Stirling Engine Kit

The Stirling engine was invented by the Reverend Dr Robert Stirling in 1816. It works from an external heat source, converting this heat energy into mechanical energy. It is traditionally referred to as an external combustion engine (rather than an internal combustion engine).

The kit consists of gold-printed, pre-punched cardboard, plus laser-cut aluminium pieces, together with axles, bearings, a foam piston and a latex seal. You will need to supply your own glue.

This kit will allow you to build your own working Stirling engine. It will take a good few hours to construct, and we would suggest that it is suitable for ages 14 and upwards.

It will run simply from the heat of a cup of tea or coffee. We sat it on top of a stove, and it ran very happily. So long as the external heat source is present, the motor will continue to run.


Watch the video...


Ask a question about: Stirling Engine Kit



People who bought this item also bought:

  Great kit for engine enthusiasts  After spending a fair few hours carefully constructing this kit, it ran great first time! I was a bit dubious about a few of the parts being made of card, but they all function just fine, and there are even a few spare parts in case you make a mistake on one of the critical bits. On its first mug of boiling water, my engine ran at about 90rpm (to start with) for some 20 minutes. I can't imagine finding another working heat engine kit of any kind at this price, let alone one that operates so well.   Chris Underwood

  Best buy in a decade for an engineer  Honestly the best bargin toy i have ever bourght. Usual price for a low temp sterling engine is around £60 for an import from ebay and up to £200 for extreme low temp differance ones. Who cares, this beauty might not work off human heat but it does a good job ontop of a cup of coffee, and for £20 you cant go wrong. It comes with a very good set of instructions on how to build it and also how it functions. This is a first step to designing them yourself. Thanks Grand Illusions!   Nick Inoue