How to Make a Steam Engine

Referring to the phrase “steam engine” people often think of locomotives or Stanley steam-powered cars, but they have many more uses than just use in the transportation industry. load. The steam engine, invented in its primitive form more than two thousand years ago, has been a major source of power for about three centuries, and today steam turbines are producing more than 80 % of electric energy in the world. To give you a better understanding of how a steam engine works, make your own steam engine from easily available materials using the methods in this article! See the steps below to get started.

Table of Contents

Make a Steam Engine from Soft Drink Cans (For Kids)

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Shorten an aluminum can to about 6.35 cm. Use aluminum scissors or regular scissors to cut a horizontal line, around the body of the water can about 1/3 of the height from the bottom of the can.

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Fold and crimp the edge of the can with pliers. Fold the sharp edge inside the can to remove its sharp edge. Avoid cutting your hands as you do this.

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Press the bottom of the can from the inside to flatten it out. Most soft drink cans have a recessed bottom on the inside. Press it flat with your fingers or use the bottom of a glass or glass jar.

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Punch two holes on opposite sides of the water can about 1.27cm from the top. You can use a paper puncher to punch or use a hammer and nail. You need to punch a hole slightly larger than 3.175 mm in diameter.

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Place a box candle in the center of the can. Wrap aluminum foil under and around the candle to help it stand. Candles come in small containers, so the candle wax won’t melt and drip onto your aluminum can.

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Wrap the middle part of a copper tube about 15.24-20.32 cm long around a pencil 2 or 3 times to make a coil. The 3mm tube is easy to wrap around the pencil. You’ll need to leave enough space for the tube to lay across the top of the can, plus 2 x 5.08 cm of straight tubing on each side.

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Plug the ends of the tube through the two holes in the can. The center segment of the reel will lie directly above the candle wick. Try to make the excess tube on each side the same length.

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Bend the ends of the pipe sections with pliers to form a 90-degree angle. Bend the straight ends at the ends so that they point in opposite directions on each side of the can. Then, bend the tube again so that the ends are lower than the bottom of the can. When you’re done, you’ll have a coiled section that sits directly above the candle wick and extends to two “exhaust pipes” that bend in opposite directions on either side of the can.

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Place the can in the basin of water so that the ends of the tube are submerged in the water. Your “boat” should float comfortably. If the ends of the tube aren’t fully submerged, try making the can a little heavier, but don’t submerge it.

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Fill the tube with water. The easiest way to do this is to put one end in the water and then suck on the other end and suck like a straw. Alternatively, you can put your finger on one end and then put the other end into the running faucet.

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Burn candles. After a while, the water in the tube will heat up and begin to boil. When it turns into a stream of steam, it shoots out from the two “exhaust pipes” on the copper tube, causing the entire can to rotate in the basin of water.

Make a Steam Engine from a Paint Box (Adults)

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Cut a rectangular hole near the bottom of the paint can (4.5 liter type). Cut a 15 x 5 cm horizontal rectangle on the side of the paint box near the bottom.

Note that this paint can (and others you will use later) contain only latex-based paint (water-based paint) and must be washed with soap and water before use.

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Cut a piece of wire mesh 12×24 cm in size. Fold 6cm at each end of the 24cm long side to a 90 ^° angle. This will create a 12x12cm square “table” with two 6cm “legs”. Place this piece of mesh inside the paint can, feet down, and fit snugly against the edge of the hole in the paint can that you just cut.

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Cut small semicircular holes in the lid according to the circumference of the lid. After this, you will burn coal inside the paint can to provide heat for the steam engine. If coal is not supplied with enough oxygen, it will not burn. Create ventilation by drilling or punching semicircular holes around the edge of the lid.

These air vents with a diameter of 1cm are ideal.

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Wrap a coil of copper pipe. Take about 6m of soft copper wire of 6mm diameter and measure 30cm from one end. Starting from that point, wrap into a coil of 5 turns 12 cm in diameter. Wrap the remaining tube into about 15 loops 8cm in diameter. You should have about 20 cm of tube left over.

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Thread both ends of the hose reel through the air vent on the cap. Bend both ends of the spool so they face up, and then thread each end through a hole in the cap. If the excess tube isn’t long enough, you may need to unroll the hose a bit.

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Place the hose reel and coal in the paint can. Place the hose reel above the strainer. Add coal to fill the empty space. Close the lid tightly.

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Drill a pipe fitting hole on the smaller paint can. Drill a 1 cm diameter hole in the center of the lid of the box. On the side of the paint can, drill 2 holes 1 cm in size, one near the bottom of the box and one on the top near the lid.

