Ajet

How about the explosive made from iodine crystals and (censored). Extremely sensitive when dry. Used to be put under the lifting flap of school desks.

Russell

I remember most of the construction sets mentioned here. if you ever get the chance visit The Museum of Childhood, part of the V and A in Bethnal Green London. All these are on display there.

The spelling:

" In 1960 Meccano Ltd purchased Bayko, a Bakelite building model construction toy, from Plimpton Engineering in Liverpool,... " and

" Bayko was a British building model construction toy invented by Charles Plimpton, an early plastics engineer and entrepreneur in Liverpool. "

" Over its lifespan [patent year 1933 to 1967], both Plimpton and Meccano Bayko was exported across the world, and, besides being a toy, it attracted a modest adult following that still exists today. A healthy trade in original Bayko sets and parts also exists today, with some enthusiasts even casting their own Bayko pieces.^"

Copied from Wikipedia.

...

I think as adults and children alike we have been bombarded for some decades with the idea that no-one needs make anything, no-one needs practical skills - just buy-use-discard-buy-new, just tap away on keys.

You hear older people talk of youngsters being "tech-savvy".

I don't doubt some are, but I think too often this lazy, sloppy slang just means being able to look up bus times, crib homework and footle around on Facebook. No cleverer than being able to use a modern TV with a remote-controller, for which you don't need know even basic radio principles.

'

(On the other hand. I cannot drive a TV, "smart"-'phone or games-console at all..... but I can use 'Word' and 'Excel' moderately well, could once make very simple 'Access' databases, and now use enough 'TurboCAD' to make drawings I can express as physical metalwork!)

I had some Bilofix when I was too young for Meccano

Martin C

Ah, happy days, my friend who had rich parents had a Brickplayer set and I was surprised to see one at a car boot sale about 16 years ago. I inherited Juneero from my cousin. My mother dragged a suitcase full of well worn meccano home from a jumble sale when I was 8, and that was still in the 50's. In the early 60's, a posher building set came on the market with aluminium angled sections with multiple holes in them, but I forget the name.As for calcium carbide and ammoniumtriiodide, I still have ten fingers and two eyes, must be lucky.

I made this once, and accidentally spilled some of the crystals on the front steps. Gave the milkman a nasty turn the next morning

Rob

(censored) ium tri-iodide production was banned, where I worked, after a warming/drying cabinet was virtually destroyed when someone closed the door too sharply. Often left on the fume cubpoard stops and on open window frames. Same with pic*** a**d salts, too. Smashing rubber bungs (after cooling in liquid nitrogen) was also frowned upon, but some fun was allowed or tolerated - as long as it was nog too regular.

When I was in electroplating, the firm came by the contents of a laboratory and included was a glass jar with picric acid in it, a yellow powder. I put some on a hotplate and switched it on max and nothing happened, very dissapointing.

Of course, today, HSE would ban such dabgerous things as chemistry sets

Probably Trix, and Meccano as well for fear of us swallowing small parts

And as for induction coil kits intended to deliver electric shocks!!!!!!!!!!

How did we survive all these lethal toys?

Howard

When I was about ten years old, one of my friends shot himself in the index finger with one of those GAT pistols, it was not a pretty sight, more power than he had imagined.