Favorite Childhood Toy

[Botaskinner]

I used to thread a roll of caps onto a needle, accordion style, then carefully squeeze then into a compact stack, wrap with masking tape then carefully withdraw the needle. A kitchen match head taped on one end with the white part showing and you had an igniter.

1 out of 4 would go off as you pulled the needle out..but if it worked, you had a rudimentary firecracker, but nothing like the real thing.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Then came the mass production and refinement of black powder. That also explains where many old toys ended up. In fact, the paint wasn't dried on many WWII aircraft and tank models before they were blown up and set fire to. Most in the basement.

 

[jmc]

It痴 an obsession! I致e found my second favorite childhood toy. It痴 a BuddyL Country Squire station Wagon and TeePee camper. Sure was fun as a kid! Circa 1963? View attachment 600060View attachment 600061View attachment 600062

Good thread, Rob.

Many decades ago, the Scout was made in Ft. Wayne, IN, a few miles from my hometown. They were the best paying place to work in those days and if your parents worked there, and if you were a high school graduate, you probably had a job there too. Lots of labor strife in those days and that couldn't have helped the Scout's prospects. My best friend's dad worked there and then so did he, waiting for a spot to open in the tool and die apprenticeship program. By my friend's account, federal regulations imposed some ethnicity rules and their union stonewalled it until the plant shutdown. He spent the rest of his career working in a grocery store... Don't know what happened to that huge site but if there's not an International Harvester visitor center, there should be.

 

[Industrial Toys]

There were great jobs at International in Ontario Canada. Those guys wouldn't get paid enough apparently and would rob the place blind, including hiding "D" Caterpillar type batteries under the rail cars for later retrival, once outside company limits. All GONE now! People just don't know how good they have it sometimes.

 

[RobS]

Good thread, Rob.

Many decades ago, the Scout was made in Ft. Wayne, IN, a few miles from my hometown. They were the best paying place to work in those days and if your parents worked there, and if you were a high school graduate, you probably had a job there too. Lots of labor strife in those days and that couldn't have helped the Scout's prospects. My best friend's dad worked there and then so did he, waiting for a spot to open in the tool and die apprenticeship program. By my friend's account, federal regulations imposed some ethnicity rules and their union stonewalled it until the plant shutdown. He spent the rest of his career working in a grocery store... Don't know what happened to that huge site but if there's not an International Harvester visitor center, there should be.

There are 2 museums in Auburn, IN. The main one is the Auburn Cord Duesenburg museum but behind it is the National Automotive and Truck Museum. They have a number of International Harvester vehicles but no Scout! I think the IH plant is still there in Fort Wayne, may have become a locomotive repair facility?

 

[jmc]

There were great jobs at International in Ontario Canada. Those guys wouldn't get paid enough apparently and would rob the place blind, including hiding "D" Caterpillar type batteries under the rail cars for later retrival, once outside company limits. All GONE now! People just don't know how good they have it sometimes.

Pretty clever. I think there will always be disenfranchised employees where "sticking it to the man" is a sport. Sometimes, TheMan deserves it.

I worked in an automotive parts warehouse one summer where one of the employees filled orders from "his customers" by smuggling out parts in his cowboy boots. We all had to file past the guard when leaving and the guard would spotcheck lunch pails. Everyone in line knew the scam and watched him sweat but were biased against the company. Just a few can taint the whole labor force.

 

[jmc]

There are 2 museums in Auburn, IN. The main one is the Auburn Cord Duesenburg museum but behind it is the National Automotive and Truck Museum. They have a number of International Harvester vehicles but no Scout! I think the IH plant is still there in Fort Wayne, may have become a locomotive repair facility?

I go right thru there several times a year on my way to E Lansing. Next time, I'll check it out!