READ More: How to Make Lip Gloss

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Insert the rubber buttons into the two holes on the body of the small box. Insert the two ends of the copper tube between the two presses. Plug a 25cm long piece of strong plastic wire into the press button and a 10cm piece into the other button so that they fit snugly and leave a small amount of space behind the button. Insert the squeezer with the longer cord into the hole below the small box and the squeezer with the shorter cord into the hole above. Secure the tubes to the stopper with the hose locking ring.

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Connect the plastic pipe from the big box to the small box. Place the small box on top of the large box so that the plug tubes are facing away from the large box’s air vents. Use metal tape to secure the tube from the bottom stopper to the hose pulled from the bottom of the copper coil. Then secure the plastic tube from the top button to the higher end of the coil in the same way.

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Attach a hollow copper tube to the junction box. Use a hammer and screwdriver to remove the circular cover from the circular electrical junction box. Make sure that the inside of the box is still attached to the clip with the wire retaining ring. Take a copper tube with a diameter of 1.27 cm and a length of 15 cm and insert it into the box so that the tube protrudes slightly from the electrical box. Use a hammer to lightly hit the top edge of the copper pipe so that it flattens inward. Insert the lower end of the tube into the hole in the lid of the small paint can.

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Insert a meat skewer into the latch. Take an ordinary barbecue skewer and insert it into a small wooden knot 1.5cm long and 0.95cm in diameter. Insert the rod and pin into the copper tube on the junction box so that the rod points upwards.

The meat skewer and the pin will act as the “plunger” when the machine is running. To make the piston movement easier to see, you should attach a small piece of “pennant” paper to the tip of the meat skewer.

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Prepare the machine for operation. Remove the junction box from the small paint box above and fill it with water, flooding the copper coil until the paint can is about 2/3 of its volume water. Check all connections for leaks and make sure that the joints to be sealed are tight. Secure the lids of the two paint cans by tapping lightly with a hammer. Install the junction box in its place on the box cover.

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Run the engine! Crumple up newspaper and stuff it under the screen, then burn it. When coals ignite, they burn for about 20-30 minutes. At the same time they will heat the water in the coil, steam will be pushed to the box above. When the steam reaches the required pressure, it pushes the plunger up. As the steam escapes and the pressure drops, gravity pulls the plunger down. Trim the skewer to help reduce the weight of the plunger if needed – the lighter the piston, the more often it “bouncing”. Try cutting the stick down to a mass where the plunger can “run” up and down continuously.

You can speed up the burning of coals by blowing through the air vents with a hair dryer.

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Be careful. This steam engine must be controlled and operated with care. Never run a steam engine indoors. Never run it where there is something flammable like dry leaves or a drooping canopy. Only run it on a hard and non-combustible surface such as a concrete floor. If you work with children, make sure an adult is watching at all times. Do not let children near the machine when coal is on fire. If you don’t know how hot the machine is, assume it’s too hot to touch.

Also, make sure that steam can escape from the “boiler box” above. If the plunger gets stuck for some reason, the pressure will increase in the small box. In the worst case scenario, maybe the box will explode. That is extremely dangerous.

Advice

Place the steam engine in a small boat, with both tubes threaded backwards and submerged in water, to make a steam-powered toy. You can create simple boat-shaped objects from plastic soda bottles or bleach cans to create a “green project”.

Warning

Do not cover the copper pipe in any way other than by immersing its end in water. Although unlikely, the excess pressure can cause the hose to burst and injure you.
Remember to use tongs, pliers, or gloves if you need to move the machine while it runs.
When you must hold the engine while it is running, do not point the end of the exhaust pipe at anyone, as the hot steam can cause burns.
Don’t try to make a more complicated steam engine unless you know how. An explosion of boiling water, even small-scale, can cause serious injury.

Things you need

Steam Engine from Soft Drink Cans

Aluminum cans
Aluminum scissors or large scissors
Pliers
The hole puncher
Candles box
Silver paper
Type 3.175mm . copper tube
Pencil or meat skewers
Water
Pot

Steam Engine from Paint Box

4.4 liter paint can (preferably unused, otherwise wash with soap and water)
1.1 liter paint box (as above)
6 m 6.35 mm . copper wire
Metallic adhesive tape
2 push buttons
Round metal junction box
Wire clamp suitable for electrical junction box
15 cm copper tube type 1.27 cm
12×24 cm iron mesh
35 cm 6.35 or 3.17 mm . hard plastic pipe
2 clamps for plastic pipes
Charcoal barbecue (the flammable type is better)
Grilled meat sticks
Wooden button 1.5cm long, 0.95cm diameter (one end is open)
Screwdrivers
Drill
Hammer
Aluminum scissors/scissors
Pliers

Steps