Hello Marv

Don't be put off - I built one last year and it works better than I thought it would.

The valve and cam are the most difficult bits to make and tune for efficiency. Mine has a 304 SS cylinder and a graphite piston with a .01 clearance which eliminates the need for lubrication and constant cleaning. I made the burner with a stainless steel wire wick using very fine wires jammed down into a tube with the cloth wick going into the fluid. The resulting flame is very clean. Positioning of the flame is critical and the intake port must be completely covered for best results.

There a many sources of information for this type of engine and it is very satisfying to get it running. I will be making the internal valve version next, again using the graphite pistons.

Thank you Marv for your contributions to home shop guys like me, they have been very helpful many times when everything seems to end in redoing a part or going down the wrong path.

Regards

Frank