Help needed with hot air engine.

[RODELU]

I’m trying to rebuild a Jost Lampfan, that’s a hot-air engine-powered ambient fan, made in Germany and in India early in the 20th century.
The engine is a single-cylinder, Beta-configuration Stirling; energy source is kerosene burning in a flat-wick lamp underneath the engine.
I need drawings, exploded views, photos of a complete unit, anything that would help me reproduce the many parts that are missing or broken in the engine.
I will greatly appreciate ANY help.

 

[enginebill]

Try posting your question here. There is a lot of knowledge about hot air engines there.
https://www.smokstak.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=114

 

[RODELU]

Thanks, I'll do that.

 

[SouthBendModel34]

Don't Ever Give Up!

I want to encourage you to keep plugging away at this until you figure out how to make the missing parts.

There was an inspiring article in Smithsonian Science & Invention magazine about a decade ago. It was about a very advanced collector / restorer of antique locks. His specialty was padlocks.

He had a very partial example of a padlock which featured a complex "re-locker" mechanism. Some of the mechanism was missing. He had very little to go on. He said that he thought about this off and on for a VERY long time, in the order of years, and then one day he envisioned how the missing parts of the mechanism had worked and how they fit into the case. He fabricated the parts and was able to demonstrate that the lock now worked as claimed.

Of course, whether he had it exactly right the first time is questionable. But, he made it work. IIRC, he was later able to confirm that he had the mechanism correct.

This struck me as a case of an advanced craftsman's insight.

John Ruth

 

[RODELU]

Try posting your question here. There is a lot of knowledge about hot air engines there.
https://www.smokstak.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=114

I posted in that forum and got an immediate reply from someone knowledgeable and willing to assist.
Thanks!