Vote best amateur stirling

[fullofhotair]

What made the stirling engine so attractive to me was I could make one with my grandson. My skill level and equipment are primative, but we made a working engine. If the pop can, tea candle stirling engine is the model T then what is the model A? What could I possibly expect to make without machine tools and a machinist background? I would also want something with a little power. A real working engine people might expect to get some work out of using a kerosene or alcohol burner. My vote is for approchtechies gamma engine http://youtu.be/joUCcJhBm8U. It has RPM and torque. Power piston is an inner tube diaphram. The displacer is also the reginerator and only made of steel wool and screen. The cyclinder is a steel water bottle. Items available to all, and no machining necessary. The only thing I would change is the crank shaft http://youtu.be/KFV0yoW82iA . I like this guys fly wheel timing for simplicity. I can see from You Tube that I am not the only one getting those steel crank shafts square. So does anyone else have any candidates for the best and simple engine?

[Junkie]

I have to agree that is probably the best non-machined engine that produces a little power.
I have tried building a few of these with reasonable success. They are not too difficult to
build, although the stainless steel wool can be hard to get hold of.

[Ian S C]

To get the stainless steel wool, go to a painting and decorating shop, the stuff in the supermarket has soap in it. Ian S C