This engine, by Neil Porter of Victoria B.C. is the first to be reported as complete and running.  Neil has made several modifications to the original design, both to suit his own ideas and the materials available.  This is of course quite acceptable and, provided that the builder knows what he is about, could result in a livelier performance than the original.

    Several more completion reports are expected in the near future and to keep this file down to a reasonable size, I will publish only the first six pictures of 'modified' engines whilst reserving spaces for the first engine to be built exactly to the drawings (which will involve me in changing the drawings to 'Issue 1') and also for the first engine, whether 'modified' or not, to out-perform the prototype.
  Reports, comments and criticisms from all builders will continue to be welcome and will be added to this page.

  The second engine to appear is by Ed Maisey, also from Victoria.  A very pretty little power unit, and it too incorporates some of his own ideas. In fact he has overcome the oil-drag problem very craftily by using graphite for both the piston and the displacer rod bushes.

    I hope Neil and Ed won't be too offended if I congratulate Mark Slater on being the first to report completion of a true Fitzfizgig.  To quote from Mark's letter of 2nd June:-  "I built one as my very first project and fired it up this evening.
  Made it exactly as per drawings -

                                                    - worked a treat, rattles a bit but runs like hell."

   Thanks Mark - and it feels very good to know that my drawings work too!   These are now being changed from Issue 0 (beta) to Issue 1.
   Since these photo's were taken Mark has quietened the engine by fitting a better big end bearing, a brass bush, the same length as the crank pin, loctited into an enlarged hole in the aluminium rod.   An excellent idea and to be recommended if you are confident that your crank pin is true.

  Jim Toms' version of the engine has several modifications and I quote from his letter:-   "It has a 'Steradent' displacer and a one piece stainless steel hot chamber.  A thin shell aluminium piston fitted with a soft leather seal. It has aluminium con rods fitted with brass bushes.  It starts to run on a 1/2" meths wick flame which has to be withdrawn to prevent overspeeding."

Wow!  And you will also see that he has replaced the oval cylinder flange by a more robust square one to ensure a good seal.   Jim tells me his next engine will be a transferator.