Jondaryan Woolshed 1980. Bullock power, loaded the log first then took the lead at the grand parade. For more on Jondaryan Woolshed see page 16 Jan/Feb 2000 Issue 88 Australian Model Engineering.
A steam engine driving a threshing machine (working demonstration) at Jondaryan Woolshed 1980.
This miniature blackstone ran all day on the 1/2 cup of petrol (see fuel tank on the side of the coolant tank). The generator made from a cut away car windscreen wiper motor ran a light bulb. The maker told me that the generator load was necessary as without it the miniature governor over compensated and caused the engine to run very erratically.
This hot air engine ran all day on an occasional shovel full of hot coals. An engine like this is mentioned in Jim Bowen's book "Kidman the forgotten king". They were used to pump water for stock. Actually the water was need to make the engine run, the stock got the water afterwards. The guy on the right used to look at me from my mirror every morning, I wonder where he went? The tie clip I made myself from the smallest Sidchrome spanner after the birth of my son July 1980.
This is an experimental air powered engine. This engine along with two others featured on pages 19 and 20 July/August 1999 Issue 85 of Australian Model Engineering. See the links page on this site for a link to AME.
This is a hot air engine I made from scrap while my right arm was in a sling (I used to own a motor bike). [Ed. sorry about it being sideways... I'll fix that next time around :-(]
Same engine using a trickle of water from a house tap for the cold cycle. The 2 metho lamps would last 1 hour, we ran it 12 hours non stop one Saturday. I later change the engine so that the cylinders hung down increasing heat efficiency and reducing internal friction. 1/2 litre of water connected to it would boil, in 3/4 of an hour it would become too hot to run. Fan blades added to the flywheel and a car heater radiator for cooling (held only 1/4 litre of water) it would run 6 hours before it got too hot. Larger bottles of metho were added.
Thanks to Ted Lee for another excellent contribution. Ted also sent me some extracts from a local publication, I'm awaiting permission to reprint before I get those onto this page.