Buzz, go your local hobby shop and get a small 12V gel cell ( motorcycle battery size) and an electric starter. You will never regret it. Its not too unsafe to start by hand but it takes a very well tuned engine and some experience to be able to get it to start reliably consistantly. Its not uncommon for even the best glow engines to get a little contrary and ruin your day. An electric starter will convince a cold natured engine to start and run, sometimes a chicken stick just wont do it even for themost experienced modelers..

With all due respect to Hank and his obvious years of experience and expertise, grabbing the prop in any way shape or form is an unsafe practice with the ignitor on, plain and simple. You may get away with it for 50 years and nothing ever happen but you are really tempting fate and trusting that you will have the focus to NEVER have a brainfart. You just shouldnt get into the habit of putting your fingers into the prop with a potential ignition source in place, period. It invites a disastrous moment. Hand starting is a somewhat risky endeavour regardless so why tempt fate.

I would advise you setup a startup ritual that leaves no room for a blonde moment that leaves you permanantly injured. On my big 3W75 gas engine I try to be super careful to never wrap my fingers over the prop, I always have a human holder to secure the plane and I wear a glove and press my index fingers against the prop as close to the spinner as I can get and still turn it. That way if it backfires Im at the dullest slowest point of the blade and by not getting my fingers in the line of rotation,,, its going to be pretty tough to get bit... Even then people still get bit..