[SEL] Re: Venn-Severin engine

[Andy Glines]

The SIAM club owns a 2 cylinder V-S and it works just like this one.  Ours 
also drives generator via V-belt.  The torches are lit and heat a piece of 
metal rod (hot tube) in the cylinder head to aid in starting.  I believe 
that there are also electric glow plugs that were probably used when 
exercising the generator.  An air line is hooked up to the engine.  There is 
a lever on the the engine.  You push the lever to let air into the cylinders 
for starting.  When the engine fires you release the lever to the run 
position.  When you want to stop the engine you pull the lever until it 
stops turning.
>    9. Re: Venn-Severin engine (Richard Strobel)
>Message: 9
>Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 08:35:50 -0600
>From: "Richard Strobel" <Richard_Strobel7 at msn.com>
>Subject: Re: [SEL] Venn-Severin engine
>To: "The SEL email discussion list" <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
>Message-ID: <BAY109-DAV1170C168A36B59257994DDBB530 at phx.gbl>
>Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>Thanks guys!!  Glow plugs on big engines is a new one to me.  Sounds
>interesting.  Air start also intrigues me with the special valving
>arrangement and proceedure.
>
>   Plan now is to head over on Monday (3rd) and get some photo's.
>
>   Couple items I don't see in the pix's is any view of cooling radiator)?)
>(Possibly what a tower was used for) or any sort of muffler.
>
>   Should be an education to say the least.
>
>
>   Later,
>RickinMt.
>
>
>
>
> > Peter - Can't say for sure, you maybe correct.  Notice in the same photo
> > the large old fashion blow torch mounted in such a way to heat the area
> > of iron around the cylinder head top.
> >
> > I live less than 100 miles from Medical Lake, WA. USA and didn't know of
> > the engine but the State Hospital has been there for years.
> >
> >
> > Peter Scales wrote:
> > > Hi Rick
> > >
> > > I would think that is a glow plug rather than a spark plug, to aid 
>cold
> > > starting by providing a "hot spot" in the cylinder head.  It would 
>have
> > > worked by resistance heating of an element inside the cylinder head.
> > > The
> > > hand wheel is a bit more unusual, but I would guess either a
> > > decompression
> > > valve, or a variable compression device to alter the overall 
>compression
> > > ratio.  Something similar is seen on the Lister C/S engine series.