Lots of comments regarding safety when hand starting. The only true way for your own safety is to have someone else start your engine for you and make all the adjustments while you hold the plane by the tail feathers.

There was a time when we didn't have electric starters! Gads! The first one I saw was a Packard (I'm dating myself here) starter motor with a 6 volt battery and a bit of garden hose attached to the shaft. They used Packard starters because they had long shafts. This was all enclosed in a wooden box with a starter solenoid laying on the ground for you to step on. Crude but very efficient.

Hand cranking was the order of the day and we were flying Control Line with the throttleless carbs wide open. You quickly learned not to flood the engine by too much priming - still a valuable lesson. Plus, when you finally ran the flood out (in very small bursts) the engine was perfect for backfiring and catching your finger. Hard learned lessons but you soon got the hang of it.

Placement of the prop when the engine comes up on compression is important too. The prop should be horizontal when it comes up on compression. This gives you an arc that will let your fingers clear before it comes back and gets a finger.

Good luck. When you are seen at the field hand cranking everyone knows you are an "old timer" with emphasis on the "old" part!

Phil