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Stupidity

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For those who haven't done it, they make a very loud "bang"
When Guy Fawks night was still an event we used to have some fun with a simple noise maker.
2 X 1/2" bolts and a nut. Screw one bolt in a couple of threads then almost fill cavity with the Redhead shaved off matches.
Screw the second bolt in finger tight.
Walk up behind a girl on a concrete footpath and throw the the bolts down (took a bit of practice) when the bolt struck the ground end on there was a loud explosion, enough to make the victim jump.
Boys will be boys, don't know how we ever got girlfriends?
 
Was standing on top step at home in Hurstville when I was much much younger and did what you are saying (without the girl involved) dropped it from about 4 feet up the stairs onto concrete path below and there was a loud bang as you stated, but the top bolt shot up past me at a very rapid of knots, missed me by a few inches, never found the top bolt. I had decided not to look over to see what happened when it hit the concrete as I had been told that sometimes it could explode. Only ever did it the once and that was sufficient. Maybe the matches back in the late 1950's had more oomph as the ones now seem a lot harder to get to light.
 
Same for me, 2late - tried once, never again. Both bolts vanished, probably into space!
'Bolt bombs' are like a small grenade - I reckon you're pretty lucky one of those girls wasn't maimed, NJ!
 
Different slant on stupidity but it helped us in younger years when apprentice payments were very low. AND, drinking age was 21yo we were still teens 18/19.
When ever a US warship visited Geraldton we would rock up to the wharf in our cars and invite sailors to a pub crawl. Of course we weren't allowed to pull our wallets out.
US ships were "dry" so a couple of Swans and you could here them all through the bar.
We'd mention a barbecue for that night and need a few king browns. A couple of cartons loaded into car paid for by our guests and off We'd go. By the time we got to the barbecue they would be flaked out. Drop them back to their ship next morning a very sorry sight.
 
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Hawkear said:
Whenever I hear someone say “Watch this” I get nervous.
Over on WA a few years back camping out rough with a mate, we had a big fire going.
Devoid of entertainment my mate said “Watch this” while he put a full can of spaghetti in the fire.
We retreated to a supposedly safe distance watching the can slowly expanding and making ominous noises, then whoom!
The can exploded sending a shower of not only sparks but a directed stream of hot spaghetti further than we had counted on. Fortunately the spaghetti was not towards us but unfortunately a lot went into the back of my Jackaroo which had its back doors open towards the fire.
Not done as kids but supposedly sensible mature adults.
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I can remember years ago of a similar experiment at a Scouts mini jamboree when someone put a can of Baked Beans in the fire and the exploding contents put numerous holes in the nylon tents.🤣
 
RichardWest said:
I can remember years ago of a similar experiment at a Scouts mini jamboree when someone put a can of Baked Beans in the fire and the exploding contents put numerous holes in the nylon tents.🤣
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Couple of school mates did the can of spaghetti on the fire trick camping out on private property one night 🏕 Problem was only one of them knew about it 🙄 (teenage boys 🥴) the one who had no idea lost an eye. What seems like harmless fun is far from it when teenagers and stupidity are coupled together 😬
 
RM Outback said:
Couple of school mates did the can of spaghetti on the fire trick camping out on private property one night 🏕 Problem was only one of them knew about it 🙄 (teenage boys 🥴) the one who had no idea lost an eye. What seems like harmless fun is far from it when teenagers and stupidity are coupled together 😬
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I once put some chestnuts on the hob in order to roast them. When I deemed them ready to eat I selected one and bit into it releasing pent-up super-heated steam into my mouth.
For some reason I have been unable to look at a chestnut since then.
 
grubstake said:
Same for me, 2late - tried once, never again. Both bolts vanished, probably into space!
'Bolt bombs' are like a small grenade - I reckon you're pretty lucky one of those girls wasn't maimed, NJ!
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When i was a lot younger in the early 60s my brother and i used to make cracker guns out of a piece of steel condute we found at the local tip, we loaded it with a penny bomb and forced a glass cats eye marble into it, i was not game to fire it but elected for my younger brother Max to do so, we lit the fuse poking out of the back of the pipe and it appeared to fizzle out my brother threww the pipe doen on the ground and proclaimed the banger was a fizzog the gun went off and the marble hit the back veranda wall punching a 1/2 hole staight threw, man the old man and mum went right off and we copped our monthly dose of Eggburt the the strap on the backside, we aggreed never to make another cracker gun after that brings back some of the old memories
 
rustyhooks said:
When i was a lot younger in the early 60s my brother and i used to make cracker guns out of a piece of steel condute we found at the local tip, we loaded it with a penny bomb and forced a glass cats eye marble into it, i was not game to fire it but elected for my younger brother Max to do so, we lit the fuse poking out of the back of the pipe and it appeared to fizzle out my brother threww the pipe doen on the ground and proclaimed the banger was a fizzog the gun went off and the marble hit the back veranda wall punching a 1/2 hole staight threw, man the old man and mum went right off and we copped our monthly dose of Eggburt the the strap on the backside, we aggreed never to make another cracker gun after that brings back some of the old memories
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We made them out of bicycle pumps even fitting a handle. Threaded cotton through hole in bottom tied to penny bomb fuse then pulled it so it was hanging out ready to light. There's a lot of marbles out there. The high school head master called an assembly and had a local copper explain the dangers of this now popular stupidity.
 
Nightjar said:
We made them out of bicycle pumps even fitting a handle. Threaded cotton through hole in bottom tied to penny bomb fuse then pulled it so it was hanging out ready to light. There's a lot of marbles out there. The high school head master called an assembly and had a local copper explain the dangers of this now popular stupidity.
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A school mate got caught making something similar using copper pipe to fire a six inch nail, propelled by weed killer and sugar....After several experiments in his back garden, a neighbour called the police and he was read the riot act!.

As revenge, my mate built a cartoon like "bomb", complete with battery, curly wires, an alarm clock, and a couple of loo roll tubes dressed up to look like sticks of explosive, and placed it on the bonnet of the neighbours car....

These days I am sure the bomb squad would have been called, but back then, the local bobby paid another visit, confirmed it was just a prank, and my mate was in even more trouble, and I was ordered to stop associating with him lol..
 
Pete E said:
A school mate got caught making something similar using copper pipe to fire a six inch nail, propelled by weed killer and sugar....After several experiments in his back garden, a neighbour called the police and he was read the riot act!.

As revenge, my mate built a cartoon like "bomb", complete with battery, curly wires, an alarm clock, and a couple of loo roll tubes dressed up to look like sticks of explosive, and placed it on the bonnet of the neighbours car....

These days I am sure the bomb squad would have been called, but back then, the local bobby paid another visit, confirmed it was just a prank, and my mate was in even more trouble, and I was ordered to stop associating with him lol..
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I didn't mention, when the coppers arrived to deliver their message they had demonstration evidence on the the danger of these devices. A phone book with a marble imbedded about 1/3 deep in pages.
We were so deprived back in those days, no weed, ice etc etc to twist our minds....
 
When I asked him why he took them, angrily he said, incase i get a headache. Crap, it was a drug he couldn’t get off, shame really but every home hadthem in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.
 
:confused:
Mackka said:
When I asked him why he took them, angrily he said, incase i get a headache. Crap, it was a drug he couldn’t get off, shame really but every home hadthem in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.
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From memory, maybe wrong, the Rawley's Man toured the rural midwest back in the 50's and yes Bex was on Mums list but heaven help it was the Ford Pills that had us running. (Literally, perfect cure for constipation)
 

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