# First Engine. A successful Sterling engine



## DOC123 (Sep 22, 2010)

Dear All
I purchased a 9x20 lathe to make parts to use on my telescope but decided to try to make an engine as practice. I bought a kit of bar stock with plans and the result was a little sterling engine.
I am not an engineer but a medico so this has been quite a learning process.
Some images are below.





This is turning the central block from a cylinder of aluminium.




Milling the pillar on the lathe using a little end mill from a dremel tool.




making the piston shaft.




the finished engine.

Also I have a video of the little engine going here.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=296Fr_dfdlo[/ame]

Cheers

Terry


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## Maryak (Sep 22, 2010)

Congratulations Doc :bow: :bow:

Now your hooked.

Psst......how are my new heart valves coming along ??? :-X

Welcome. wEc1

Best Regards
Bob


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## Omnimill (Sep 22, 2010)

Nice Sterling Terry. Lets see some telescope parts when you've made them.

Vic.


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## NickG (Sep 22, 2010)

They look like nice little kits those. Well done, especially doing a stirling for your first engine project! :bow:

Nick


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## fcheslop (Sep 22, 2010)

Congratulations on a fine build and a sterling to. Be careful they are addictive :bow:
best wishes


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## krv3000 (Sep 22, 2010)

HI thats brill


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## b.lindsey (Sep 22, 2010)

Well done Doc....what do you have in mind now for your second engine ?

Bill


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## winklmj (Sep 22, 2010)

A stirling for the 1st engine. And a fine looking and running one at that.  :bow:


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## kustomkb (Sep 22, 2010)

Congratulations,

Great job on your engine!


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## DOC123 (Sep 22, 2010)

Omnimill  said:
			
		

> Nice Sterling Terry. Lets see some telescope parts when you've made them.
> 
> Vic.


Thanks all.
The telescope parts I've made are pretty boring so far. An example is below. It is used to accurately attach a camera to the scope.


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## robwilk (Sep 22, 2010)

Nice work well done 
I would love to have a go at that engine myself could you tell me where you got the plans from.
Thanks 
 :bow: Rob......


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## seagar (Sep 22, 2010)

Hi Terry,great job,keep up the good work and if your ever over at Coffs Harbour Give me a call and come and check out my workshop.

Regards Ian


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## DOC123 (Sep 22, 2010)

robwilk  said:
			
		

> Nice work well done
> I would love to have a go at that engine myself could you tell me where you got the plans from.
> Thanks
> :bow: Rob......


The kit came from here
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/A1-3-Stirlin...U_Toys_Hobbies_Model_Kits&hash=item3f02ac95bd
It has a book of quite good drawings. The kit is complete except for screws. I needed to buy the cap headed screws etc separately.
The aluminium and brass pistons and the hot chamber for it come prefab but the rest is all bar stock. I found the brass piston wasn't quite round and it didn't seal well enough in the cylinder that I had made. This meant that the engine wouldn't run. I made a duplicate one out of bronze that sealed better and now it works.
The other modification I made was to the brass stand under the flywheel. The kit comes with a sheet of brass about 1mm thick. The plan tells you to bend this to 90deg to attach it to the base. I stuffed this up so got another piece of flat brass as the vertical part of the stand and screwed a length of ~8mm square brass to the base of it. I then could attach the square brass to the ally plate under the engine.


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## Omnimill (Sep 27, 2010)

Nice telescope parts as well Terry!

Vic.


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## Longboy (Oct 3, 2010)

robwilk  said:
			
		

> Nice work well done
> I would love to have a go at that engine myself could you tell me where you got the plans from.
> Thanks
> :bow: Rob......


 Available here too! This is where I got started in the hobby! Dave. http://www.littlemachineshop.com/products/product_search.php?critFast=stirling&B1=Product+Search.


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