Our chemistry teacher told us all about the ingredients of gunpowder, then left the storeroom door open, same guy that added acid and water together in the wrong way and had to put his head under the tap. Well it didn’t take long for us to fill ink bottles. Yes I am that old ha ha. With gunpowder which we set off behind the woodwork shed. Then one boy took a bottle home in his trouser pocket. Reminds me a lot of that phone battery. Christ I’ve got one in my pocket now! Didn’t realise they were that bloody dangerous
Oddbod, do tell, please- ether.
My father was a county doctor at the time when having a tooth extracted involved the local dentist, the local doctor, a mask and a bottle of ether. Ether, I was told very firmly when I enquired, was flammable and was not to be played with. At about the same time my father dismantled an old engine and explained the principles of the 4-stroke cycle, and in particular the role of the condenser, coil and spark plug.
I should perhaps add at this point that it was common in those days for doctors to run a surgery at home, So ether, hypodermics, bandages, scalpels, etc were easily obtainable. (Playing doctors round my place took on a whole different, and in retrospect probably quite alarming, dimension - a tale for another day perhaps)
I don't think I got all the intricacies of an ignition system at the time, but I figured out how to make a nice spark from the bits -- eventually, and after a few screams.
At this point a thought crossed my mind. (It wasn't a long journey). Why not combine my new found knowledge of electricity, sparks and flammable liquids.
So a small quantity of ether was purloined from my father surgery, the empty biscuit tin from the kitchen and the ignition system from under my bed - where it had been duly hidden for a later attempt to electrocute my sister.
Now I wasn't totally stupid (!) I knew enough not to be too close to this experiment, so a length of bell wire was also procured.
Living in the countryside in more relaxed times meant there was plenty of opportunity for mischief. So one summer day me and my bag full of ill-gotten gains headed off to the old quarry.
The ether was duly poured into the biscuit tin, the spark plug screwed through a hole in the top (made with a pickaxe I seem to remember), and the high tension and earths all connected up.
Not wishing to take any risks I took the precaution of weighting the lid down with a lump of granite.
Well, the effect was impressive, to me anyway. The boom echoed round the quarry most satisfactorily, the granite was hurled into the air, the flash was burned into my retina for several minutes and I never did find the spark plug. I don't think there was any shrapnel...fortunately.
AFAIK I got away with it - until now that is.
