Tealight Stirling Engine

Stirling engine with tea light drive

Steam engines were the first engines that made difficult jobs easy for people. However, there were frequent explosions in the steam boilers.
That's why many engineers tried to invent less dangerous drives.
Almost 200 years ago, the young Scottish clergyman Robert Stirling developed a type of engine that has never been used on a large scale, but has been used in a number of applications.

The little engine literally comes out of the can in which it is packaged. It is powered by the warmth of the tea light and the air cooling on the working cylinder. The principle is very simple, but very clever:
Displacement pistons and working pistons push the air back and forth between the two cylinders due to heating and cooling. This allows the working piston to drive the propeller.
It takes hobbyists 2-3 hours to assemble the approximately 150 parts. The thorough instructions with exact pictures lead you step by step to the finished engine. Only simple tools are required.

The toy brand Kraul stands for great fun, experiencing technology in a child's way, imaginative opportunities to explore, play, experiment and experience for small and older children, joy in playing with earth, water, fire, air and for playful fascination with physical effects. And this has been the case for over 50 years. And because our children are so fascinated by Kraul's construction kits, research sets and experiment kits, we have added this special toy to our range in the Pilzessin children's store in Graz and online at www.pilzessin.at . For me, Kraul also means creating a contrast to the iPad, cell phone, WiiU, all the electric toys and inspiring children to lend a hand.