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Ever tied to make a homemade jet engine?


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Haven't built one myself, but... There are two books by Kurt Schreckling... I hope I spelled his name right. In them he tells how to construct turbojets, theory and design. All use a centrifugal compressor. Small axial compressors are inefficient. They are DIY jet engines for radio controlled models. His first design had the compressor wheel made from wood believe it or not. It was actually quite reliable but pretty inefficient.

He had a bit of a fan club in the UK that started the GTBA... "Gas Turbine Builders Association" I believe it is called... The website is here --> http://www.gtba.co.uk/

Edited by nbit
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If you are reasonably mechanical, and crazy, you can build a jet from an automotive turbo. There was an MR2 on Ebay a few years ago powered by 3 such turbos, 70lbs (total) of thrust IIRC. There was also a man in NZ (I think it was NZ) that was somewhat "internet famous" about 5 years ago with his home brew pulse jets. Pulse jets are exceptionally simple mechanically speaking, and only slightly less volatile than a propane tank in a bonfire when designed poorly. Just make sure you stand back for the first few test runs.

 

That should give you the fuel to power a good couple hours of internet searching, even though the info is not terribly helpful on it's own. Normally I might do some pre-post searching to verify some of my facts, but it's almost quitting time on Friday so you'll e chave to make due with thobweb laden facts that are at least a few years old. Enjoy!

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There was also a man in NZ (I think it was NZ) that was somewhat "internet famous" about 5 years ago with his home brew pulse jets.

 

Your thinking of Bruce Simpson and his attempt to make a homemade curise missle. His website can be found at http://www.aardvark.co.nz/pjet/. I tried to follow his plans and bought a bunch of his stuff. Never got anywhere with it though. Not becuse it doesn't work, but I got bored with the project. :P I think that was about the time I started flying helicopters again. :lol:

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Had a friend who built a pulse jet from a length of pipe (has to be the right length to resonate properly) and used feeler gauges for the valves.

 

Took a huge effort to get it started, and when it fired, the noise was horrendous. The jetpipe glowed red hot and melted the fibreglass aircraft it was attached to, so there was never a flight.

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Yikes To think that it was in an Aircraft that was intended to go in the Sky too..

 

 

The jetpipe glowed red hot and melted the fibreglass aircraft it was attached to, so there was never a flight.

 

 

Good thing you tested it first and found that it melted stuff.. What a horrible thing to have happenon the flight.. or above your girlfriends house.

 

BUT in anycase good work and its not true infomation but type "homemade rocket" into Youtube and you get all sorts of crazy devices.. no plans though..

 

 

GOOD LUCK!

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  • 2 years later...

There is (was) a website of a guy in the UK who built a engine from a turbo bought from a pick and pull junkyard. I don't have the bookmark any more, but a few minutes on google should find it.

 

I've thought about building one, but I don't have any place to test it. I live in an apartment and they might have a problem with me lighting off a homebrew jet outside my garage.

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  • 8 months later...

Wow, old topic. Then again, I haven't been on here in quite a while.

 

I built a gas turbine out of a large-displacement diesel engine turbocharger. It ran pretty well but had too many hot starts and I eventually toasted the turbine wheel blades.

 

It ran on propane, had a recirculating oil system, and started with a neon-sign transformer.

 

Any other questions, just ask!

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  • 7 months later...
  • 11 months later...

I tried, and failed miserably. I had second-degree burns up and down my arm from when it exploded, for some reason. I had searing-hot shrapnel tear into my leg, which warranted surgery to remove, because it was so deeply embedded inside of me. Making a homemade jet engine is a recipe for disaster.

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Someone tag this thread 'DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME' and lock it. People with college educations and years of industry experience with rockets can still blow themselves up playing with homemade turbines. Next we'll have a "ever tried to make your own fireworks?" thread going. Geeze.

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Wow, old topic. Then again, I haven't been on here in quite a while.

 

I built a gas turbine out of a large-displacement diesel engine turbocharger. It ran pretty well but had too many hot starts and I eventually toasted the turbine wheel blades.

 

It ran on propane, had a recirculating oil system, and started with a neon-sign transformer.

 

Any other questions, just ask!

 

I made the same thing. Then i started playing with bigger and bigger turbines. last thing i worked on was a dragster with a J85-17 (home made after burner) in the back...good times!

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  • 3 months later...

I made the same thing. Then i started playing with bigger and bigger turbines. last thing i worked on was a dragster with a J85-17 (home made after burner) in the back...good times!

 

 

That seems to be the same route I am going, I built this one from scratch

 

 

Can anyone here help me finish my Allison C-18, I am looking for a bunch of timed out parts

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  • 3 months later...

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