1920's GENERAL ELECTRIC Twin-Cam 4-cyl 54HP

[Qikbbstang]

Jacksonville Florida has the only Silent Film Studio left in the U.S.. Last night they had an open house. I heard the speaker mention they still have the two powerhouse buildings and their respective generators that powered the Norman film studios back then. So hard to believe the motor's never were scrapped-out or junked in a commercial property over nearly 100 years. Looks like the exhaust manifolds were water cooled - my friendly Industrial Engine Rep said that may have been done to help quiet the motor, best I could determine the cylinder's & head's are one piece?.....The twin bulges at front of the motor indicated two-cams as well as the location of valves.  There's actually a small cooling tower inside the same room (looks like original installation and still piped)

http://normanstudios.org/

Got to love the large GENERAL ELECTRIC on the side of the engine block's crankcase

[BruceS]

Love to hear it run!

[Drew Pojedinec]

BB, you are a lil off on the year, I think they made those more like 1903-1907.
It's called  GM-12
15-25kw or thereabouts.  Most of them were DC, but there are some AC ones and some 6 cylinder versions of that same engine design.

[Qikbbstang]

Drew I was going by the "age" of the Norman Studios, who'd a guessed they bopught a 10-30 years old Generator to power the studio's. Odd the other generator is a belt driven hit & miss model.  I recall seeing some DC power lingo on the instrument panel.  The GM-12 ramps up a nightmare trying to search but I found an "image":

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8371/8399534334_4a21376f73_z.jpg

   Pardon my asking but how the heck did they start "monster" motors like that back in their day?....................


Kind of strange to me why they needed that much electricity 15-25Kw  & (what ever Kw's the other made - two Gens) to make movies and develop the silent films.

[thatdarncat]

Kind of strange to me why they needed that much electricity 15-25Kw  & (what ever Kw's the other made - two Gens) to make movies and develop the silent films.

I would guess the lighting requirements would account for quite a bit. Lots of very bright lights. And keep in mind they weren't very energy efficient. They may have even utilized arc lighting.

[Drew Pojedinec]

It isn't that much electricity, and remember, it isn't like a 25kw generator is ALWAYS putting out 25kw.  Considering the time period, it's not like they could go shopping for a generator.... they probably bought whatever was for sale locally, and it was probably a used piece of equipment.

Sorry I don't have any more info about the engine.  There aren't many running.
That said, most engines like that were pretty much manually started.  Dang thing probably only made 4:1 compression.

[Qikbbstang]

Drew thanks for a good laugh to go with my morning coffee. It wasn't in any kind of Hands Off historical museum, I just may have leaned into the huge flywheel to determine if it was seized, but kind of figured after laying-hands and my back into it that it was likely to much reciprocating mass to even budge even if it were not seized. 
   The thought of a gent trying to hand-crank that motor could have made for a great silent film -- and they'd not have to stretch the cables far for lightning!
           I fetched a self-propelled Honda Mower a neighbor had put out with the trash. I dragged it home picking up the rear drive wheels (I was riding a bicycle). When I got home I gave it a pull thinking it would have a broken rod/no compression, bent crankshaft and the damn thing started right up 1st pull. I've had it for about a year - EVERY TIME I've pulled the cord it's started first pull. Doesn't matter if it was run out of gas and filled back up - 1st Pull. Let it sit for a month+ 1st Pull = Start. NEVER seen a motor that cranks first pull every time.   
        The size/mass of that dinosaur, up-draft carb, primitive ignition. Boy it would be a bear. I'd be running a rope around the flywheel, removing a board and looking for a horse! 

[Drew Pojedinec]

I said manually started.  That does not mean "Hand cranked."

Nevertheless, I'm happy that caused you joy this morning.

[chris401]

I said manually started.  That does not mean "Hand cranked."

Nevertheless, I'm happy that caused you joy this morning.

The early gas powered tractors started by opening a couple of ball valves and hand spinning the large cast iron wheel on the side. Once it cranked you closed off the cylinder relief valves. That flywheel also could be used as a belt drive when the tractor was used as a stationary power sorce.

[chris401]

I said manually started.  That does not mean "Hand cranked."

Nevertheless, I'm happy that caused you joy this morning.

Drew,
Those being NG, Propane or Butane(?) I am guessing they start like the low speed AJAX gas compressors of the same era. You open a cylinder relief valve and put the piston just past TDC. With another valve you allowed just enough gas into the combustion chamber to kick the piston back which gets that big cast iron wheel moving. If you close the relief valve in time it usually will start.

[Heo]

I said manually started.  That does not mean "Hand cranked."

Nevertheless, I'm happy that caused you joy this morning.

I think you start it  with that thing thats on top of no1 cylinder
you screw that apart fill it with...."explosive  paper"
 screw it back together hit it on the top with a hammer
Dont know what that paper is called in English but its in a
yellow thin can kind of pinkish colour Had a lot of fun with it
when i was a kid

[Drew Pojedinec]

Those being NG, Propane or Butane(?) I am guessing they start like the low speed AJAX gas compressors of the same era. You open a cylinder relief valve and put the piston just past TDC. With another valve you allowed just enough gas into the combustion chamber to kick the piston back which gets that big cast iron wheel moving. If you close the relief valve in time it usually will start.

That is what I figured.

heo, I've never seen the exploding paper, but I recall an old farm diesel where you lit paper and inserted it into the engine and handcranked it.  The paper was kinda like a glowplug.  I forget the name Blackstone or something maybe?
I also remember one when I was a kid and the guy hand started it by spinning the wheel and preheating an area with a torch.  I was probably 10 or 11 years old so my memory is foggy on that one.  I love old engines.

[machoneman]

Heo, I know the paper you speak of but don't know the name either.

Kind of similar to the use of a special shotgun shell in many old radial-engined warplanes. I don't think though any stationary engines were started in the same way. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65qrzgbTTcQ

[Heo]

Around here there was a lot of stationary Sawmill engines they started
like that and in fishing boats most of them where glowplug diesels though
I have a box of those shotgun blanks somewhere think they are cal 20 or 410

[Heo]

Those being NG, Propane or Butane(?) I am guessing they start like the low speed AJAX gas compressors of the same era. You open a cylinder relief valve and put the piston just past TDC. With another valve you allowed just enough gas into the combustion chamber to kick the piston back which gets that big cast iron wheel moving. If you close the relief valve in time it usually will start.

That is what I figured.

heo, I've never seen the exploding paper, but I recall an old farm diesel where you lit paper and inserted it into the engine and handcranked it.  The paper was kinda like a glowplug.  I forget the name Blackstone or something maybe?
I also remember one when I was a kid and the guy hand started it by spinning the wheel and preheating an area with a torch.  I was probably 10 or 11 years old so my memory is foggy on that one.  I love old engines.

Thats was most likely a glowplugg 2stroke Diesel you preheated a glowplug with a torch. Later ones had Electric glowplugs
but they was always burnt so they used torches anyway

If you put the paper on the anvill and hit it with the hammer it was a bang soo........We Filled a Mauser shell with it caped it with
a 9mm shell pressed them together with the wise and threw a big stone on them and it was fun untill we had to pick
out a primer from my knee