The 10 most dangerous toys of all time

bartmc said:
We used PVC pipe, hairspray and potatoes.
Click to expand...

We used starting fluid instead of hairspray. The potatoes were going really far, so we left the bat that we were using to ram the potatoes down the tube in the tube as well and fired it into a corn field to see how far that would go figuring we would see where it landed. Never did find that bat. :rofl:
 
I still have a tennis ball cannon in my garage.
 
I had an uncle who had a grown-up chemistry set. He taught us how to make things that blow up. My other uncle taught us how to properly apply those expolosives and use them. Good times.
 
FredFenster said:
We used starting fluid instead of hairspray. The potatoes were going really far, so we left the bat that we were using to ram the potatoes down the tube in the tube as well and fired it into a corn field to see how far that would go figuring we would see where it landed. Never did find that bat. :rofl:
Click to expand...

There were plenty of coal miners on my mom's side of the family. They all had a stash of calcium carbide and knew how to make cannons and bombs with it. Being a future engineer, I made a fair number of improvised devices.
 
We used to shoot arrows straight up in the air then stand underneath in football helmets while they rained down on us.....god almighty to be young and stupid. We also used to put shotgun shells in the ground and shoot at them with our BB guns until they blew smoking hole in the ground; decided it wasn't much fun anymore when a 20 gauge case nailed me between the eyes. Oh, and the all time favorite, throw 22 rimfire shells into the bonfire.

PS. We played lawn jarts as well; typically during the same afternoon as shooting arrows in the air.....glad to have survived.
 
Yep when the streets got a thick layer of ice one year Dad put chains on the car and a large rope tied to the bumper and drove around town pulling a bunch of kids on the sleds.

EdFred said:
Plastic sleds tied behind snowmobiles with good length of rope. We'd bundle up, dad would tow us up to about 60mph. I remember one time, there were two of us tied behind it, and I pulled myself about 75% of the way towards the snowmobile. Wrapped my arm in the rope, and then started pulling my friend's rope up towards me. He looked at me with the WTF look, until I let go of his rope. With the slack, he slowed, and then the sled snapped out from under him when it went taught. big cloud of snow dust as he tumbled through the snow. We also took them out on the lakes, and "cracked the whip." You would bounce and slide forever when you tumbled out.

And then there was tying the Flexible Flyer to the bumper of the Ford....
Click to expand...
 
We used to build Estes model rockets, remove the parachute, and stuff them with firecrackers.
 
When I got tired of a balsa wood and paper airplane, I would go up into my Grandparents third floor attic, stuff a few firecrackers in it, light the fuse, set it on fire and launch.

Cheers
 
X3 Skier said:
Punkin Chunkin is today's tennis ball cannon.

http://www.punkinchunkin.com/results/2013

Cheers
Click to expand...

Oh, tennis ball cannons.

Hate those. I was driving along on the street behind a nice residential neighborhood when I heard this loud "bang" against my left front fender, and the whole car rocked. I looked over just in time to see three kids scatter from behind a sound wall, one carrying a tennis ball cannon.

Those little bastards put a large dent in my car. That could have been bad news if it hit me. I did a sharp U turn, turned in the neighborhood and I was in the exact spot where the kids were maybe twenty seconds later. There was a group of four or five kids and some skinny adult with a gnarly beard. I asked if they saw some kids with a tennis ball cannon. "Oh, no, none of the kids around here would do anything like that." Lying sack of ****, I wanted to deck him. He probably built it.
 
JB1842 said:
We used to build Estes model rockets, remove the parachute, and stuff them with firecrackers.
Click to expand...


Put several large Estes rocket motors in a B-29 model airplane I built. The darn thing actually flew (or was a horizontal rocket) for 100 yards before smashing into the side of the high school whose parking lot we were using as our runway. That was way cool especially for a 6th grader.
 
Somewhere in western Kentucky, there is a small stream.
Growing out of the stream is a medium-size tree.
Hanging from one of the branches of the tree is a rusting, yellow, three-speed Schwinn.
Mounted to the rear uprights or the bicycle is a frame on each side. Each frame holds five Estes "E" size engines.
A rotting wooden plank and some cinder blocks are on one side of the stream.
.
.
.
.
.
I didn't break any bones.
 
My buddy and I built an Estes rocket of our own design. We pooled our allowances and lawn mower money and bought the parts. I remember it was about 4' tall and probably 4" diameter. We took it out, launched it and it was the coolest thing. It was heavy enough that we were able to watch it go, and the 5 D motors we used didn't burn long enough that we weren't able to lose sight of it.

It was magnificent - it reached apogee, slowly nosed over, and we waited for the the parachutes to pop out. And we waited, and we waited... It started whistling as it came straight down, not much more than 50' away, right where my buddy's dad's car was parked. What had been 4' or rocket ended up as about a 6" hole and tail feathers (about 5' from the car). Later, we suspect we didn't make the proper modifications to account for the large volume of air the ejection charges had to pressurize in that size tube.

Good times.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top