I saw mention of the name "Moriya" on the forum, so I thought it might be a good time to bring her story up to date. The 10" fan we named Moriya, originated in my workshop in the early 1970's - yes, some 50 years ago. Plans were subsequently published in Live Steam Magazine (Dec 1974-Feb 1975) from which, over the years, many many examples have been made in home shops all over the world. Those articles have been reprinted with permission in "Steam and Stirling Engines you can build"
The original Moriya still is doing quite well and is used now and then at one end of my workbench in hot weather. She has cooperated in many experiments including a flexure joint at the piston, a leather cup seal for the piston, a snifter valve and others. Her favorite mod was the graphite piston. This material was first suggested to me for Stirling engines long ago by one William Chaffee under whom I worked at his Model Builders Inc. in the Chicago area one summer. The graphite piston has proven to be far longer lasting than expected; Moriya has it to this day.
A few years ago, at the suggestion of fellow Moriya fan Lee Muegge (1941-2020), I made a larger version, the 15" Moriya Major, plans for which are available at Amazon. You can see a video of this guy on YouTube. The fan already has an offspring in the UK, which is featured in a much better YouTube video. Moriya Major has a number of improving features some of which can be seen in my YouTube videos of its construction details. One of its major features is the enclosed firebox and chimney which keeps the heat of the flame where it should be and directs the exhaust up and away from the cool section of the engine. This proved to be so effective, that I outfitted the original Moriya with a similar system.
Going beyond this, last year I made a completely updated 10" Moriya the Second which incorporates the improvements and refinements of its earlier siblings, all of which retain the now classic style of the original. Plans for Moriya II are also available in book form at Amazon.
The original Moriya still is doing quite well and is used now and then at one end of my workbench in hot weather. She has cooperated in many experiments including a flexure joint at the piston, a leather cup seal for the piston, a snifter valve and others. Her favorite mod was the graphite piston. This material was first suggested to me for Stirling engines long ago by one William Chaffee under whom I worked at his Model Builders Inc. in the Chicago area one summer. The graphite piston has proven to be far longer lasting than expected; Moriya has it to this day.
A few years ago, at the suggestion of fellow Moriya fan Lee Muegge (1941-2020), I made a larger version, the 15" Moriya Major, plans for which are available at Amazon. You can see a video of this guy on YouTube. The fan already has an offspring in the UK, which is featured in a much better YouTube video. Moriya Major has a number of improving features some of which can be seen in my YouTube videos of its construction details. One of its major features is the enclosed firebox and chimney which keeps the heat of the flame where it should be and directs the exhaust up and away from the cool section of the engine. This proved to be so effective, that I outfitted the original Moriya with a similar system.
Going beyond this, last year I made a completely updated 10" Moriya the Second which incorporates the improvements and refinements of its earlier siblings, all of which retain the now classic style of the original. Plans for Moriya II are also available in book form at Amazon.
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