 

[Industrial Toys]

I had a neighbor who worked for FORD assembly. He had to have had tens of thousand of dollars in the best tools money can buy. He had the first B&D cordless (commercial) impact guns and drills. All kind of them and chargers. They would take a high quality air hose into the washroom, pull down his overalls, as he would turn around, a helper would wind the hose around him and pull the overalls back on.

 

[MossRoad]

There were great jobs at International in Ontario Canada. Those guys wouldn't get paid enough apparently and would rob the place blind, including hiding "D" Caterpillar type batteries under the rail cars for later retrival, once outside company limits. All GONE now! People just don't know how good they have it sometimes.

International Harvester strike of 1979–8 - Wikipedia

 

[MossRoad]

There are 2 museums in Auburn, IN. The main one is the Auburn Cord Duesenburg museum but behind it is the National Automotive and Truck Museum. They have a number of International Harvester vehicles but no Scout! I think the IH plant is still there in Fort Wayne, may have become a locomotive repair facility?

X2 on the museums. Also, the annual car auction.

Here's a link to the factory. It's still there, with several businesses in the facilities. Also, the International Harvestor clock tower is now a historic place.

Google Maps

 

[CADplans]

My favorite "toy" as a child was rock carbide,,

Three rocks, a little spit in an empty gallon paint can,,, touch a match to the nail hole in the center of the bottom of the can,,,
WHY did the neighbors not call the police?? The explosions continued all day,,,

 

[Rock Crawler]

I must have been a nerd. My favorite toy was the BIG TRAK, it was a tank looking thing with a number pad on top that you could spend hours programming to travel around the house, fire a light (cannon), pull a dump trailer that would dump if programmed. It ate D cell batteries by the truck load. I can't even guess how many hours of life were lost developing program strategies to cover the entire house. And it was noisy.

 

[jmc]

My mother brought home syringes and needles when they were opened but then not used in the ER. Turns out, if you plug the needle tip with hot wax, and not force it onto the syringe too tightly, and push hard enough on the plunger, the needle will fly off and stick in the opposite wall.

Anybody remember peashooters? They were forbidden in our house by my mother, the ER nurse. Seems that kids would accidentally inhale them. A stunt by some bad-azzes was blow kitchen matches out the straw (head first) aimed at the school bus ceiling. If they got the glancing angle right then -you know the rest.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We used to make the clothes pin guns, but we used kitchen matches as ammo...and put the head into the gun first, so you ended up with a firey missal. Saw one kid get burned after being shot on the neck; needless to say, they weren't too popular with the parents. The old style clothes pins were better and sturdier, but today's models will probably work.


Clothes pin Bean Shooter - YouTube

 

[tjkubota93]

I made a couple for the kids. After they figure out to use matches, I guess I gotta take them back.

Or send them to play at the wife's parent's house.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[CADplans]

My mother brought home syringes and needles when they were opened but then not used in the ER. .

My BIL brought them home,, every spring,,
him, and his brothers would walk around the apple orchard,, looking for tent caterpillars,,

The syringe was a perfect thrower for gasoline,, fire the stream through the flame of a Zippo,, and the tent caterpillars were toast!!

 

[wheelbuilder]

My favorite "toy" as a child was rock carbide,,

Three rocks, a little spit in an empty gallon paint can,,, touch a match to the nail hole in the center of the bottom of the can,,,
WHY did the neighbors not call the police?? The explosions continued all day,,,

I had the high end version, the carbide cannon. Freaked the dog and neighbors out. I've still got it, and a couple I found at yard sales. My boys love them, but the dog hates them.

Anyone else remember model rockets ?

 

[CADplans]

Anyone else remember model rockets ?

ALL the people that lived near the elementary school learned to keep the leaves out of their gutters,,

The rockets would go up, and when they came down, there was still enough glow left in the rocket engine to ignite dry leaves,,, :laughing:

The elementary school parking lot is where all the boys would congregate to launch the rockets,,,

 

[cqaigy2]

just whack the whole roll with a hammer...!

Put a roll in my dad's vice. Big flash, big noise. Mad mom.