Fond Memories of Chemistry sets..

Posted by Paul Decelles August 23, 2009 at 1:52 p.m.

Multi's comments about dangerous toys brings back memories:

I remember my chemistry set very fondly and I would spend hours making dangerous stuff...my favorite was making chlorine. Such a pretty yellow/green color.

This whole discussion reminds me of Terry Pratchett's book "Hogfather" . Death is playing the Hogfather and giving gifts to all the kids. Death is reprimanded for giving a real sword to a child and Death's response is something like: "It's educational".

Ah, in fact thanks to the wonders of the internet here is exact quote:

"The mother took a deep breath.

"You can't give her that!" she screamed. "It's not safe!"

IT'S A SWORD, said the Hogfather, IT'S NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.

"She's a child!" shouted Crumley.

IT'S EDUCATIONAL.

"What if she cuts herself?"

THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON."

Seriously, we could also by real pyrex glass ware and replacement chemicals for our home labs in the "dime" store which was Newberry's in my home town. The upshot is that I developed a good sense of measurement and the importance of following laboratory directions- and safety-yes I had a pair of goggles as a kid-well before I got to college.

Now if you are going to give your kids Death's version of dangerous toys, you as a parent have to take responsibility here. Some of my friends had BB guns and couldn't content themselves with hitting tin cans. I remember finding a freshly shot gold finch and watching it die in my hands. Might have been educational for me in terms of developing a sense of empathy but based on what I remember about the shooter...certainly not for him. It was just another bird.

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liggyon (David Lignell) says…

"...we could also buy real pyrex glass ware and replacement chemicals for our home labs in the "dime" store which was Newberry's in my home town."

Paul, that made me remember my home lab, which was under the basement stairs. It was an old storage area with a thin wooden door. My brother and I installed a peep hole and had a special knock; 3 rapid knocks, 2 slow knocks, followed by three rapid knocks.

My specialty was taking iron fillings, putting them in a tissue, holding it over a Bunsen burner and waiting for the sparks to fly. When we were out of chemicals, we'd ride our Stingray banana seat Schwinns up to Meyer's Hobby Shoppe and buy replacements at 50 cents a jar. Good times.

Not sure I learned much from my experience, but I did develop a good bond with my brother. And I still remember my mom saying, "Boys, time to get outside...that air isn't good for you."
August 23, 2009 at 2:22 p.m.
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…

... not to mention that other dangerous *chemistry* set,
gender-integrated classrooms. Kaboom!
August 23, 2009 at 4:52 p.m.
pdecell (Paul Decelles) says…

Dave,

“Boys, time to get outside…that air isn't good for you.”

Ah ha she obviously subscribed to the sulfurous air from experiments gone awry theory of disease. Of course sophisticated scientific experimentation starting in my lab around 1958 has shown that to be false...at least some of the time.
August 23, 2009 at 5:22 p.m.
dklamet (Dave Klamet) says…

I fondly remember my chemistry set. Can't remember ever learning any chemistry. But mixing stuff in a test tube and heating it over the little alcohol flame seemed cool at the time.

I had a microscope, too, and remember being fascinated by the crystals of table salt and looking at pepper and pretty much everything else I could find.

Those were the days.
August 23, 2009 at 9:51 p.m.
SandCoAlmanac (anonymous) says…

