It's About Time !

[Babba]

Been browsing this site for awhile now so I thought it time to introduce myself.

I live in the UK (Notts/Derbys border) & would be keen to brainstorm anyone more experienced if local enough but I'm not really into joining things like groups or clubs.

I'm not an engineer/machinist by trade but I have worked for a huge engineering Co' in the past, just didn't get the opportunity to get my hands dirty.

I'm here for 2 things really, I have a dream that one day a slow running (10-20rpm or less ) beam/horizontal type engine will sit atop my fireplace powered by nothing more than a tea light (small candle). Gently hissing & puffing away till it's time to go to bed. Secondly, despite knowing nothing about engineering, I've built & equipped a workshop to aid a business project I'm keen to get off the ground.

I half stumbled into here looking for basic/background engineering knowledge & you don't know just how helpfull you've all been. It's a double bonus that it involves steam, it's a mixture of steam & oil that flows through my veins, my Grandad told me that so it must be true.

 

[mklotz]

Welcome to the forum. I hope you'll enjoy your stay.

A tea light powered steam engine is asking quite a bit unless the engine is really, really tiny. However, a tea light powered LTD (Low Temperature Differential) Stirling engine is certainly doable. It won't "huff and puff" (they're dead silent in operation) but it will run slowly on miniscule amounts of power.

 

[steamer]

Welcome Babba!

As Marv pointed out, not a lot of energy in a tealight, but there are certainly a lot of people with beam engine experience here.

Ask away!.....I have pictures of a "doctor engine" that I lead a team in restoring. It's a beam engine with plunger pumps on the beam. I think she would make a great model. Even on a mantle.

Anyway, welcome and don't be bashful....

Dave

 

[Maryak]

Babba,

Welcome to our forum.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[mklotz]

Here you go...

http://www.mechanicalmodels.com/hae01.htm

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=2206

http://www.goldstirling.com/beam_stirling

 

[Tin Falcon]

Welcome babba :
Like the others said a tea light powered steam engine would be a feat but there are engines here that would run on a air brush compressor or if really well made an aquarium pump.
Tin

 

[rake60]

Welcome to HMEM Babba.

Rick

 

[GailInNM]

Welcome to HMEM Babba. wEc1

About 20 years or so ago I served as a technical adviser on a university level engineering competition. The challenge was to make a vehicle that would run on a gym floor for the maximum distance. The input power source was limited to ten birthday candles. There was a dollar limit on what they could spend, but no limit on how much work they could put into it.

The team I was advising took second place. They built an electric powered vehicle using a high efficiency surplus electric motor with internal gear box. Power was supplied by a home made thermopile consisting of several hundred handmade thermocouples to generate the electricity. The winning teams entry was similar. Both traveled over 100 feet.

Most of the entries were steam powered and did not do so well. Typical distance traveled was about 1/4 the distance of the electric vehicles.

One thing everyone learned is that candles produce a lot of soot any time you try to extract much heat out of that nice yellow flame. Need good combustion airflow to prevent it and that limited the high temperature that could be obtained.

Gail in NM,USA

 

[kustomkb]

Welcome!!

I too have wanted to build a tea light powered engine.