10 years old , first build , took 30 minutes

[cornshank]

We

We used to take old bicycle spikes and bend a handle in it like a pistol and turn the adjustment head around for a barrel then we took stick matches and took the ends off them and stuffed in our little barrel then took shot gun shot that would mash in to the end hold a match under it you had an effective single shot gun also got shot in the eye with a BB gun stupid is as stupid does. David

Yeah what fun , or we thought so anyway! just like everyone else!

 

[cornshank]

Well you had to bring up fireworks…. A great friend and I opened a fireworks stand when we just out of high school. We were lucky that my friends father owned property on well traveled highway. There was a market across the highway that also started selling fireworks around July 4th. We had a great location but we were in a event style tent. So one evening we we took some incoming fire from bottle rockets, etc. from the market across the highway. It was reasonably safe until the market launched a more aggressive assault. We returned fire with a barrage of No. 5 floral shells and cleared out the insurgents. Sometimes you need to stand up and show strength. A lesson to be learned to by our current administration.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Dad used to sell fireworks, me and my little brother would take them apart and make pipe bombs out of shotgun shells.

Knock the primer out of one and hot glue fuse in there.then slide another shell over the one full of powder.

More than once I got a talkin to and had to fill big holes in the pasture.

Went to high school with guns in the back window. It was definitely different back then

I don't know how most of us still have 10 fingers (some don't). Making home made fireworks. Take a roll of CAPS from a Cap gun, cut out the little black circle, then take the self igniting matches -white tips and cut the material off of the wood stick. Mix together and put into a CO2 cylinder used in pellet rifles (Crossman new rifles-you don't have to pump). get a rain gutter to use a launcher, place the CO2 LOADED cylinder in one end and light the fuse. Loud bang and a CO2 Cylinder ROCKET!
When I went to grade school we had room with grades 1-6 in a row. Wasn't too many of us in the Mountains. Bear Creek Twp (second largest Township in the US at the time and Bucks Twp. We would bring our 22s and shotguns to school with us. Teacher made us put the firearms in the back closet. When studies were over we got our 22s and shotguns back and hunted on the walk home.
Then when we reached 7th grade and above they bused us to the City, Wilkes-Barre. The teachers and city kids would always make fun of us-Called us "Stump Jumper Hillbillies"
They were probably jealous because we had a better life living in the mountains and not city folk.

 

[cornshank]

I love it !

I love it !

I don't know how most of us still have 10 fingers (some don't). Making home made fireworks. Take a rool of CAPS from a Cap gun, cut out the little black circle, then take the self igniting matches -white tips and cut the material off of the wood stick. Mix together and put into a CO2 cylinder used in pellet rifles (Crossman new rifles-you don't have to pump). get a rain gutter to use a launcher, place the CO2 LOADED cylinder in one end and light the fuse. Loud bang and a CO2 Cylinder ROCKET!
When I went to grade school we had room with grades 1-6 in a row. Wasn't too many of us in the Mountains. Bear Creek Twp (second largest Township in the US at the time and Bucks Twp. We would bring our 22s and shotguns to school with us. Teacher made us put the firearms in the back closet. When studies were over we got our 22s and shotguns back and hunted on the walk home.
Then when we reached 7th grade and above they bused us to the City, Wilkes-Barre. The teachers and city kids would always make fun of us-Called us "Stump Jumper Hillbillies"
They were probably jealous because we had a better life living in the mountains and not city folk.

Sounds like a great way to grow up.
We also took the rolls of caps that were ment for a cap Gun , and put a whole roll on a flat rock and hit it with a hammer, no wonder I'm hard of hearing.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Sounds like a great way to grow up.
We also took the rolls of caps that were ment for a cap Gun , and put a whole roll on a flat rock and hit it with a hammer, no wonder I'm hard of hearing.

My dad worked for the CNJ Rail Road (Central of New Jersey) and used to bring home "Bangsticks" these were a powder charge with lead ends to wrap around the RAIL to hold in place. They were used to alert a train Engineer that there was a problem with the track ahead. When the train rolled over the "Bangstick" it would go off and make a really loud explosion sound. No damage to the train, but a loud sound.
My dad would always bring them home and blow them off around the 4th of July. We had the LOUDEST fireworks.
Well being 8-9-10 years old I would sneak some out of his Stach and blow the up with my partners in crime.
Today if you are a kid doing what we all did-we would be noted as a "Homeland Terrorist".
Got to stay of LRH forum for a while. Modifying our Mill with outrigers, power feeds and lifts. Have to drill into the table to mount stops for the feed. This will be fun. Have to get out my Cobalt drill bits.

 

[cornshank]

My dad worked for the CNJ Rail Road (Central of New Jersey) and used to bring home "Bangsticks" these were a powder charge with lead ends to wrap around the RAIL to hold in place. They were used to alert a train Engineer that there was a problem with the track ahead. When the train rolled over the "Bangstick" it would go off and make a really loud explosion sound. No damage to the train, but a loud sound.
My dad would always bring them home and blow them off around the 4th of July. We had the LOUDEST fireworks.
Well being 8-9-10 years old I would sneak some out of his Stach and blow the up with my partners in crime.
Today if you are a kid doing what we all did-we would be noted as a "Homeland Terrorist".
Got to stay of LRH forum for a while. Modifying our Mill with outrigers, power feeds and lifts. Have to drill into the table to mount stops for the feed. This will be fun. Have to get out my Cobalt drill bits.

