Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

This kit I Hope to power with Steam or My Tarrot Stirling, it is a working model of device invented around 1880-1883 and used to generate small bolts of Lighting (ok, just sizeable static electricity arcs)
  I found after I made my purchase with the now somewhat debated paper cardstock steam engine (same manufacturer) there are higher end kits on the market, some going well North of $200
  My kit was around $30 Shipped and a reviewer pointed out that if a little care is taken with the electric connections it has made arcs up to 62mm long or approx 2 and 7/16 inches.
  The 2 rods with the tinfoil "snowman" can be adjusted and the reviewer getting 62mm was pointing the small ball "snowman head" of one at the large ball "snowman body" to get the best arc's.
  These are somewhat like the plasma ball in that best viewed with the lights Off or down low.
  Not sure of the interest level, but thought I would share yet another potential "thing" to power with our small engines!

The video is not my unit as mine is still in the mail, but I will post if it works out.

That one looks like it makes nice strong Arc's. Interesting that some models have  single metal balls about 1/2" diameter at the electrode tips, the one Jan posted and my kit have the "snowman" shape.
   Thanks for posting Jan!

Here for your enjoyment (or not) is my example of Wimshurst driven by a Carette steam engine.
My slow camera did not capture all the sparks but enough to get the idea; the missed flashes can be heard though.

This must surely be the most impressive "table top size" Wimshurst generator I have seen to date, he is getting 7 inch arc's with it and also when moving the balls fairly close together,he gets what "looks" like a continuous arc!