New Member from Northern NJ

[itsme_Bernie]

Hello Stirling Engineers!

My name is Bernie. I have a mechanical engineering background, NJIT, but am working as a commercial photographer for many years.

I am thrillled to be moving my shop out of storage after a few years, and restarting my home metal shop in my new garage. :) ... Time for me to get back to experimenting and tinkering!

I am interested in ltd engines and hi temp fans, and would like to work the ltd engines into moving sculptures.
I look forward to bouncing ideas off all of you, and I hope to contribute back from my areas of discipline!


Bernie

[Ian S C]

Welcome aboard Bernie, good to read that you are returning to home engineering, and the adiction of Stirling Engines. If you look in my gallery, you will see my interpritation of a Stirling Engine stove top fan.
Ian S C

[itsme_Bernie]

Thanks Ian!

Nice gallery! How much air does that fan move when it's hot? I've been wanting to make a few engines to sit on top of wood stoves to move the air around



Bernie

[Ian S C]

Bernie, the fan moves quite a bit of air, you don't need to over do it, you only want to gently move the air around, and quietly, I made two stove top fans, the other one is a Ringbom type Stirling Engine, this type has a displacer that is moved by the changing pressure in the motor, rather than a mechanical linkage to the crankshaft, and like one of the first models of this type called tapper, this one made qyite a bit of noise, also it was too powerful(??SE too powerful??), the gyroscopic force of the fan causes the whole motor to physicly rotate on the stove, no great problem, but if it also moved sideways, it could fall off, and that might frighten the cat. Ian S C

[theropod2]

Hi guys,

I am a new user to this forum..........I think this forum would help me to learn a lot..........Can anybody guide how to use the forum in an effective manner??

Using the search function at the top right of each page is very useful and specific terms can be searched using the advanced features.

R

[itsme_Bernie]

Thanks for the tips Ian!

That was one of my concerns, actually- I would like the fans to be functional and quiet, since it can be!

Interesting to make one that can blow everyone away someday, but the main purpose is to just gently move the air around at all.


Bernie

[Ian S C]

The fan has a power stroke of 20 mm, and a bore of 35 mm, thats about 3/4" x 1 3/8". It uses skate board wheel bearings for the main bearings, and the big end of the power piston, the displacer has split bronze bearings. The power cylinder is the tube from inside of an automobile shock absorber. Ian S C

[itsme_Bernie]

Thanks Ian-

My shop is almost back together, and back to work! I'll show you what I have going when I get things rolling...


Bernie

[itsme_Bernie]

Welcome aboard Bernie, good to read that you are returning to home engineering, and the adiction of Stirling Engines. If you look in my gallery, you will see my interpritation of a Stirling Engine stove top fan.
Ian S C

Hi Again Ian-

I realize I didn't mention that stove top fan is one of my two first goals! I love the wooden blades.. Nice touch. I have some nice small scraps of "rare" woods I can fashion into blades.


Bernie

[Hawke]

Whahoo! "moving sculptures". Cool idea. The stirling would be a good engine for that it seems. How heavy and big would the sculptures be?

[itsme_Bernie]

Whahoo! "moving sculptures". Cool idea. The stirling would be a good engine for that it seems. How heavy and big would the sculptures be?

The plan is for lightweight and whimsical features powered by an overtly hand-warmed LTD to begin with... Although getting one running at all should be my first goal!! ;)

I'm talking music wire and paper, and maybe small clockwork gearing about the flywheel.

I have most of my raw materials ready for my first few engines... A few more tweaks to the shop, then just to get to work! :)

Bernie