Being a country kid, I had to ration my chemicals so I wouldn't run out. That took some of the recklessness out of my chemistry experimentation, I'm afraid. I had no easy way to replace them, except to borrow from agricultural supplies. Hence, I learned about fertilizer and diesel fuel, ammonia and cleared sinuses, lit cigars and convenient excuses. The black snakes we bought for Independence Day were fun when lit in a can lightly dusted with flour and I enjoyed cleaning the cat waste out of our sand box with cherry bombs. I learned a little about small particles, fire and distances traveled when propelled by small explosions. Granted, some of this could be physics and some could be chemistry, but without an official 'kit' I had to make do and didn't know the difference.
I discovered cherry bombs would explode under water and was almost successful in clearing the algae from our stock tanks. Earlier I knew algae could be slick, but I didn't realize how high it would fly, unless given the proper send-off. In summer I discovered mud pies would stick together better when blended with grass than without, and that they baked faster on the hood of a '53 Buick than on the sidewalk.
Inside the house, my mom showed me that jello won't set if you put in fresh fruit (as I recall) but it will set if you put in canned fruit, so she always dumped in a can of fruit cocktail so there'd be a little bit of fruit for every taste. To this day, I'm not sure she knows the reason behind the jello 'rule,' but it was part of her chemistry lesson for me. I also learned about yeast and sugar and gas and that if I snuck some grape juice downstairs to mix with sugar and yeast, I couldn't cork the bottle tightly. Sometimes it makes a heck of a noise, and wakes up the chickens.
I was happy to take Chemistry in high school so I could play with some real chemicals and real glassware toys, but in the end, it didn't seem quite as much fun as I had on the farm. Maybe the smells were different ....
August 23, 2009 at 10:16 p.m.
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August 24, 2009 at 8:44 p.m.
devobrun (anonymous) says…

Mine was electronics. I learned morse code when I was 12 and got a ham radio license. One of dad's friends gave me a receiver out of a B29. We built a power supply. I built a Heathkit transmitter. 110VAC input. 100watts into a 50 ohm load. 70 VAC at MHz frequencies. Transmitter had several hundred volts inside.

All tubes.

Hot.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Fun.

I've been shocked many times, but the worst was when I helped a girl friend move into an apartment on Tennessee street in the 70's. I was defrosting the fridge and I was going to unscrew the broken off light bulb in the back.

"Did you unplug this fridge, honey?"

"Yes"

Reached into the socket with a pair of needle nose pliars while standing in a puddle of water.

Well, I lived. I never trust anyone else regarding electricity anymore. You shouldn't either.
August 25, 2009 at 6:05 p.m.
devobrun (anonymous) says…

Mine was electronics. I learned morse code when I was 12 and got a ham radio license. One of dad's friends gave me a receiver out of a B29. We built a power supply. I built a Heathkit transmitter. 110VAC input. 100watts into a 50 ohm load. 70 VAC at MHz frequencies. Transmitter had several hundred volts inside.

All tubes.

Hot.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Fun.

I've been shocked many times, but the worst was when I helped a girl friend move into an apartment on Tennessee street in the 70's. I was defrosting the fridge and I was going to unscrew the broken off light bulb in the back.

"Did you unplug this fridge, honey?"

"Yes"

Reached into the socket with a pair of needle nose pliars while standing in a puddle of water.

Well, I lived. I never trust anyone else regarding electricity anymore. You shouldn't either.

Also, never solder anything with your shirt off. It is really hard to get hot solder out of your belly button.
August 25, 2009 at 6:07 p.m.
pdecell (Paul Decelles) says…

ROFL:

"Also, never solder anything with your shirt off. It is really hard to get hot solder out of your belly button."

Sage advice for sure.
August 26, 2009 at 11:39 a.m.
devobrun (anonymous) says…

Sorry 'bout the double post, Paul......I dunno.

No, I wasn't trying to clean the solder out of my navel.
August 26, 2009 at 5:43 p.m.
pdecell (Paul Decelles) says…

So what were you doing? **eg**
August 26, 2009 at 11:14 p.m.
devobrun (anonymous) says…

Multi, I have one of those solder suckers now.. Didn't in 1966.

Still, its better to solder over a bench with the piece in a good holder. And leave your shirt on.
When your 14, you just have to learn the hard way.
August 27, 2009 at 2:09 p.m.
whatupdown (anonymous) says…

I still have two of those old chemistry sets and the microscope set; saving them for when my two year old gets a bit older.
August 27, 2009 at 6:28 p.m.
pdecell (Paul Decelles) says…

Multi, that is a bit more than we need to know. Now you have my evil imagination running. That is not smart.

On a more serious note did your son use his microscope? Do you think it made a difference in his life? I know it did mine. In a nut shell it taught me about the importance of small things that we big things tend to overlook, taught me to observe carefully and everywhere.
August 27, 2009 at 6:46 p.m.
devobrun (anonymous) says…

Multi:

They aren't always in the way......
August 28, 2009 at 6:39 a.m.