From the days when kids could be kids. http://www.cracked.com/article_19481_the-8-most-wildly-irresponsible-vintage-toys_p1.html Number eight - Glass blowing kits. Glass blowing kits might not be available but some glass blowing still takes place in science clubs to make Hero's steam engines and thermometers. Number seven - Molten lead casting kits White metal and pewter casting materials are still available to those 'in the know'. it's done in some school technology departments too. Number six - Stevens Model Dockyard Locomotive Mamod and Wilesco steam toys are still available. They are made safer by being adapted to use soild fuels - metaldehyde. There's nothing stopping youngsters from using methylated spirits in Trangias though. Number five - Powermite miniature power tools Clearly the author is unfamiliar with the Dremel and Black and Decker hobbyist miniature power tools - freely available and capable of of much more damage. Number four - Working toy ovens, irons and more Tracy V, the author clearly hasn't burned herself with her hair straighteners. I've lost count of the number of girls that I teach who have borne the temporary scars inflicted by GHDs. Kids can still use hot tools e.g. glue melt guns and it's still fun. Number three - Gilbert chemistry set There's nothing stopping the well informed youngster getting hold of the self same chemicals in much larger quantities from Amazon. DAMHIK Kids can still get the chemicals and it's still fun. Number two - Austin magic pistol Hurrah! Something that kids can't get their hands on any more. However big kids i.e. my fellow undergraduates and I used to get calcium carbide and blow up our dustbin which much bigger flames, explosions and dramatic effects. The writer displays her ignorance of chemistry by suggesting that ammonium nitrate is a suitable substitute for calcium carbide. There's no equivalent toy - no fun at all. But you can buy vintage calcium carbide cannon from America on Ebay. Number one - Atomic Energy Labs The risks are overstated. Radium and Uranium are alpha particle emitters and although alpha particles are strongly ionising they are stopped by paper and skin. Radon gas, the decay product of Radium can be inhaled but the quantities involved are way lower than those encountered in the home in places like Cornwall in house with unventilated sub floor voids. Anyone still in possession of old luminous clocks, watches and other instrumentation possess have radioactive sources with far greater activity than the stuff found in school and probably the Gilbert kits. As for dry ice risks - the author isn't familiar with the fact the dry ice was freely available from stores for domestic refrigeration purposes in the USA and dry ice handling was a mundane activity. It's still available now. The use of the Fahrenheit scale -109.3˚F gives a bigger negative value than that on the Celcius scale -78˚C. Antarctica has been colder.
A more recent one. http://m.sodahead.com/living/mattel...ls-are-their-parents-clueless/question-14467/ A TOY firm has axed a vibrating replica of Harry Potter's broomstick after mums complained their daughters spent too long riding it. Makers Mattel advertised the battery operated toy as having "a grooved stick and handle for easy riding." Here are some customer reviews from Amazon: When my 12 year old daughter asked for this for her birthday, I kind of wondered if she was too old for it, but she seems to LOVE it. Her friends love it too! They play for hours in her bedroom with this great toy. They really seem to like the special effects it offers (the sound effects and vibrating). My oldest daughter (17) really likes it too! I reccomend this for all children. My 12 year old daughter is a big Harry Potter fan, and loved the part with the Nimbus 2000, so I decided to buy her this toy. I was afraid she would think it was too babyish, but she LOVES this toy. Even my daughter's friends enjoy playing with this fun toy. I was surprised at how long they can just sit in her room and play with this magic broomstick! A great buy for any Harry Potter fan!
I used to love my Mamod steam engine. Though playing with it did mainly involve deliberately spilling meths and setting fire to the garage floor. Them were the days...
I recently had fun making some camping cookers out of coke cans and meths. I did manage a few fires and blasted a can up to the garage roof when experimenting with different fuels, how tight to fit them together, and how small to make the holes.
My lad plays on all these war games and one day he asked if I knew what a Molotov cocktail was! I said yeah and that me & my mates made some once when we were young! He thought it was great! Then my wife shouted " I can't believe you've just said that? "
