I prefer this:

/hot

I still have my kerosene-powered tractor, like the one pictured above. I can't imagine such a thing being sold these days (I grew up in the 70's), with today's kids being so soft in the head. Not once did I get burned or have any sort of accident with it.

those ^ and this FTA:

"As a kid, did you ever swallow or at least put in your mouth a small piece of a toy or play set? Did you grow an extra arm because of it? No? Then you probably didn't have the Atomic Energy Lab."

LOL - spit.

Something something snowflakes something something onions

I had the "Powermite" tools and they were awesome. I never hurt myself. They weren't that powerful.

hogans: [www.gasolinealleyantiques.com image 579x454]

I still have my kerosene-powered tractor, like the one pictured above. I can't imagine such a thing being sold these days (I grew up in the 70's), with today's kids being so soft in the head. Not once did I get burned or have any sort of accident with it.

what did it do?

Man, I really want the atomic energy set- I (seriously) want to build a cloud chamber someday. I even have the uranium: my grandpa gave me a carefully labeled glass jar with a good amount of powered ore. I've tested it and it's quite radioactive.

Which explains why my wife was so pissed when I broke it while digging through my old stuff in the garage the other day. It's ok hon- I swept up most of it. Just tell the kids not to pick up and eat any of the grey gravel near the door, ok? It's an alpha emitter so unless they eat it they'll be just fine.

Aw geez...

Late 60's and early 70's Skilcraft chemistry kits also had the alcohol blow lamp for glass bending, and we had a unit on making glassware in grade school science class.

You can still get carbide cannons and kerosene steam engines.

My dad had me help when working with full-sized power tools, and I got to help when he cast some lead wheel weights for the tractor.

My 4th grade science fair project was a cloud chamber (got first prize!) Dry ice is fun!

Oddly enough, I still have the standard number of fingers, toes, eyeballs etc.

Next up: an expose on how The Boy Scouts of America had an official POCKET KNIFE!!! WITH AN ACTUAL SHARP BLADE!

Glockenspiel Hero:


Man, I really want the atomic energy set- I (seriously) want to build a cloud chamber someday. I even have the uranium: my grandpa gave me a carefully labeled glass jar with a good amount of powered ore. I've tested it and it's quite radioactive.

It's quite easy... All you need is a big glass pickle jar, some black felt, hot glue, rubbing alcohol and a cooler full of dry ice.

/ used a chunk of americium from a smoke detector for my demo emitter.

h2oincfs: what did it do?

It's a working steam engine. You fire it up, and let it propel itself (you steer it by a small shaft that runs up the chimney at the front). The hanging chain in the picture is for a steam whistle.

Mine is still surprisingly in near mint condition. They just don't make toys that durable anymore.

Don't forget the Boy Scout hot dog cooker that involved cutting a wire coat hanger in half, sticking the ends into a hot dog, and attaching the other ends to an AC outlet. Cooks in less than a minute!

It's shocking that any of us survived childhood prior to 1980. I had a chemistry set that contained potassium permanganate, copper sulphate, sulfur, and a variety of other chemicals guaranteed to kill any child who even looks at them. Plus we had bonfires without adult supervision, tobogganed without helmets, rode in the back of station wagons without seat belts, and played with lawn darts. Some of us even had pellet / BB guns as young as 8.

Don't seem to recall a lot of kids dying horrific deaths, but bad memories tend to fade I guess.

/get off my f'n lawn

hmmm, exposure to dangerous chemicals as children....farked up the world as adults....

coincidence?

Tyrosine: It's shocking that any of us survived childhood prior to 1980. I had a chemistry set that contained potassium permanganate, copper sulphate, sulfur, and a variety of other chemicals guaranteed to kill any child who even looks at them. Plus we had bonfires without adult supervision, tobogganed without helmets, rode in the back of station wagons without seat belts, and played with lawn darts. Some of us even had pellet / BB guns as young as 8.

Don't seem to recall a lot of kids dying horrific deaths, but bad memories tend to fade I guess.

/get off my f'n lawn

Even better:riding a snow sled attached to the back of an ATV while it jumps a hill.

/BORN in 1980
//I'll stand where I damn well please

xanadian: maxheck: Next up: an expose on how The Boy Scouts of America had an official POCKET KNIFE!!! WITH AN ACTUAL SHARP BLADE!

Yup. America has become severely pussified over the past few decades...

/had a hunting rifle when I was 10

I gave my daughter a pocket knife and taught her to safely use it when she was 8. She's 13 now and just got her first hunting rifle, a Marlin 336 lever action 30-30.

cranched: Don't forget the Boy Scout hot dog cooker that involved cutting a wire coat hanger in half, sticking the ends into a hot dog, and attaching the other ends to an AC outlet. Cooks in less than a minute!

How did you keep from getting shocked? Did you use hot grips to put the hanger into the outlet?

maxheck: WITH AN ACTUAL SHARP BLADE!

Safer than a blunt one.

I don't see what's so terrible dangerous about the glass bending experiment. I did the same thing in my high school chemistry class. Glass doesn't transmit heat that well so as long as you don't touch red hot glass or stick your finger into the burner, the chance of you getting burned is low.

Hell, I wouldn't mind having some of those "toys" now, and I'm 30 years old.

I had a Jart stick in my leg about 4 inches above my right ankle when I was a kid. What I remember most about that was how all the other kids ran home as soon as it happened, leaving me standing in an empty yard.

maxheck: Next up: an expose on how The Boy Scouts of America had an official POCKET KNIFE!!! WITH AN ACTUAL SHARP BLADE!

