

Why don't you make electricity generator?

[@PeterPasieka]

Holly cow man! You're a master craftsman! I cannot believe my eyes. What are you going to do with it? Is there a Stirling Engine world championships you're planing on entering?

[@garyknight4150]

Thanks very much Peter . I just wanted to see if i could build an engine like this , and it turned out better than i could have hoped for . Cheers ..Gary :)

[@jemhem]

What a wonderful model. You are a very talented guy. This is the best one I have seen. I wish I could build something like that. Brilliant job Gary.

[@garyknight4150]

+Jezza H . Thank you Jezza , you should have a go at building one if you haven't already . I had never imagined building one before i saw some on here . Try a simple tin can build first to learn the basics as i did and see where that leads you .

[@jemhem]

I would love to my friend but my disability makes it almost impossible for me. I may be able to build a tin can one but it will take me a very long time.

[@garyknight4150]

+Jezza H . Sorry to hear that Jezza , Hope you have a good Christmas mate :)

[@jemhem]

Thank you Gary. Merry Christmas to you and your family :-)

[@davelawday6609]

Well done Gary... she is a proper cutie 😍. thank you so much for sharing this... my next build is definitely going to be a walking beam design...kind regards Dave Lawday...

[@garyknight4150]

Thank you 😊

[@rustypanels1917]

Hi Gary, that's a fantastic model you've made, you have every right to be proud of it. I'm just getting interested in small steam engines, I hope to build a few over the next couple of years. It's good to see models, others like yourself, have made, to get ideas on design and construction. Regards Shayne......

[@garyknight4150]

+Rusty Panels Thank you Shayne , Hope to see some of your projects on here soon and that all goes well . All the best , Gary .

[@howardosborne8647]

Gary,I've only just come across this video. What a stunning achievement this build is. Made even more so because you have employed relatively low tech and inexpensive materials and methods to produce this fine engine. I concede there is a lot of innovative thinking,though. Really highly impressed with it👏👏

[@garyknight4150]

Thank you very much Howard for your comments.

[@aplinewalker]

Gary that is incredible, truly awesome, I am very jealous. The design is stunning, I would say its totally and utterly unique, but the design is also believable (you get some engines that work but would have never been built in real life, if that makes sense.) for instance on a model you could probably get away without using the "Watts Parallel Motion " putting in the different floors steps and hand rails gives the model "Scale" and makes it so much more of a realistic design. Many many viewers will never appreciate the hours of design work that's gone into working out all the pivot points and stroke lengths,,, but I can fully see the time its taken to come up with such a stunning design. (I have mentioned that I had considered converting my beam engine to the "Stirling principle") but one of my concerns was placing the displacer cylinder some way away from the power cylinder, and whether the vacuum would transfer along quite a long pipe, "yes in theory it should, but in modelling theory often lets you down,,, but your design proves it works beautifully and allows you the room to add the regulator, which again is an outstanding design feature. If you look at most of the live steam "Stuart" model (beam engines etc,) very few if any achieve a realistic slow speed, and introducing a regulator to a "Stirling" engine must be close to a first (I may be wrong im not an out and out authority ) but it is still a great bit of lateral thinking and ingenious simple design work. And the workmanship speaks for itself, you only have to see it running and its like a Swiss watch, The fly wheel is perfectly true by the looks of things,, again something quite simple at first sight (even more so if you have a lathe) but once you start to increase the size of the wheel then its very very difficult. Your use of car parts and perforated metal further adds to the overall look making it even more believable as a real working model of a large pumping engine. You must have been over the moon when it first ran,,,, and you shouldn't never worry about how long its taken because the result is outstanding, it is exhibition standard and a joy to watch,,, I am very impressed,,,, congratulations.

