Can you put a value on this?

[brightspark]

we allways used to make weedkiller and sugar bombs out of 1 inch copper pipe with the ends bent over. many a time the metal used to fly past u at a great rate of knots 50 yards away it ended up looking like a 6inch x3inch bit if bent plate as said nowdays u would get hammered for making the bomb.s i think sodium chlorate is banned from sale nowdays

 

[KemppiFrog]

Another one was ammonium tri-iodide (sp?) made from ammonia and iodine crystals. If you look that up now, expect a visit from plod.

Oh, and one guy at school always had stained hands from chemicals. Showed me how to make a nice bang from picric acid (powder) and ferrous oxide. Put very small amounts together and squished them under a penny on a tin lid. Heated it over a bunsen burner while we stood way back. Impressive bang which left a big dent in the tin lid. He also made some guncotten, but I didn't see him try it out.

 

[brightspark]

Another one was ammonium tri-iodide (sp?) made from ammonia and iodine crystals. If you look that up now, expect a visit from plod.

a bag of nitroprill of the local farmer and a bit of red diesel and a few more items i wont go in to

 

[gerrymoore]

I used to make my own gunpowder or, near Nov 5th, buy LOTS of penny bangers. To blow up the 'fort' in the garden with my toy soldiers I used to use my Scalextric transformer. Put a length of two core cable from the TX and join at the end with a very thin piece of wire in the gunpowder. When switched on the little button used to pop up because of the short circuit. Hold the button down and BANG went the fort and soldiers.....great fun!!!

Living near the Mersey, all sorts of things came floating in. Once we found a huge reel of magnesium wire and everyone stood around holding a lit length of it...amazed no-one was ever blinded or burned!

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Think the most dangerous I've got is potassium nitrate smoke bombs and some very poor gunpowder...

 

[neilarmo]

(I wore appropriate safety gear for a child in the 1970's.)

Stripy tank top and flares?

N

 

[Paul99]

I vaguely recall a mini / toy cannon on one of them antique programmes a few weeks ago - think it was flog it or cash in the attic - didn't see the end or what it sold for but took notice of it as the old man said there was one very similar in the attic somewhere that he had as a kid - again run on match heads.

i think sodium chlorate is banned from sale nowdays

Yep - couldn't find it anywhere back last summer when we had a load of stumps that need poisoning - best you get now we were told is "super concentrated" 360 g/litre glyphosate stump killer - yep that's the bog standard roundup weedkiller strength you used to get - but of course the standard weedkiller now watered down to make it safe and the stump killer version is super concentrated - yeh right . Apparently another EU imposed load of BS.

 

[Wallace]

Think the most dangerous I've got is potassium nitrate smoke bombs and some very poor gunpowder...

Not even a petrol bomb or burning Airfix kit?

Stripy tank top and flares?

N

And by 1981 the stripy tops were still evident.

 

[Hitch]

we allways used to make weedkiller and sugar bombs out of 1 inch copper pipe with the ends bent over. many a time the metal used to fly past u at a great rate of knots 50 yards away it ended up looking like a 6inch x3inch bit if bent plate as said nowdays u would get hammered for making the bomb.s i think sodium chlorate is banned from sale nowdays

Old workmate had a rather odd looking finger... from that exact experiment


I was shown a rather old and delicate looking medieval 'gun' a while ago, and asked if i could make a new one like it suitably strong to be fired, its effectively like 3 small cannons on a pole. I declined the offer!


As for value, its one of them things isn't it, for sale, next to nothing, for a talking point, sat on your window sill, of even as a gift to someone that may appreciate such an item, its worth much more.

 

[Paul The Pie Eater]

This might be if some interest to Migmag. In fact, it might be enough to get a chuckle out of anyone!

 

[Paul The Pie Eater]

Not even a petrol bomb or burning Airfix kit?



And by 1981 the stripy tops were still evident.

View attachment 40288

Is that a Honda SS50 by any chance?

 

[migmag]

This might be if some interest to Migmag. In fact, it might be enough to get a chuckle out of anyone!

Loving that Paul!!!

The little vacuum "huff" after detonation is well worth a replay........

 

[Wallace]

Is that a Honda SS50 by any chance?

Yes, a 1973 SS50Z with a combination of C70 engine parts, 5 speed gearbox and disc front end off a later SS50ZB2.