The 8 Most Wildly Irresponsible Vintage Toys

[raleighnut]

Getting one of these for Christmas when I was 3 3/4




I learnt to ride it with one wheel in the air pretty quickly

 

[Levo-Lon]

I had a BSA Meteor too , the super version that had the rubber end to the shoulder stock. Cracking rifle, especially with an Airsporter spring

Shaun

That's what i had..i was a bloody good shot with it..my mum could snuff a candle with an air rifle,she liked telling me that.
we all had air rifles and pistols..i liked the webley tempest as it looked really cool..

 

[Levo-Lon]

Getting one of these for Christmas when I was 3 3/4




I learnt to ride it with one wheel in the air pretty quickly

Adjustable pedals!!! How good is that lol..imagine doing that now with a kid..

 

[mybike]

I can confirm that you get a loud pop followed by funny burning smell and a few blobs of red plastic on the bench when you connect a single red LED across about 20 (whatever I found in battery cupboard in the physics lab) PP9 batteries wired in series.

Connecting a car headlamp bulb to the mains is not a good idea. You do get nice bright light which you will still see whenever you blink for the rest of the day but bulb life is rather short....

It wasn't me but someone thought it would be fun to leave the chuck key in the lathe in the metalwork room and start it up. The caretaker was most unhappy about having to replace a window frame...

Turning of the fuel cut off valve on the bus belonging to a visiting hockey team was good fun when the bus airlocked going out the school gates, blocking the onl;y entrance and the headmaster couldn't get his car out to go home

I recall a colleague removing the limiting resistor from a neon mains indicator and then deciding to check that it still worked by connecting it across the mains. A loud bang followed by a new purchase.

 

[Accy cyclist]

On the subject of air rifles. i have a little confession to make. I don't know why i did it but when i was about 13 i shot and shattered half the baubles on our Christmas tree.

 

[subaqua]

well, you'd not have had 3amps through your body - a few mA tops (even though the supply would give 3A into a short circuit or a motor), and 240v 100mA will quite likely kill you.

Remember V= IR (volts, current, reistance). Thus 240v will give 20x the current if the resistance is the same. 12v will never drive 3Amps through your body, whilsy 240v will give 20x the current. (subject to not exceeding the capacity of the power supply - in which case won't be full stated voltage)

Log-log graph of the effect of alternating current I of duration T passing from left hand to feet as defined in IEC publication 60479-1.[18]
AC-1: imperceptible
AC-2: perceptible but no muscle reaction
AC-3: muscle contraction with reversible effects
AC-4: possible irreversible effects
AC-4.1: up to 5% probability of ventricular fibrillation
AC-4.2: 5-50% probability of fibrillation
AC-4.3: over 50% probability of fibrillation

It is sometimes suggested that human lethality is most common with AC at 100–250 volts; however, death has occurred below this range, with supplies as low as 42 volts. most Protective bonding and protective measures applied in BS7671 aim to reduce "touch Voltage" to lower than 50V .

Other issues affecting lethality are frequency which is an issue in causing cardiac arrest or muscular spasms. Very high frequency electric current causes tissue burning, but does not penetrate the body far enough to cause cardiac arrest . Also important is the pathway: if the current passes through the chest or head, there is an increased chance of death. From a main circuit or power distribution panel the damage is more likely to be internal, leading to Cardiac issues. Another factor is that cardiac tissue has a response time of about 3 milliseconds, so electricity at frequencies of higher than about 333 Hz requires more current to cause fibrillation than is required at lower frequencies.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763825/ explains it far better than I could. and I AM and Electrician

 

[subaqua]

I recall a colleague removing the limiting resistor from a neon mains indicator and then deciding to check that it still worked by connecting it across the mains. A loud bang followed by a new purchase.

first thing that happens with them where I work is I take em out of the sets and they get crushed. I have seen a resistor break down and produce the same effect as you describe .

 

[Electric_Andy]

My Dad had a mechano steam engine as a boy. I think you filled the burner with Meths. It actually didn't seem too dangerous when he showed me it when i was about 12. And unlike modern toys, it still worked after 50 years of sitting in the loft

 

[subaqua]

My Dad had a mechano steam engine as a boy. I think you filled the burner with Meths. It actually didn't seem too dangerous when he showed me it when i was about 12. And unlike modern toys, it still worked after 50 years of sitting in the loft

http://www.restoringmamods.com/2012/08/what-fuel-can-be-used-for-mamod-steam.html#.VnvYzllgiPw

Mamods are great.

Meths burns with a clear flame so you have to be a little more careful than with other fuels @vernon will be along shortly

 

[Accy cyclist]

My Dad had a mechano steam engine as a boy. I think you filled the burner with Meths. It actually didn't seem too dangerous when he showed me it when i was about 12. And unlike modern toys, it still worked after 50 years of sitting in the loft

Yes, my dad had one too. He always had a damp cloth on hand in case the thing set on fire

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Yes, my dad had one too. He always had a damp cloth on hand in case the thing set on fire

I never got Mamods.

They didn't do anything except sit there with something going round.

 

[vernon]

We've not seen @vernon on here today. I hope he didn't blow himself up in his shed yesterday

Relax. I'm eating pies and drinking beer in Darlington. Normal service will be resumed ASAP.

 

[mybike]

Yes, my dad had one too. He always had a damp cloth on hand in case the thing set on fire

I bought a similar sort of thing from a former RR worker who retired to St Ives. Great fun. You can get solid fuel for them or use barbecue lighter blocks

 

[subaqua]

I bought a similar sort of thing from a former RR worker who retired to St Ives. Great fun. You can get solid fuel for them or use barbecue lighter blocks

or just set things on fire with meths

 

[pawl]

Good God!!! That Gilbert chap was probably responsible for a lot of serious injuries or even deaths.
Wasn't Calcium Carbide used in old bike lamps (when my Grandad were a lad).
Giving kids are formula for Black Powder and saying they could only make it in the small amount. I'm sure they would do that .

Back in my school days we used to put carbide in the inkwells.
Didn't halve cause a stink.The cane we got afterwards wasn't very pleasant either