[@garyknight4150]

Thank you very much Alan , as you have said it did take some time working out the connecting rod mechanism and even while making it i wasn't sure if it would work correctly , but i am glad to say it did . I too wasn't sure if the length of the pipe between displacer & power cylinder would cause a problem as i had read on some sites that too much dead air ( as they had called it ) would impede the efficient running of a stirling engine , but as i only wanted a slow runner i took the chance . I feel the slower a beam engine runs the better it looks , and as a plus you can run it on a smaller flame & therefore run longer . Thanks again Alan , hope all your projects go well ...Gary

[@aplinewalker]

Its a great job all round Gary,,, as I say its easy if you have a lathe and workshop etc. but what makes it so much more of an achievement is when your also designing in the drastic lack of tooling capabilities, can I drill this,, how can that be fixed to that, what can I use to make X,Y, and Z,,,, Great job ,,,, and with the experience you now have,,,, I bet your mind is already processing thousands of possibilities, taking everyday components and accessing their potential as parts for a future build. Cheers Alan

[@theq4602]

I can just imagine one sitting in a big English factory turning dozens of belt power shafts!

[@Rudy80417]

Absolutely fantastic............

[@VincesEngines]

What can I say its a credit to you ,well done

[@PALM311]

Extremely talented! beautiful job! The Stirling engines, the Manson engines, the flame licker engines to me, are one of the greatest hobbies you can have especially building them.

[@garyknight4150]

Thank you.

[@Mahmoud.1981]

Very good

[@tuncbayur6804]

🤩🤩👏👏👏👏

[@totherepublic358]

Unbelievably cool. I love your designs in engines, it is clear you have a real eye for how beautiful engines can be. Thanks for posting, I love it.

[@ibrahimalrawahi9833]

cant say anything..FANTASTIC

[@ing.juancarlosmelendezmari5986]

is beatifull

[@richardwatts5230]

THANKS TO YOU FOR GIVING LIFE TO OLD DEAD DREAMS.

[@Phantom-lb7mu]

Wow, that’s perfect. Very talented:)

[@angelo9159]

this is smooth

[@jdsol1938]

your linkage solutions are wonderful the whole unit is done as well as any i have seen

[@arealivreProjeto100k]

Lindo de mais o seu motor Stirling 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@TheAxeble]

wow man, you could make alot of money with this but I know that money isnt important here, GREAT JOB MAN :p

[@jsduun9]

very well done your stirling :) congratulations !

[@valvelifter1951]

Beautifully detailed model. Using a brake slave cylinder for the power cylinder sounds like a very good idea. The flywheel looks super. Is it a push chair wheel or similar? Congratulations on a superb model.

[@garyknight4150]

+valvelifter1951 .Im sorry i had not replied earlier . The flywheel is made of wood , i cut it from a wall corner shelf using an electric jig saw and used various shaped files to finish it off .

[@valvelifter1951]

+Gary Knight It looks very nicely made. I have just designed a flywheel/fan for a Stirling engine. It's made of bicycle spokes fastened to two mudguard washers (for a hub) and each spoke is attached to a fan blade made from plywood. I will embed a two pence piece in the end of each blade to give the required inertia. I will make a video when I have finished it.

[@garyknight4150]

waiting in anticipation : )

[@clifwoodall9577]

Beautiful! You could make some money selling plans for this. 👍🏼

[@moisesdjovey1640]

Bonita máquina realmente estoy impresionado ante este proyecto... saludos

[@mrreason9697]

Could you connect this to a generator and give yourself some energy? be cool to see one that has a practical use too. Absolutely love your work here, can tell a lot of thought has gone into it.

[@garyknight4150]

+David Jones Thank you very much David , this engine would not be powerful enough to run a generator as its too slow and has very little torque . High revving stirlings can run a small generator with the right gear reduction , have seen some lighting L E D lamps and charging a phone .

[@mrreason9697]

+Gary Knight Be so cool to see them. Really getting into steam engines, such an amazing era.

[@bassgitab]

Amazing engine......very nice craftmanship,

[@airemotor]

beautiful machine. I congratulate you.

[@HistoricSteamTV]

I use to laminate my stirling pistons out of balsa with kevlar on heat side to prevent the balsa from burning. Nice design. -theteslajet on youtube

[@NinjaNige]

outstanding !

