Engine starter on the cheap

[Shaun Clarke]

Call Mr Cheapskate...but has anybody heard of or know of an attachment to put on a cordless drill for starting up engines??? If not..why? I think its a good idea.

[Tim Mackey]

I did it once, used a replacement rubber cone from a trad starter, fitted in a home made aluminium "socket" with a threaded rod attached as a shaft to fit in the chuck. Worked OK, but did not have the torque for anything of a decent size.....one can pick up starters pretty cheap these days.

[Shaun Clarke]

It was just an idea. Should turn over my 40 ok.

[Tim Mackey]

yep

[christopher small]

I used to use an old windscreen wiper motor with a rubber cone fitted on with a jubillee clip.used it for about 5 years,plenty of torque but no on off switch.I just pulled the plug out.BUT you had to be carefull.

[Mouldy]

Starters are the worst invention ever!!!You cant 'feel' the engine.

MK1 finger, source to ignite the glow, fuel. Its all you should ever need if the engine is set up right! 

[winchweight]

Or mk 2 finger if mk1 flew off across the airfield last time!

[Mouldy]

like I said bud, set the engine up proper like and you wont loose any fingers!

Never used a starter in my life, even when under pressure at the Nationals. They only gave you 90secs, (from memory), to start the engine and get to the flight position once you were called to fly!

[Shaun Clarke]

I read that a starter can flood the engine fairly easily and casue broken conrods etc...starting by hand seems more proper some how...but, yes, watch those fingers.

[Mouldy]

Flooding is easy regardless of if a starter is used or not. However if the engine is flooded then banging a starter on the poor little blighter can cause a hydraulic lock. This in turn can bend conrods at worse, bugger the plug at best.

After priming an engine, light the glow and then turn the prop over by holding it  in your fist. If you feel a slight kick then engine is ready to rock. Big kick then probably too much fuel and likely to bite! 

[Shaun Clarke]

Are there different size glow starters?  Reason I ask is I brought one last weekend and it does not clip on. You have to hold it on top of the glow plug.

[Mouldy]

not different sizes, but different makes. Some are better then others and IMO you need one that locks on.

[Shaun Clarke]

So the one I got is no good? Does it need to lock on just for safety reasons?

[Mouldy]

Well have you dont want to be reaching across the prop holding on to a glow clip while starting the engine for a number of reason. Not least because you havent got hold of the model!

Clip on, start engine, retreat behind the model to remove said clip.

Get one that locks on. They dont cost the earth, but they might save you looking like youve just met the the guy from the Texas Chainsaw Masacre!

[Peter Miller]

I used to use a finger for about 45 years, then I inherited a starter. For safety my starter is fitted into my flight box. I hold the model from behind and use a foot switch. The Glow starter is separate and is behind the model. NOTHING passes from the front of the model to the rear except the foot switch lead on the ground.

The starter is in the end of the box and the box doesn't move but if it did one can put a couple of pegs in the ground. Even a tuft of grass on concrete holds it.

For a glow starter I use a Schumacher Glowstick. This is a little black box that is taped to a 6 cell nicad. I have to charge it up about twice a year. You might have to charge it a bit more often if you fly a lot.

The Glow clip that I use is made (or at least sold) by J Perkins. They do wear out after a few years but are cheap to replace.

[Peter Miller]

By the way, cordless drills don't turn fast enough to start many model engines.

[Bill Courtney]

Most of my engines start with a quick backward turn of the spinner. not only does this save your fingers, but it also looks quite impressive.

[David Begg]

I have just come home from the Accident and Emergency department with 15 stitches in one finger plus a minor broken bone and 2 sutures in another finger. The pain killer is beginning to wear off!!!
What was I doing? Having a great fly with my trainer on a warm still summer afternoon(Southern Hemisphere) The plane landed and was refueled. I restarted the motor, the plane was securely held by its metal restraining clamp. I was doing all the right stuff. The motor was just a little off song, have to adjust the needle valve slightly, finger in to the invisible prop whizzing at around at about 12000 rpm. Bang the motor stops, blood is flying in all directions, all over the plane and me, that was the end of the flying for a while.

I was excited at getting the plane into the air again, probably a bit tired, it was lunch time, I FORGOT TO THINK AND WATCH WHAT I WAS DOING AND TAKE ENOUGH CARE!!

Remember propellers are very dangerous, modern props are very hard and sharp, even with the sharp edges sanded off slightly. YOU DO NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE!!!. Bang it is all over. Accidents are a combination of errors, I was thinking on the way out to the flying field that I should paint the tips of the prop a bright colour to make them stand out, but I didn't do it. I know the prop is spinning close to fingers, stay behind it, be careful, did'nt remember to do this or think it was necessary to do this for a minor simple adjustment..........

