Update on the Book, "Three LTD Stirling Engines You Can Build Without a Machine Shop"

I am very pleased with the way things have started and developed with the release of the book.  I had no idea what to expect, so I didn't even know how to set realistic goals.  But so far I am getting great reviews from everyone who has seen it, and the number of outlets carrying the title is steadily growing.  There are stores carrying the book now that I don't even know about.  My sales reports are anonymous, so I don't know who is buying them, but I can tell when it is a retail or a wholesale purchase.  I do know that at this time the title is for sale at these locations:

• Amazon.com (US)
• Amazon in Asia, Canada, and Europe
• Powell's Technical Bookstore (online and on the shelf in Portland)
• Barnes and Noble (online)
• Outpost Enterprises, LTD 
• StirlingBuilder.com

And of course there are all the questionable "other outlets" in Amazon that were claiming to have used copies for sale before any new ones had even sold.

Sales on Amazon have been relatively steady.  They are selling often enough that I am compelled to check my sales reports several times a day to see how it is doing.  I am curious to see if the end of summer will bring an increase in sales.

Some of the most exciting news is that the book is being evaluated by an Engineering Professor in Texas who wants to include the building of one of my engines as one of the projects for one of his introductory Engineering courses.  So far it is looking good and I am hopeful it will happen.  I may soon be honored to reach the status of "college textbook" at a Texas university!

I am already starting to work on some outlines for the next book in the series.  There will be two to three more on a similar theme.

Self Publishing

Whatever you have heard about Self Publishing is probably true.  I published my book at CreateSpace.com, and a friend at work published his book at LuLu.com.  We both have things we like about the experience.  CreateSpace appears to be a more affordable route to take.  It is possible to publish a book there for free.  And the discount price for authors to buy their own works is fantastic.

You can drive yourself crazy watching the sales.  The tracking site says that they post sales within a few days, but I seem to see the sales reports as they happen.  I have gotten away from checking the sales report every hour, but it is still very addicting to log on and look at the progress.

I picked a very small market to write about.  But I picked something that I can do well, and I think that makes for a great book.  If I was wanting to make these projects, this is the book I would buy!

Amazon has priced my book, for the moment, at a significant discount.  My suggested price was high enough that it qualified for free shipping on its own.  So now if someone buys my book they will want to buy something else so they can get free shipping.  It is a win-win for everyone.  My commission stays the same even when Amazon puts it on sale.

I have been looking for hints and tips on increasing sales at Amazon.  It is a lot of work.  Now I know why people have publishers and agents.  I am spending just as many hours at the computer promoting the book and the website as I spent writing the book.

I am already formulating plans for the next book.  My ideas keep changing, but at the moment I like the idea of making a fancy wooden Stirling engine and using it to power some fancy wooden animated toys!

Building a Presence on the Web

My book became available for purchase online on June 20, 2010.  I have been working to build a presence on the web with some limited success.  The website has recently received over 20 visits a day.  That is not a lot, but it adds up over time and is providing some exposure for the book.  I am receiving an increasing amount of traffic from Facebook links, and I am starting to see more search engine traffic.  I also have tags on all my YouTube videos to help people find the website.

The book is currently available through five sites on Amazon.com and through CreateSpace.com.

New Stirling Engine Website

My new Stirling Engine website has been up for about a month now.  I have posted instructions and pictures describing how to build 2 different Stirling Engine designs.  I am also giving a good plug for my book.  The book is still in the hands of my peers getting some proof reading and critique.

The website is at http://Stirlingbuilder.com.  As of tonight I have had 399 visits from 50 countries. The site is almost a month old.  It is amazing to think that that many people from all around the world have looked into my kitchen and watched my little engines running (in a video, of course).

One of my new Stirling Engine videos has a good start on YouTube.  It has received 250 views in just one week.  I have a bunch of videos I will be posting as soon as the book is available at Amazon.  I want to wait until the book is out so that I can use the videos to direct some traffic to the book's web page.

Stirling Engine Book is Nearly Complete!

This blog started about the same time I started writing my little "how to" book about building low temperature differential Stirling engines. I am happy to report that I have printed several pre-release copies of the book and I am circulating them among friends for proof reading and feedback. When that review is completed I will make the necessary changes and then proceed with the self publication of the book. The print on demand offerings on the Internet are quite enticing and I am going to give it a try. The title is "Three LTD Stirling Engines You Can Build Without a Machine Shop".

I started a website that will be dedicated to hand build Stirling engines. The address is http://stirlingbuilder.com. At this point it only contains a tidbit about the book. I hope to expand on it soon and use it to promote lots of practical information for people wanting to build their own Stirling engines. I was very pleased to see I had about 60 visits to the site in the first 24 hours.

I now have a to-do list of Stirling Engines I would like to build. Who knows when I will ever find the time to finish them all! I want to build a high end engine of polished copper and hardwood. Or maybe polished copper and acrylic. I would like to document the building of a pop can engine and publish the instructions for young people in science fairs. And I have an idea for a paint can engine that I think should be cheap to build and it should work quite well over a candle. I may be retired before I get to all these projects. This first one took me almost three years!

