My late father, Jack Voisin, designed and constructed a Stirling engine, which is an external combustion engine named after the Scottish engineer, Robert Stirling. What’s fascinating is my father’s attention to detail. Virtually every component is handmade. He did most of the work with a scroll saw and even fabricated the metal parts himself out of aluminum stock, nuts, bolts and washers. The large flywheels appear to be gears salvaged from another device.
My father had a fascination with the Stirling engine in the late 1980s. I believe he either met or corresponded with C. D. West, who wrote a book on the subject. 1
The upper and lower cans are connected by an inner chamber, which is a modified spray can, closed on both ends. To operate the engine, fill the upper can part way with water. Place a can of Sterno canned heat under the lower vented can, which has no bottom. This heats the bottom of the inner chamber directly. Once sufficient heat is generated the piston begins to move, which turns the flywheels. A belt can be attached to the axle to drive another device.
I noticed there’s a local company here in Huntsville, Alabama that manufactures a heat circulating fan for wood stoves based on the Stirling engine. They are Thermal Engine Corporation.
Footnotes:- C. D. West, Principles and Applications of Stirling Engines. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1986. [back]