The Boy Scouts take such things very seriously. As a Boy Scout, you're not allowed to use or carry a knife until you've earned your totin' chip. That means you have to demonstrate that you know how to safely carry and use a knife or bladed tool. And you have to carry that totin' chip with you at all times. You can get in some trouble if you're asked to show it and you don't have it on you.

/Former BSA
//They have the same requirement for fire.

Someone needs to test 'magic crystals' in a potato gun.

Vash's Apprentice: Tyrosine: It's shocking that any of us survived childhood prior to 1980. I had a chemistry set that contained potassium permanganate, copper sulphate, sulfur, and a variety of other chemicals guaranteed to kill any child who even looks at them. Plus we had bonfires without adult supervision, tobogganed without helmets, rode in the back of station wagons without seat belts, and played with lawn darts. Some of us even had pellet / BB guns as young as 8.

Don't seem to recall a lot of kids dying horrific deaths, but bad memories tend to fade I guess.

/get off my f'n lawn

Even better:riding a snow sled attached to the back of an ATV while it jumps a hill.

/BORN in 1980
//I'll stand where I damn well please

I did that. So awesome. We had a lake made by damming a gully. The water froze over in the winter. we'd take a 3-wheeler (not those safer 4-wheelers mind you) and tow a tractor's inner tube behind it by a rope. We'd drive across the lake at full speed, pop up the embankment and wouldn't hit the ground till the bottom of the dam.

Honest Bender:

maxheck: Next up: an expose on how The Boy Scouts of America had an official POCKET KNIFE!!! WITH AN ACTUAL SHARP BLADE!

The Boy Scouts take such things very seriously. As a Boy Scout, you're not allowed to use or carry a knife until you've earned your totin' chip. That means you have to demonstrate that you know how to safely carry and use a knife or bladed tool. And you have to carry that totin' chip with you at all times. You can get in some trouble if you're asked to show it and you don't have it on you.

/Former BSA
//They have the same requirement for fire.

I figured they would given their propensity towards certification, all I know is my dad let me have his old pocket knife when I was 4.

NoGods: I had a Jart stick in my leg about 4 inches above my right ankle when I was a kid. What I remember most about that was how all the other kids ran home as soon as it happened, leaving me standing in an empty yard.

What did the Hexamon Nexus have to say about that?

CSB moment:

Mom bought me a machete in 3rd grade, then a BB-gun in 4th grade, and a .22 rifle right around 5th grade. I never had any formal training, she just said, "Here ya go!". The funny part was that I was always the last kid to get those things (we were pretty poor). We lived in a really small town where it wasn't odd to see a young child walking down the street with a long blade or gun.

I remember once being frustrated because I was having a hard time "making a bomb" out of fireworks. She made me a grilled-cheese sandwich to "help me think" and gave me some better wrapping material that was more flammable.

/I should be dead

That glass blowing kit isn't as hazardous as this article would have you believe. The tubes were probably made of flint glass, and you can melt that stuff on a gas stove.

Big kid toy store (new window)

Anyone remember this flesh-melting monstrosity? "Hey, kids! Let's heat up this viscous goo to levels that are sure to leave permanent scarring and have you pour it all over yourself! I'm sure your motor skills are up to the levels required to fill up these intricate molds without getting any on you! fark it, you can even make MULTI-COLORED bugs if you pour it the right way! Safety gloves? fark THAT NOISE, you can scrape 'em out with what's left of your hands, I'm sure there aren't any nerve endings left in those charred stubs of bone anyways! If not, who cares? You can MAKE NEW CATERPILLAR SHAPED FINGERS!"

AbiNormal: Big kid toy store (new window)

That link was worth the click just for this awesome anigif:

I remember my dads vial of mercury. it felt reaaly wild having liquid metal roll around in your bare hand.

/now you need a hazmat suit.

Apparently mercury exposure damages spelling and grammer skills

maxheck: Next up: an expose on how The Boy Scouts of America had an official POCKET KNIFE!!! WITH AN ACTUAL SHARP BLADE!

Personally, I prefer the Johnny Swtichblade Action Punk figure. It's the perfect toy to go with the Big Bag O' Glass and Doggie Dentist play set.

itsdan: Doctor_TeethMD: "Hey, kids! Let's heat up this viscous goo to levels that are sure to leave permanent scarring and have you pour it all over yourself! I'm sure your motor skills are up to the levels required to fill up these intricate molds without getting any on you!

Wasn't the 'goo' was liquid at room temperature and solidified when 'baked'...

In the 90s version in the picture I think it was, but I was emotionally scarred by the "We don't give a fark" old model. I believe the 90s one still caused burns after baking, but I can't back that up.

I just got back from DC and saw at least 3 of these kits in the American History Museum. It was right near the mock shed full of wonderful safe DDT.

Doctor_TeethMD: [popcultureasylum.com image 500x260]

Anyone remember this flesh-melting monstrosity? "Hey, kids! Let's heat up this viscous goo to levels that are sure to leave permanent scarring and have you pour it all over yourself! I'm sure your motor skills are up to the levels required to fill up these intricate molds without getting any on you! fark it, you can even make MULTI-COLORED bugs if you pour it the right way! Safety gloves? fark THAT NOISE, you can scrape 'em out with what's left of your hands, I'm sure there aren't any nerve endings left in those charred stubs of bone anyways! If not, who cares? You can MAKE NEW CATERPILLAR SHAPED FINGERS!"

Hah... came here for this bastard. I've got a nice little scar on account of a creepy crawler mold.

Vash's Apprentice: Even better:riding a snow sled attached to the back of an ATV while it jumps a hill.

Replace snow sled with inner-tube you just described how I landed in a hospital bed for two weeks during my senior year of HS with a ruptured spleen and a collapses lung

/has scars and missing part of a kidney from that one
//valuable lesson about centrifugal force as well