Pen Making 2009

It is pen making time again! Fall always brings me into the wood shop with a focus on pens and other woodworking projects. This year I have expanded my inventory of wood choices and pen designs. Perhaps the most interesting addition is the use of Olive wood that comes from Bethlehem. The certificates that come with the wood say that it was taken from ancient olive orchards that date back to Roman times. The wood was salvaged from pruning and no trees were removed or destroyed in the process.

You can see many of the design choices in the picture here. The pens with the black silicone grip are known as Comfort Pens. These can be assembled as a ball point twist pen or as a 7mm pencil with a click mechanism. These sell for about $25 each.

The top center group are called Designer Pens. These are my favorite to make. They are large enough to show off the wood grain and make a real eye-catching and elegant pen. They can be made a little thinner for a feminine or smaller hand. These sell for about $35 each. There is also a Designer Pencil available that is a match for this pen design.

The group of pens at the bottom of the picture are a classic design modeled after a 1935 Parker fountain pen. These can be made as a fountain pen or as a roller ball gel writer. The pens in this picture have the roller ball insert. These pens are absolutely gorgeous, but are also challenging to build. These pens sell for about $45.

Prices can vary based on wood choice. The standard finish is a combination of shellac and carnauba wax. It creates a highly polished surface that holds up well and takes on character as it is used. Different woods will age and show character differently as the oil of the user's skin interacts with the wood and the finish. If you wish to maintain a shiny new look, I recommend the use of a furniture polish that contains wax to clean and polish your pen.

If you are interested in purchasing a pen from my inventory, or having one made, send me an email.

Sailing to Boston Harbor on 6/27/09

We launched on Friday afternoon and had a nice evening sailing session near Olympia. We found out later that we probably had the best breeze of the day for our evening sail. We ended up back at the dock at about 8:00 PM and got one of the last open berths at Swantown for the night. We met up with Tom and Jan Salzer who had sailed down from Shelton earlier that day and enjoyed some nice conversation.

On Saturday morning we met up with a third Pottering couple who came to launch a beautiful Potter 15. They heard about our sailing plans from the online discussion and came to join us. There were three Potters in Budd Inlet for a while on Saturday morning. Tom and Jan went north to drop Jan off so Tom could continue a solo trip, and Dee Ann and I started our trek to Boston Harbor. I was in the Potter 19 (Dare) and she was in her 14 foot kayak.

The day started out with very light wind that sometimes dropped to almost nothing. It changed direction constantly until it made a 180 degree switch and blew me downwind to my goal. We took some pictures of the kayak floating in front of Boston Harbor as proof that she made it, then headed back.

I ran into the same shifting winds in Central Budd Inlet, but as I made it south things picked up a lot. I soon discovered I was catching up and passing Dee Ann and the ride was getting a little wild. I used some of my recently learned skills to put the boat in a Heave To maneuver and I reefed the main down to the first reef point. I was able to maintain the same boat speed and have a much more comfortable ride.

I was amazed at how calm things became the instant I did the Heave To maneuver. I went instantly from over-powered sailing to quiet calm bliss. Reefing went real quick because this time I had the reefing line installed before I needed it. The boat behaved much better with a reef in the sail.

In my many years of windsurfing I would change sails quite often during the day. So I wonder why it had never occurred to me that I would do the same thing in a bigger boat? Now that I have done it once, I will be much more likely to adjust my sails to match the changing wind conditions.

I am lucky to be tall. I can stand with one foot on the keel trunk and one in the companionway and do my reefing without having to go forward. I don't have enough experience to say for sure, but it might be easier to do that with the halyards on the mast rather than run to the cockpit. It was sure handy to have all the reefing lines in close proximity when making a quick sail adjustment. I am giving some thought to manufacturing a companionway table that is sturdy enough to stand on when sailing solo. It would make those trips to the mast feel a lot safer.

I rigged a lifeline and a jib downhaul for this trip, and was real glad to have the downhaul. The P19 lapper will not drop without it, and I wish to avoid trips to the foredeck whenever I can, even when not sailing alone. My downhaul was an old halyard that was simply run through the bow pulpit and tied to the top jib hank. It worked great for me. I will add this to my list for winter boat enhancements.

My lifeline was just a piece of line tied around my waist and cleated off to the boat. If I fell in, they would at least find the body. :-) I am giving some thought to how I might improve that arrangement a little. I found that I would step on my own line and make it hard to stand up!

Lessons Learned:

1. Always wear a lifeline when sailing alone. If you ever need it and don't have it, you will really wish you had adopted this plan! (Thanks Tom)

2. Always sail with your Jiffy Reefing lines installed. Jiffy Reefing is for the unexpected sail change. If you don't expect you are going to need it today, that should be your first clue.

3. Lashing a boat hook to the tiller lets you step into the cabin to get a pop without losing control of the boat.

4. Heave-To is a great maneuver. When things start getting a little out of control, heave-to and make a plan. The boat settles down immediately.

5. If you ever heave-to so you can start your engine and drop your sails, make sure the engine is idling in neutral. If not, you will begin to spin in circles like a tired mutt as soon as your jib comes down!

I will attach a short video I took that commemorates my first successful mainsail reef attempt.