Gas

[dewaltdisney]

I think that there is now a lot of over the top caution in gas work. When I was at school we had access to gas taps and Bunsen burners and we were very relaxed about their use often messing around with them. Even though with Town Gas at the time it was more explosive if the gas/air mixture got to the critical point. We had an experiment that was a favourite where we had a metal biscuit tin with a hole at the top and a tube to the gas tap in the bottom. The tin was filled with gas and the small hole at the top was lit and as the gas slowly burned the air/gas mixture reached the explosion point and a loud bang would blow the lid off the tin making a great bang and a crash.

We also messed around lighting Bunsen burners using a Wimshurst machine, a static electricity generator. You stood on a latex block and held one of the terminals whilst someone turned it around fast. Holding your finger close to the Bunsen with gas running a spark would jump to light it.

I suppose I have never had much fear of gas and as a result and over the years I have capped gas pipes, fitted cookers, serviced my boiler and replaced parts. I do not do it now though as boilers are far more complex and there is always someone waiting to sue you if something went wrong.

However, it does seem all a bit namby-pamby at times.

Anyone else messed around with Bunsens?

DWD

[ayjay]

I used to love the tins filled with gas, my mate had a gas lighter on a flexible pipe attached to his oven (to light the hobs) that would supply gas from the nozzle as an easy way to fill the tins.

If you want an even bigger and far more dangerous bang, there was a well known (and now moved to Peckham) Theatre Club about a hundred yards from where I lived: every Guy Fawkes night they had a huge bonfire, with the attendant fireworks, but they also used to chuck on the fire old Cocoa tins, the tops had been soldered on after about an inch of water had been put inside - chucked on the fire they used to eventually go off with a tremendous bang.

Old Paslode cartridges are a convenient modern equivalent. Don't use old expanding foam tins though - they're just like Napalm when they go up - they set light to whatever the burning foam lands on.

When it comes to messing about with gas, when I was in the Scouts, we had a gas fire that had a small leak on the supply pipe when it was in use, it used to stink the place out - I used to light the leak - it burned with a flame no bigger than a candle, and more important, it didn't smell.

[fin]

id not risk messing with gas.

when at school we also had the gas taps and bunsen burners and all that.

however one of my main memories of science in the final year was my mate messing about with meths, cotton wool and a lit bunsen burner. dip his finger in th meths, touch the flame and touch the cotton wool.... untill he missed and spilt the bowl of meths ont h table and then touched the cotton wool with the lit finger

[arco_iris]

Not answering the question at the end, I do see where you're coming from.

You're the boy who struck a match near his fart, sprayed WD40 across a fag lighter and squirted lighter fluid on his hand then waved it over a candle. Been there, done that.

To your and my chagrin, health'n'safety, no win no fee insurance claims, and resultant jobs for the boys have gone beserk. Nuff said.

[ayjay]

Here's another wheeze from my youth involving a gas - a mate of mine used put a bit of Calcium Carbide inside a piece of bread and feed it to seagulls or pigeons. When it mixed with any liquid in their stomach (which it did quite quickly) they'd start flying as if they had a really bad case of hiccoughs.

[kellys_eye]

You could make a long, long list of stuff we used to do as kids that would either be frowned upon today or outright banned by H&S.

Starting with 'climbing trees' and ending with 'mixing your own explosives'!

[Gadget]

When I was a kid the railway was our playground.

[aeromech3]

We were told the black curtains in the school Lab were fireproof, was caught playing the Bunsen on them, they didn't burn but the Headmasters cane did

[Wazzert]

When I was a kid the railway was our playground.

Yeah, I understand you man:)

[Chippo1]

I walked around as a kid with a sheaf knife on my belt , no one batted an eyelid, usually had a catapult as well

One spring about half a mile away m friend and I came across Catapilar D8 bulldozer parked in a field , they were laying mole pipes for drainage. We jumped , presssed the starter button, nothing but then noticed the battery lead was off, we put it on and after about 20secs of cranking it started , we drove it all around the field , we were about 12.

Did loads of other stuff including trying a couple of Molotov cocktails using milk bottles !

[ayjay]

Did loads of other stuff including trying a couple of Molotov cocktails using milk bottles !

The bottles are a reminder of a good (but obviously illegal) wheeze. A friend of mine lived next door to an off licence. The entrance to his place was around the back, down a service road behind the shops. We used to climb over from his garden into the rear yard of the offie and help ourself to about a dozen empty bottles which we promptly took back through the front door of the offie to collect the 6d on each bottle.

Five bob was a small fortune when your pocket money was only a tanner a week.

For the younger readers - five bob = five shillings, or 25p now - a tanner was sixpence or 2.5p now.

[Cannyfixit]

When I was a kid the railway was our playground.

Same here ,we used to put half pennies on the track and wait for the train
Then once the coin was crushed we then punched a hole in it and used a shoelace to make a necklace
I’ve experienced a gas explosion back in 1990 it completely destroyed my home and put my wife in hospital with severe burns
The cause of the blast was put down to the dog jumping up at the stove and somehow turned on the gas when the Mrs went in the kitchen turned on the light created a spark
prior to this I did used to fit cookers as side line never touched one since