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Pat, When you are writing up your posts, if you look toward the lower left of the text box, just above the Post/Preview/Spell check buttons there is a link for Additional Options. The attachments wizard is there. Contact me if you have any problems with it. Thanks

Thanks for checking the direction, Marv. Is that with the top of the flywheel running towards the back? That's the way I'm set up, the displacer is leading the power piston by ~90 degrees when the flywheel is rotated back and down. I double checked the displacer diameter: .4877, the cylinder is...

Thanks Nick. I did contemplate dripping cool water on the cold end last night. I do plan to do that sometime in the future. I'd also like to make one with a water jacket, but that's for a later project. Thanks for reminding me of that link, Marv. I had used Rizzo's "guidelines" when I started...

George, Have you thought of styrofoam blocks to hold the engines steady? Much easier to shape it to the engines than wood. A nice covering of velor would hide it nicely. I can't add to what others have said. Just plain WOW! Beautiful work.

Go for it, Nick! It's been a fun build. Though for me this particular project has been more of an obsession. A bit of an update. I needed to get some dimensions by direct measurement, but the point to measure from didn't exist yet. So, I found a couple pieces in the "bits o" box, you know...

Thanks Jeff. I call it part of the break-in process ;D Ain't it amazing? Just heating and cooling a sealed volume of air can cause things to move. What's really amazing is that it happens so quickly.

Welcome Skip. Thank you for your service.

The parts are looking great, Nick. I guess it'll be running soon! Ditto what everyone said about using materials already at the right size. It frees up more time to sweat over the little fiddly stuff.

Dave, thanks for stopping by. Nick and Kevin, thanks guys. It won't be long now. Just a few more widgets to make and some minor details and it'll be ready for a test run. Dean, yes I know what you mean ;D It's no longer just a collection of oddball parts, it now has context. It's got parts...

Thanks for stopping by Bob. If you're looking to learn how to make mistakes you've come to the right place! We've had the DSLR for a couple years now and I'm just beginning to learn how to use it. My wife is the photographer of the family taking thousands of pictures a year. She has a Canon...

Thanks Dean. I usually avoid the shop this time of year unless I just HAVE to make something. Normal shop time is an hour or so Saturday morning just to clean up a bit and get ready for the comfy weather. But this stirling has been gnawing at me for years and now that I've started it I have to...

Mr johnthomp, please refrain from using that language at all. We try to keep this a "family friendly" forum. And there are ladies who visit, as well.

A minor update, but no pictures yet. I'll have some tomorrow. It was very hot today, the shop was 95 at 8:00 this morning when I started. By noon it was over 100 inside! Still, it's been a relatively "cool" summer, we haven't officially broken 100 yet. But 75 straight days of 95 is a bit...

Interesting concept, Tin. Kind of like Junkyard Wars! (aka Scrap Heap, for our Brit cousins) Our rocketry club does something similar a couple times a year with local Boy/Girl Scout troops. The scouts provide adult supervision and cough up some money for rocket kits, motors and CA glue, we...

Here is some interesting machinery used to repair railroads. No more lines of gandy dancers fixing track by hand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFE8nmKpmXY&feature=player_embedded

It looks good, Vic. It will work just fine. But, an observation: The angle at the bottom is not necessary, just milling it straight across to a step at the back will be an easier set up. That's the way I did mine. The angle just makes it a more complicated set up, that's all. If you want the...

Thanks Dean. I never thought of a craft store having lamp wicks (blasted one-dimensional thinking again...) There's a Hobby Lobby near by, that should work.

Very cool, Dean. Thanks for the video. What did you use for a wick? I'd like to use cotton clothesline when I build one but I don't think I will find any, everything is all plastic now days.

Zee, for tapping I use a short piece of broken end mill that was ground to a point. You could also make one out of drill rod or even mild steel. It's the piece just above the V-blocks. I use a longer piece of drill rod, about 8 inches, for a pump center. No springs at all in either one. For...

My first thought was "It'd sure have been nice to see a man standing next to it." Then I saw him, little teeny guy hiding amongst that huge engine :o