Before Sparkplugs

One of the fascinating inventions from the early days of the internal combustion engine is hot tube ignition. It consists of a hollow tube opening into the combustion chamber and a torch to heat the tube red hot. Ignition timing can be adjusted by moving the torch up or down on the tube. It was a reliable system for stationary oilfield engines which had to run for days on end. It has no moving parts, no electrical problems, and the gas to run it was easily available in the oilfield. I saw a Bessemer engine in a powerhouse near Salyersville KY with this type of ignition in 1980. It was putting right along, pumping oil from several wells. I doubt there are any of these early Twentieth Century engines still pumping oil, but they are a common collectible you can see at gas engine shows. Roll down to the Boonville show pics in the October 24 post and you can see this Reid two stroke engine running. Click on the Antiques label to find the video easily.