Compression is good. Maybe even great. Like I mentioned before, it was hard to get it to go through a forward stroke with glow in it, it would kick back hard. Best way was to flick it backwards. It's much easier to spin it backwards than forwards, which makes sense. I managed to get the starter to spin it, and it spun it plenty fast (I just had to keep super pressure on it or it would go off center and fling itself off). Even with the starter spinning it, glow power applied, and fuel at the carb in the fuel line, it would not start on my gas/glow mixture.

I ran it again, I wanted to get an accurate tach reading. 7300rpm with a 16x80 master airscrew prop, the sun helped and there wasn't much variation at all. I also followed the proceedure in the BME starting instructions and the two turns out (I was at 1 1/2 before) worked well. I had to lean out the high needle some and I need to richen up the idle mixture some. I managed to get it below half throttle, it died shortly thereafter like someone hit an off button somewhere. I'll richen up the idle 1/8th of a turn or so and see what happens.

What's most important to me, right now, is why it will run on gas glow but will not start with gas glow. I just don't understand it. The starter was spinning it very fast, full tank of gas at the appropriate level and fuel is at the carb, strong glow heat, and nothing. I could try adding some more HEET to the mixture, perhaps? But then again, nobody else is running this engine on a different ratio, so I shouldn't have to. I know it has compression, I know it has heat, that just leaves air and fuel. But which? If it will run if I prime it with glow but won't if I don't, what does that mean?