Have fun

 

[epags]

Then there was the old two bolts and one nut. Lightly screw one bolt a thread or two into the nut. Partially fill the nut with the blue and white scrapings from old fashioned match heads. Screw the second bolt into the nut.
Toss on ground to have an explosion.
Do NOT drop one when attending high school auditorium session. Don't ask why I know that.

 

[cornshank]

Then there was the old two bolts and one nut. Lightly screw one bolt a thread or two into the nut. Partially fill the nut with the blue and white scrapings from old fashioned match heads. Screw the second bolt into the nut.
Toss on ground to have an explosion.
Do NOT drop one when attending high school auditorium session. Don't ask why I know that.

 

[david g ranes]

Then there was the old two bolts and one nut. Lightly screw one bolt a thread or two into the nut. Partially fill the nut with the blue and white scrapings from old fashioned match heads. Screw the second bolt into the nut.
Toss on ground to have an explosion.
Do NOT drop one when attending high school auditorium session. Don't ask why I know that.

We used powder out of fire crackers for these you need a good arm to get it away from you knew a guy who dropped one out of second story window at school one of the bolts took a chunk out of the building next to the kids head. David

 

[P7M13]

Tennis ball canon. Dad was still at the house, so age ~8.
Saw my brothers do it so my friends and I copied.
Needed four 16 tall boys, two regular cans of beer. These were stronger cans with straight sides with a seam on top and bottom and side.
Use a can opener, cut the tops and bottoms off of four 16oz Budweisers.
Bottom two were 12 oz'ers. Use an awl to punch a hole in the bottom side of the bottom one. A church key hole in the top across from the tab hole.
2nd one up, cut out the bottom with a can opener, and a church key to cut out the top so it had an Archie type opening.
Bottom one was combustion chamber, 2nd one was the throat. Tape them all together, end to end, with duct tape.
Drop 10-20 drops of lighter fluid in the top, wave it in the air for a ten count, stuff a tennis ball all the way to the top of the 2nd can.
Match to the igniton hole, BOOM!. Tennis ball would come down 8-10 seconds later.
When we got more adventurous (or stupid), we would soak the tennis ball with lighter fluid and send it out, flaming.
When dutch elm disease came through and wiped out most of the trees, we would then try to lob the tennis ball down two blocks and someone would try to be there to catch it. IIRC, our aim was never that good, and even if it had been, the ball was way too fast.

 

[cornshank]

We used powder out of fire crackers for these you need a good arm to get it away from you knew a guy who dropped one out of second story window at school one of the bolts took a chunk out of the building next to the kids head. David

Hey , like another guy said , boys have a fascination for stuff that goes boom.
That also reminds me of the time my parents were putting on a party at our house ,I was in second or third grade and convinced my younger brothers to go get some matches from the party ,cause no one would notice ,they were to busy having a good time.
My next brother down came back to our underground fort in the easement behind the houses ,with the matches and we accidentally started the fort and surrounding grass on fire !
Everyone came running out of the party trying to put it out .
Best part was my younger brother got blamed for the whole thing , cause he took the matches !

 

[cornshank]

Tennis ball canon. Dad was still at the house, so age ~8.
Saw my brothers do it so my friends and I copied.
Needed four 16 tall boys, two regular cans of beer. These were stronger cans with straight sides with a seam on top and bottom and side.
Use a can opener, cut the tops and bottoms off of four 16oz Budweisers.
Bottom two were 12 oz'ers. Use an awl to punch a hole in the bottom side of the bottom one. A church key hole in the top across from the tab hole.
2nd one up, cut out the bottom with a can opener, and a church key to cut out the top so it had an Archie type opening.
Bottom one was combustion chamber, 2nd one was the throat. Tape them all together, end to end, with duct tape.
Drop 10-20 drops of lighter fluid in the top, wave it in the air for a ten count, stuff a tennis ball all the way to the top of the 2nd can.
Match to the igniton hole, BOOM!. Tennis ball would come down 8-10 seconds later.
When we got more adventurous (or stupid), we would soak the tennis ball with lighter fluid and send it out, flaming.
When dutch elm disease came through and wiped out most of the trees, we would then try to lob the tennis ball down two blocks and someone would try to be there to catch it. IIRC, our aim was never that good, and even if it had been, the ball was way too fast.

Nice , it's either boom or flames isn't it!

 

[P7M13]

Nice , it's either boom or flames isn't it!

Yeah, once made the mistake of trying to look down the pipe (no tennis ball) to see. Blow torch to the face. You can't hide 2nd degree burns and all your singed hair from your mom.

 

[cornshank]

Yeah, once made the mistake of trying to look down the pipe (no tennis ball) to see. Blow torch to the face. You can't hide 2nd degree burns and all your singed hair from your mom.