[@Confitoba]

Great work. If you do not mind, I wanted to get some ideas from your work for my next proyect. Many thanks and congratulations.

[@clintonbarbee3072]

What trades or crafts need to be studied to make that quality of product. It looks absolutely beautiful.

[@oldsteamtoy]

Hard not to be pleased with your result OUTSTANDING

[@misterarnaud3807]

very good look !!!!! vintage manufacturing model

[@gregorymathison4350]

Thanks for the video Gary! Beautiful model. I am having trouble finding information on how much torque a stirling engine could possible provide. Hoping to make a small hydroplane with one. Do you know what the torque of your engine is and if it is possible to build such an engine with enough torque to power a hydroplane up to about 40mph? Thanks again!

[@mozon1967]

That's beautiful! Very fine craftsmanship!

[@pappollt]

very nice engine please make more videos maybe a step by step simple engine that someone like me with little skills can build thankyou keep up the good work.

[@FrankensteinDIYkayak]

nice job.how did you balance it? did you calculate the kinematics?

[@folkediesel2448]

Real nice work you did on that real beautiful engine😀👍👍

[@michaelhumphrey5268]

Mate well done to all your engines they are beautiful, can you throw up a pdf of your blue prints please and thank you

[@Calin1000]

That's a very elegant engine. Have you built anything since?

[@bluegloves100]

excellent craftsmanship!!!!

[@kbbacon]

Gorgeous!

[@gerrieannandale6726]

Just busy building my first Sterling with cans.

[@eastwood111]

Great work my friend! This is expiring to me as I am building my first Stirling engine and it takes so much fine-tuning. Great job!!

[@davidaustin2172]

What can I say! Everyone has said it. Totally magnificent. Just like a model of the Victorian masterpieces. I’m speechless!

[@barumman]

Very nice engine, congratulations. :)

[@charleshudner4149]

It's a masterpiece ! Congratulations

[@Ixamxionion8]

Very nicely done , it looks and works beautifully, well done .regards

[@HarmonicaMustang]

Beautiful steampunk design.

[@StumpfsCurse]

That's the definition of art in motion. Very beautiful work. :)

[@garyknight4150]

Cheers Abaddon393 , and thanks to all who have commented

[@robn2497]

RESPONSE VIDEO coming soon :) beam engine...

[@defaultuser000]

Very nice craftsmanship. Looks amazing.

[@AndyZE123]

Fantastic!

[@motoresesistemasautomatos.]

Congratulations, show.

[@kawasakiz1ba463]

superb brilliant build Gary

[@Mystic0Dreamer]

This is absolutely beautiful. One of the best models I've seen. Thanks for sharing it in such great detail.

[@LanlanBasto]

Magsalita ka na diyan

[@drivebrake]

Very nice indeed!! I've just recently become interested in Stirling engines. I'm hoping to make one a bit nicer than the most basic pop can type for a start.

[@garyknight4150]

Hi , Thanks for your comment and hope that all goes well with your build . It was such a nice surprise when my first engine sprung into life , i honestly thought it would never work . Good luck .

[@drivebrake]

Boehm of Germany makes such beautiful units I'm tempted to order one. Of course; they are expensive and there would be no challenge or personal pride. I've been asking myself if I would have the patience to build something as fantastic as what you built. You should indeed be proud and I thank you for sharing the video and commentary.

[@slurryoffagrape]

Dear God..... I just commented on the twin beam engine.... and now have seen this.... My Flabber is completely Gasted.... You are one very clever chap.... I am sooooo inspired.... and humbled.... {:o)

[@garyknight4150]

slurryoffagrape Thanks again my friend , this one took a bit more work than the other two , but i feel it was worth all the hours of head scratching and contemplating .

[@Firepowersupreme]

Very impressive! I love it!

[@richardwatts5230]

Oil can to keep from sending up.

[@kylebrake1806]

I love your videos! Keep up the good work.

[@A3Kr0n]

You're very talented and resourceful. Beautiful model.

