I found an old 'Pracitical Mechanics and Hobbies Annual' for fifty cents at a garage sale last weekend. It's dated from the late 1950's, and is aimed at 10-16 year old boys.
Chapters include:
- Make a slide valve steam engine
- How to create a dynamo
- Pewter work for beginners
- How to build a tool shed
- Make a working television receiver
- Create a vacuum pump
It's all complicated electrical diagrams and carpentry plans, and I'm amazed at how society has dumbed down our expectations of children. It makes me want to have a son to build this shit with him.
"Every boy who makes use of tools should build this tool shed if he has no other place to work other than his mother's kitchen. Here he can work undisturbed."
One of the experiments is hooking up a wire to a battery and then repeatedly touching it to your eyeball to produce flashes. Imagine the lawsuits if a modern parent found their child doing that.
Chapters include:
- Make a slide valve steam engine
- How to create a dynamo
- Pewter work for beginners
- How to build a tool shed
- Make a working television receiver
- Create a vacuum pump
It's all complicated electrical diagrams and carpentry plans, and I'm amazed at how society has dumbed down our expectations of children. It makes me want to have a son to build this shit with him.
"Every boy who makes use of tools should build this tool shed if he has no other place to work other than his mother's kitchen. Here he can work undisturbed."
One of the experiments is hooking up a wire to a battery and then repeatedly touching it to your eyeball to produce flashes. Imagine the lawsuits if a modern parent found their child doing that.