Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
The Regular Stuff: Chat, Buy, Sell, Off Topic, etc. => General Discussion - Model & Toy Steam Engines – Stirling Cycle – Flame Lickers – Small Antique Originals => Topic started by: RedRyder on September 15, 2021, 08:59:51 am
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I've visited some of those "factories" in Burma and India and they're just small workshops with other shops making machined parts, castings, etc. Most of the work is done on the floor. The Pakistan fans from the 1980s-90s are indeed well made and run better than their Kyko ancestors (Kyko was a British stirling fan from the 1920s-30s popular in colonial India). But I have to disagree that the Pak fans were made for peoples' use in Pakistan. They were much too expensive for anyone in rural areas without electricity and were mostly made for the international collector market. Most of the Indian fans made these days are more for a decorator market, both local and international.
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I don’t think so.
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Are the Pakistani fans still manufactured?
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Somewhere I have a pic of an Indian fan “factory. “. It is just a glorified garage. The exception is the Pakistani fan as they were actually made for peoples use where there is no electricity. They are made very well and need no tweaking. Made on production machinery. They even have an OSHA approved cage! Totally silent. The same engine is used to make electricity and turn a grindstone.
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Comments on quality and potential improvements make me chuckle. I recently bought a desktop version of the stirling fan offered by Stirlingkit and others for $129.
When I first ran it, there were a couple of alignment tweaks that made it run smoother, but beyond that I’ve resisted the urge to update the parameters beyond what they were. Let’s keep in mind they were produced inexpensively in workshops using mostly hand labor.
The kinds of improvements we are tempted by are akin to putting power disc brakes and independent suspension on a ‘32 hot rod. At some point you lose the baby with the bath water.
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Sure. The Kyko fans are good runners.
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Here is the drum fan. Both need painting. On my list. Next to it is a Lake Breeze, hot air fan that needs a little work. I also have a fam from Pakistan that is not a reproduction, but an actual fan that people used. They were made right in Pakistan and were a copy of the British Ky-Ko fan. Would anybody be interested in seeing it?
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I bought them directly from the manufacturer in India so didn't have to pay any eBay fees or middleman. This one was $760, including the $200 crating and shipping and the drum fan was $775, shipped. I will post the drum fan. Yes, they are full size of the Jost Radio Fan. Brad
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Hi Brad, it looks great! And appears to be full scale as the original. Can i ask what you gave for them?
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This is the 3 legged fan. I also have the can type. Same size. Brad
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Had trouble attaching pics from phone. So sent them to the PC.
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Here is one. 45” tall.
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I have two of them from a different Indian maker. Mine have very good machining. I converted the lamps to run with a furnace pilot light, on propane. I will post some pics. I also have original hot air fans from the US. Brad
Yes, please do post your pictures!
I would like to see the better machining.
Gil
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This is a very nice reproduction and affordable priced.
I think I will order one. I had an old one many years ago
and paid 3 times as much - the quality was ver poor and
outworn. Thanks for the video, Arnold :D
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I have two of them from a different Indian maker. Mine have very good machining. I converted the lamps to run with a furnace pilot light, on propane. I will post some pics. I also have original hot air fans from the US. Brad
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Hi Bruce, Build is as you would expect.... a little crude with the finish of the mechanical parts. My guess is we could make improvements without too much effort, such as making it quieter, etc. Mechanically... it runs fine and likely as good or better than a fair number of the originals it was modeled from. Based on the Jost fan design.
I just burned a full pot of alcohol and it ran for over 2 hours and 15 minutes after a 5-10 minute warm up.
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I do like that , I wonder about the build quality and longevity though...
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I just received a couple boxes from India and I am having some fun with this inexpensive reproduction Stirling Cycle (hot air) fan.
You can buy these direct from the guy that makes them. He also is the guy that makes them for the other sellers on eBay and Amazon. Expect similar to what I got which is not an exact match to the pictures.
Buy here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/324770892280
Please let him know if your purchase was inspired by my video.
I have replaced the cut shoelaces wick with a twisted piece of a cotton T-shirt.
Running on alcohol.
Enjoy,
Gil
https://youtu.be/W9epDlnRNYs