[@danmahoney1574]

Excellent ..a work of art

[@mahboobwahab8315]

Excellent .i like it thank you mrGary

[@camcleat]

Man that is beautiful. Very nicely done.

[@michaelhumphrey5268]

Step buy step vids would boost your views

[@modelengineeringadventures]

very nice job

[@ing.juancarlosmelendezmari5986]

how much that machine more and less

[@carmelpule6954]

Yes, it is a wonderful and an elegant model engine, but may I add that to be truly " an Engineer" I would say that it would have been better to make the " reducing beam to the power piston, more or a beam and not just a rod, as that needs to take side thrust. The beam after which this engine engine is name has the right shape and so having the same side working function, I would have included a beam rather than a rod. This is not meant to a criticism , but to an engineering man like me, such practical detail in engine is useful.

[@garyknight4150]

Hi Carmel . I welcome your comment and to be honest it didn't enter my thoughts to make it a reducing beam , it would look a lot better as a beam and i also think it would have been easier to make . Maybe a modification to be made one day . Thanks

[@AtlasReburdened]

That's amazing work.

[@firststeps232]

Over the top nice Gary.

[@z90012]

A beautiful engine 👍😊

[@Uhpgradde]

Now your just showing off lol. Great job, its a thing of beauty.

[@garyknight4150]

cheers mike :)

[@itanc1]

love this!!

[@cassimselamat]

Great work. Congratulation. Hope I can make close like it

[@garyknight4150]

Hi Abas ,Thank you . Give it a go mate , with a bit of time and patience it can be done .

[@graememclean3510]

Hello Gary first up what a wonderful engine! I have only recently started looking at sterling engines and at first thought they were to wacky for my liking but the two of yours that I have seen so far are so realistic. I would love to have a go, Do you have a recommendation of where to look to get the basic information? Thanks

[@garyknight4150]

+Graeme McLean Hi Graeme , when i first thought of building one i watched as many simple tin can builds on youtube as i could find , this gave me the confidence to try a basic build first . There are many sites with much useful information out there , This is one that i viewed a lot ( boydhouse.com/stirling/ ) . I have also given a lot of advise to others in my replies , mostly on my twin walking beam engine posting . Good luck mate .

[@garyknight4150]

+Gary Knight Hi again , just read your other posting . JB Weld is a type of twin pack epoxy resin , it is also referred to as liquid metal as it can be used to repair metal items especially aluminium . I have used it at work to repair damaged car alloy sumps .Hope this helps .

[@meliketrolleys]

That's magnificent, and it runs SLOW!!! Never see that.

[@gooseknack]

Awesome work!!! Inspiring too. Great idea with the valve stem seals. Found a use for all the ones I have kicking around.. lol.

[@garyknight4150]

+gooseknack Hi mate , thanks for comment , you never now when these sort of things will come in handy , had them sitting in a draw for years :)

[@gooseknack]

Gary Knight Yeah, you never do. Trouble is with keeping stuff, you end up drowning in it all.. Lol. Sorry I missed your reply! I was only thinking of this video and magnificent engine and wasn't sure whether I had commented. Scrolled through and realised I had, with a reply. I do have a question though, have you built anymore? Because you've done amazing work with all three you've shown! I just noticed they were all uploaded 3 years ago.

[@reypolice5231]

Thank you

[@johngurney7180]

I absolutely admire the inovation, use of materials and function, realy nice, John , Melbourne AU

[@Gearz-365]

I think this is even what Stirling's early engines looked like

[@Anomalous-Plant]

How did you modify the car break cylinder? Does it have the original piston with the rubber seal?

[@garyknight4150]

Hi. If you pause the video when the cylinder is in close up. You'll see the right angled pressure pipe on the right. This pipe and some epoxy resin seals that end. I removed the seals from the piston and shortened it a bit. Can't remember the length. I also drilled a hole in the top and fitted the tube to allow for lubricating with a light oil like WD40. Hope this helps.

[@Anomalous-Plant]

@@garyknight4150 This helped me a lot. Thank you!