Vintage Stirling Engine

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

A visiting friend brought this along for us to have a look at. Its quite old, could be ove 100 years old. It was a demonstration motor at (I think) the Waikato University In the North Island (NZ), untill bought by the current owner In Christchurch (NZ). It has a bore of about 2 1/2", and the power piston has a stroke of about 1". Normally it would be water cooled, but it was run that day with just a bit of water in the water jacket, and after about an hour the cold end had warmed up enough for the motor to stop.

If anyone recognizes this,please tell what you know

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

"Google is Your Friend": **LINK**

Catalogue of the Special Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus at the South Kensington Museum 1876

"1946 Sectional Model of a Steam Engine with expansion. Paul Lochmann, Zeitz"

It looks like your friend's example may be rather old (1946 is the item number, I think, not the year).

"In 1876 the South Kensington Museum held a major international exhibition of scientific instruments and equipment, both historical and contemporary. Many of the items were retained and eventually formed the basis of important collections now held at the Science Museum, London. This is the 1877 third edition of the exhibition catalogue, which was expanded to include a 'large number of objects' received since the publication of the second edition, and which also included corrections in order to 'afford a complete record of the collection for future reference'. In two volumes and twenty sections comprising over 4,500 entries, the catalogue lists a huge variety of items, ranging from slide rules and telescopes to lighthouse parts and medical equipment. It gives detailed explanations of how they were used, and notes of their ownership and provenance, while the opening pages comprehensively record the contributing individuals and institutions in Britain, Europe and America."

You can view the catalogue online and the list includes The Locomotive engine "Rocket" and Stephenson's Model of the "Rocket" supplied by G.R. Stephenson.

Further googling shows your NZ archives hold information that orders were sent to Paul Lochmann of Zeitz in 1880 and duly executed.

He may well be the Paul Osker Lochmann born in Leitz, Saxony, Prussia on Christmnas Day 1848. Father: Lochmann, Johann Gottfried(~1820 – ) mother: Stock, Elise Agnes(~1825 – 1870)

Looks like he may have bee an early professional model engineer: "Paul Lochmann, Modellmaschinenfabrik in Zeitz,"

I'll leave anything else for you to discover yourself!

I will be pleased if there's as much a record of my deeds in 130 year's time!

Neil

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 07/12/2012 20:33:28

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 07/12/2012 20:38:35

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 07/12/2012 20:46:40

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I don't think the owner of the motor is on line, so I'v sent a copy of your reply of on a snail mail trip. Thanks very much for your effort Neil, that's very interesting stuff. Ian S C

[speelwerkParticipant @speelwerk]

Oskar Paul Lochmann is regarded as the inventor of the disc musical box in 1886, his “Symphonion” was one of the most successful disc musical boxes. In 1891-93 he had a long legal battle with “Polyphon”, a factory set up by 2 former employees of him, about who had the right to use the starwheel, a key part of the disc musical box. Later in 1898 he introduced his new “Lochmann’s Original” musical box.

Niko.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Thanks for that Niko. Ian S C

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