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What about trying a swagelock connector. I believe they are gas tight. Regards, Alan

Thanks for the tips. I made a crude punch from mild steel and used a piece of aluminium as the anvil. It worked well enough for my purposes, but using Joe Pie's method would have given a superior result. The backlash in the screw is where the shoulder is held, not where the screw engages with...

Hi, I've made a new 2mm pitch topslide and nut to replace the old imperial set on my boxford lathe. There is a bit of backlash in the operation which I would like to take out with some 3/8"ID x 5/8"OD shim washers. I've made one 0.5mm thick but I need to take out a bit more play using...

Hi Brian, Can you move the table up and down to use all the useful length of the exposed spindle when working with thin material, or will you need to make a series of false tables? Regards, Alan

Thanks Dazz, The engine I'm looking at is double acting and I'm a bit limited by the depth of the block. I don't think I could fit a double grooved piston in the space available. Regards, Alan

Thanks John. The only reason I was looking at silicone is that Keith Appleton seemed to suggest they were OK in his video. Viton is going to be easier to source. Thanks for your comment Kitson. I think I'll go with viton O rings to start with, and if I strike problems, it won't be a big deal to...

Thanks fcheslop. Very useful information.

Thanks Jason.

Hi, I'm going to have a go at a marine engine for my next project. http://www.john-tom.com/MyPlans/Steam%20Engines/MarineEngine.pdf In the past I have made the pistons from phosphor bronze with a couple of fine grooves cut into them to retain oil. I was watching Keith Appleton on Youtube ()...

Hi Mark, I have gone through a similar exercise to the one you are starting. After getting fed up with grinding my teeth every time I used my Seig SC4 lathe (or that piece of crap as it came to be called), I purchased a Boxford AUD lathe in pretty much the same state as your...

Hi All, Success! I've got my Stirling engine running. I started with the piston which I had made from aluminium. I polished it and found it met Jim's criterion in that it stayed suspended in the cylinder with my finger blocking the bottom and fell freely when I allowed the trapped...

Thanks for the replies. It looks like my graphite is not the greatest quality. It could be a grade meant for electrodes or molten metal stirrers. I'll persist with it though and see how I get on. I'm intending to replace the brass displacer bush with a graphite one as Jim has done. Regards, Alan

Hi all, I've finally got round to facing the graphite rod I got out of China. I used a tangential tool steel cutter and the graphite peeled off and fell down the face of the cutter onto a sheet of paper beneath so there were no issues with graphite dust going everywhere. The interior of the rod...

Thanks Jim. One of the first things I'll check will be to ensure I'm getting a pressure variation at the cylinder when the displacer moves back and forth. Tubal Cain has a video where he troubleshoots an old Stirling engine which won't go. He has a clever way of using a thumb cut from a vinyl...

Thanks for all the great information. I got the graphite from China so I'm not sure of the quality. A case of suck it and see I suppose. I'm think I might try getting the engine to go using the existing aluminium piston but lubricating it with graphite powder instead of oil. Mr Pete on YouTube...

Thanks for the comments. I'll set up my shop vac as suggested and spread newspaper over the surrounding areas as well.

Hi, I'm going to revisit a Stirling engine I couldn't get to work. I'm looking to swap the aluminium piston with one made of graphite. Any tips on machining graphite? I'm going to need to turn it and put a slot in it with a slitting saw and maybe thread it as well. Regards, Alan C.

Hi, I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to sign in. Who would have thunk that the sign up button is the way to go. If you want to stiffen up the action of the screw, drill and tap a 3mm hole in the side of the square aluminium through to the m6 screw. Cut a short length, (say 2-3mm)...

Hi, I'm also a fan for leaded steel because of the fine finish you get on the lathe. I haven't welded it but I have successfully brazed it using bronze with no problems. It really does corrode. I used a piece of 1" round as an axle for the wheel on my wheelbarrow which is stored outside...