Engine In a Can Plans... It really works! Now you can build this amazing engine for less than $20 (including plans). The plans took 10 times longer to write than the actual engine took to build! Get the detailed 12 page plans with illustrations now!!!		Tin Can Stirling Engine Plans
Don't throw away that tin can!  Built with a soldering iron and less than $10 worth of parts, the HK-1 runs on almost any fuel. Instant Plans $12: HK-2 Plans not available but it can be built using the same techniques. HK-3 Solar Powered Fan This engine has a complex lever arrangement to make use of a rubber diaphragm instead of a piston. The blades are very sharp and dangerous so I have not published the plans. If you have any homebuilt model engine pictures of your own, please send them in! HK-1 Plans by mail: $12  Feedback  Home A transparent engine. experiment that failed.		"Amazingly simple model stirling engine plans!  Other stirling engine plans may require you to have access to a machine shop.  These engines are easily made from tin cans using a soldering iron and simple hand tools."  Build this excellent teaching aid and science fair project today! Stirling is the correct spelling, by the way.  I used to think they were spelled "sterling engines."  (I could probably get away with calling my engines sterling engines because I live near the town of Sterling, Alaska.)  Nevertheless, stirling engines are named after their inventor, Robert Stirling. Some information sources out there confuse ordinary heat engines with stirling engines.  Stirling engines, unlike other heat engines, use a regenerator, which recycles internal energy (heat) many times.  Feel free to browse the illustrations.  But the best way to figure out how stirling engines work is to build one! How does it work?  View a larger animated illustration. Check out this engine video send in by Larry Hawes. discussion forum What I like about Stirling engines: Double-action piston:  It is a true one-stroke engine, since the piston both pushes and pulls, delivering smooth power on every stroke. A car engine, on the other hand, is a 4-stroke (or, in rare cases, a 2-stroke) engine.  It only delivers rough, explosive power on every 4th stroke.  As a result, car engines wear out much quicker and produce more noise. Simple design:  There are no spark plugs, coils, wire, points, injectors, valves, camshafts, oil sump, pumps, filters, carburetor, mufflers or timing belts/gears to wear out. Efficiency:  With modern designs and materials up to the maximum theoretical thermodynamic efficiency is possible because of the way heat is recycled many times inside the engine instead of used once and thrown away as in conventional engines. They will run on almost any fuel:  You can power this unit with the heat of a candle or concentrated sunlight.  Some carefully-built models can even run on the heat from your hand.  They will also run on chemical processes that produce cold instead of heat.  I was able to run the HK1 at great speed on liquid nitrogen until the oil became hard and brittle (next time I'll use graphite). Quiet running:  At maximum power all you will hear is slight whirring or clanking and only then if your bearings are loose.  I've witnessed engines that run totally silent and are even compensated for vibration. Safety:  Stirling engines are probably the safest engine you could work with.  They can't explode like steam engines and the models on this page don't really put out enough power to hurt you.  I suppose, if you're not careful, you could get sunburn (when setting up a solar engine) or otherwise burn or cut yourself putting it together.  Use adult supervision! Innovative potential:  Old-style stirling engines did not perform nearly as well as their internal combustion cousins.  Their low power-to-weight and power-to-size ratios made them unreasonable candidates for automotive power plants.  There were a few attempts at powering automobiles with stirling engines but consumers wanted more 'pep'.  Stirling engines can often take several minutes to warm up & deliver useful power.  With space-age materials, however, the stirling engine is freed from these limitations.  Stirling HEV's may be the transportation of the future.. Use the PayPal button to order the e-mail plans.  To receive the plans immediately, be sure to click the "return to site" link after payment.  You can also pay by check on-line. or send a check for $14 for the printed and mailed 12 page booklet: Hank Kroll comptune.com 4200 E. 4th #147 Anchorage, AK 99508 (907) 277-0951
		Tune up your computer with CompTune.com!

"Thank you for sending me the address: After some more working around I finally
got PayPal to do its thing. received plans and built the engine. Works OK I
used a "S.O.S" pad as the semi porous differentiator. It is green and did not
have the sponge part. I attempted to burn the pad and got no bad fumes it
resisted flame and did not melt into a ball. After many sessions I opened the
can and my pad was still in pristine condition. I used a "Top-Flight" 9" prop
instead of the tin can lid. Replacing the solder blob with a penny 3/4 of the
way out on the opposing blade. It really takes a well balanced engine to work
on the larger size additionally I used a 1/2" plastic rod instead of using
either aluminum or steel for the power piston. I also added height to the unit
to accommodate the longer swing of the prop blade. J.B. 4 minute weld will take
the heat up to 300 degrees and sets up fast. If I were trying it again I would
try a much smaller prop and weight. Greater stress on making sure the center of
the piston and the center of the crank shaft are aligned would be nice in the
documentation." -- J.P.

"I have two pairs of students (gifted 10th grade) using the plans to
try to make engines. We got the plans and we have most if not all of
the materials. It is nice the way the 1/2" aluminum rod fits into the
brass tubing. I really appreciate that we could get a design that does
not require machining."  --D.C.

Dear reader,

These plans continue to be updated based on your suggestions.  They are available in HTML, MS Word and PDF format for easy printing on a variety of platforms.  When you buy the plans you will be given a link that you can use to obtain the latest version.  I have also included some science fair presentation ideas.

You do not need to pay sales tax when ordering products from Anchorage, Alaska.  PayPal allows you to write online checks too so a credit card is not needed.  *Update* You no longer need to set up an account with paypal to pay.  If for some reason you haven't received your plans or you lost them or something please email me and I'll resend them right away.  No questions asked!

Also note:  Some people have been reporting problems with PayPal not automatically sending them to the plans page.  Do not use the big banner to order the plans.  Use it only if you plan to sign up with PayPal.  Then come back and use the small button to order.  After sending your payment, please click the "return to site" link and wait for the plans page to load. Don't forget to bookmark the plans or save them to your local hard drive.  Again, if you have any problems just send me an email and I'll send the plans to you.  I also follow up within the week with an email version of the plans just in case you lose them.

I have another treat for you.  If you register a merchant account with PayPal by clicking the above banner you can get anywhere from $5 to $10.00 credited to your account just by referring people. That should more than make up for the cost of the plans.

--Hank

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Tin Can Engine.

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The Stirling engine is an impressive yet simple engine. This is how I built one from a tin can and $10 worth of hobby shop parts using only a soldering iron and rudimentary hand tools!  Latest News, Inventor's Resources, Links & More!!!

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