I didn't chop the end off my finger, the Doctor did some good sewing and my finger should heal up fine with no lasting damage, it could have be a lot worse, but also I could not have done it in the first place!

Is glow fuel a good antiseptic?

[Peter Miller]

As I said before, I have the starter mounted in the box and stand behind my model at all times. Much, much safer. NOTHING  passes through the prop arc.

[Tim Mackey]

Sorry to hear of your incident David, and hope it all heals up fine. A very familiar tale I may add, and a stark reminder to all to stay BEHIND the model as soon as it has started.

PS. Why is your post full of links to irrelevant website pages ? 

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[David Begg]

Timbo, don't know why the irrelevant links have occurred in my reply, one of those computer mystery I guess.

I have found the "Smart Starter" article by Kelly R Regan on the internet. It is an excellent idea enabling the plane to be started from behind the engine. Once I get all the dressings off my hand and it has healed up I will be constructing one of these and won't be starting a plane without using it. I believe apart from a sore hand, impressive bandages, a great deal of frustration and annoyance along with probably some good scars, I have "got away" with my stupidity of forgetting the prop while trying to adjust the needle valve on the engine. There won't be a next time, I might not so lucky (fortunate may be a better word) if there was a next time!! A moments inattention, focusing upon something else, or just a brain ‘dead’ moment, and then that sound of your fingers getting chewed up by the propeller, it is so VERY distinctive, such a unique sound. I won't ever forget that sound, a sound I never want to hear again!  

I have seen some old videos of flying in the 1950s and engines were started by pushing the spinner into a rubber fitting rotated by an electric motor all enclosed in a box. This is probably along the lines of what Peter Millar talks about in his response and similar to what he uses to start his engines.  Kelly's design emulates this idea and will be much safer on hands and fingers, by always working behind the engine. The cheap hand held starters are a considerable leap forward over trying to hand start stubborn engines, but maybe we have not actually progressed from a safety point of view by starting the engine from in front of the engine and plane.   If you are in front of the plane it only takes one lapse of concentration or fucusing on another problem with the engine and bang, chewed up fingers and hands.  I was thinking electrics may be the way to go, but from my reading of internet articles electrics appear to be as bad if not worse in their own different ways, being capable of starting to rotate with out warning and not stalling as an IC engine will, keeping on rotating and causing further damage. You just have to always be very careful of props that are rotating or could rotate without warning, or bang the prop will get you. PROPELLERS ARE VERY DANGEROUS TO FINGERS AND HANDS.

My finger is sore but most annoying is the bandage and finger brace which get in the way all the time still I will have plenty of time to get used to them.

Kelly's article can be found @ http://www.reganspace.com/Planes/hands_free.html

Cheers

David

[Peter Miller]

Another even greater risk is when the prop is in an unusual place. Pusher props are a good example. I did a Polish Homebuilt called the Don Kichot. The pusher prop was 1/2" behind the wing. (it made a horrendous noise there)

A friend picked it up while standing in front of the model and as he did he slid his hand down the trailing edge of the wing. His finger was more than 1/2" thick. It took eleven stitches. Also broke my beautiful home carved wood pusher prop.

Second example. A club member had built a C/L Spad 5. That was the one with the gunner's position in front of the prop. The prop actually ran in a cut out in the leading edge of the wing.

In those day we had a lot of aerobatic biplanes in the club and it was common to pick them up by putting ones fingers round the leading edge of the wing. Need I go on?

I have chopped a finger on a 2.5cc diesel in a pusher.

The worst was a photo about 18 years ago in RCM&E of a modellers hand. he had removed two or three fingers with an Irvine 40 while hand launching a pusher model. They were grafted back on.

And finally, One must be careful even when working behind the model. I was adjusting the needle valve on a .15 size model from behind and stuck my left forefinger knuckle into the prop as I did so. Normally the rear of the prop pushes the finger back out. This time I lost about 1/2" sq of flesh from the top of the knuckle and had to have a tiny artery stitched up. I do prefer rear needles.

[Peter Miller]

Just been to look at the Smart Starter. The principle is the same as mine. His does have the advantage of adjustable height.

I can't reccomend the method strongly enough. One feels so much safer. One always has a firm grip of the model and nothing crosses opver the prop. One does not have to rely on someone else holding the model.

I will take some pictures of my own set up and put them on the gallery.

[jaktan]

I made my starter from an old motor bi ke starter i found that the standad starter was not powerfull enough to turn my lar ge petrol engines so i adapted a motor bike starter by adding a train of epiclycs on the front of it other wise it was to fast