Really stupid things you and your mates did as kids...
Discussion
I am old enough to remember chemistry sets that had the ingredients for gunpowder, so I used to make piles of it in the shed then dip some thin string in wax and roll it in iron filings to make a fuse, then light it and stand back. I was probably about 7.
Lighting aerosol paint cans whilst spraying - not a good idea in a garage with the door closed
Lighting a butane spray in my bedroom and watching the underneath of the bed full of flames. Luckily just the butane burnt
To pass the time waiting for the bus at Hampton Court after games we used to pour lighter fuel on our hands and light it whilst running around waving our hands in the air. Passing motorists must have been curious about flaming schoolboys at the bus stop but nobody ever stopped.
Opening the slam door of the train against the wind so it flung open to scare your mates, then leaning out to pull it back. We stopped doing it when we slammed the door just as a train went past the other way.
Whilst cycling down to Cornwall coming off Dartmoor we were trying to overtake a Mini and we could see the speedo through the back window showing we were touching 60mph
Taking it in turns to sit on a log with legs apart whilst a mate throws darts into said log. Occasionally the dart would stick in the bone
And of course - who didn't light farts
Amazed I am still here really
Lighting aerosol paint cans whilst spraying - not a good idea in a garage with the door closed
Lighting a butane spray in my bedroom and watching the underneath of the bed full of flames. Luckily just the butane burnt
To pass the time waiting for the bus at Hampton Court after games we used to pour lighter fuel on our hands and light it whilst running around waving our hands in the air. Passing motorists must have been curious about flaming schoolboys at the bus stop but nobody ever stopped.
Opening the slam door of the train against the wind so it flung open to scare your mates, then leaning out to pull it back. We stopped doing it when we slammed the door just as a train went past the other way.
Whilst cycling down to Cornwall coming off Dartmoor we were trying to overtake a Mini and we could see the speedo through the back window showing we were touching 60mph
Taking it in turns to sit on a log with legs apart whilst a mate throws darts into said log. Occasionally the dart would stick in the bone
And of course - who didn't light farts
Amazed I am still here really
Ahhh the old weed killer and sugar mix. One of the lads ( now a well known musician, No.1 hit, played with Everyone from Gene Vincent to the Beatles), found out this magic mix would burn if just put in an old Swan Vesta matchbox and a long Jetex fuse to give us time to disperse. The London Smog of the 50's had nothing on the dense white cloud it produced.
One day we ventured forth armed with a 1ft sq piece of plywood and dropped the package into the drain, covering it up with the plywood. The drains had overflow connector pipes between them and the smoke this travelled along t the next drain, where one of the neighbours from hell had parked over it. Cue lots of smoke, his pride and joy in the middle of it and frantic phone calls to plod and fire brigade with lots of water and foam to put it out, only they didnt due to the source being 40ft away!.We had just merged into the crowd of kids who always appeared from miles around whenever there was a fire engine ( cheap and free entertainment back then!!)
Nobody could figure out what happened as when the foam had been washed away, underneath there was a very clean and soggy car, with nairy a trace of fire damage.
How he survived i do not know as when bombing down Stamford HIll towards South Tottenham one day on his bike, his bottom bracket broke and he was all over the road trying to ride this machine that the front and rea wheels were only connected by the crossbar. BUT he got hone, down the tip for a spare frame and next day back out on the road
AND as an aside does anyone remember the old rubber traffic 'counters' that were sited before traffic lights. We used to jump up and down on the minor road ones and once we had got the green light kept on jumping, as the system thought there was a stack of traffic coming down the road. Meanwhile the traffic on the main road just backed up waiting for the green on the main to come on.
One day we ventured forth armed with a 1ft sq piece of plywood and dropped the package into the drain, covering it up with the plywood. The drains had overflow connector pipes between them and the smoke this travelled along t the next drain, where one of the neighbours from hell had parked over it. Cue lots of smoke, his pride and joy in the middle of it and frantic phone calls to plod and fire brigade with lots of water and foam to put it out, only they didnt due to the source being 40ft away!.We had just merged into the crowd of kids who always appeared from miles around whenever there was a fire engine ( cheap and free entertainment back then!!)
Nobody could figure out what happened as when the foam had been washed away, underneath there was a very clean and soggy car, with nairy a trace of fire damage.
How he survived i do not know as when bombing down Stamford HIll towards South Tottenham one day on his bike, his bottom bracket broke and he was all over the road trying to ride this machine that the front and rea wheels were only connected by the crossbar. BUT he got hone, down the tip for a spare frame and next day back out on the road
AND as an aside does anyone remember the old rubber traffic 'counters' that were sited before traffic lights. We used to jump up and down on the minor road ones and once we had got the green light kept on jumping, as the system thought there was a stack of traffic coming down the road. Meanwhile the traffic on the main road just backed up waiting for the green on the main to come on.
Going up the land fill site a mile or so from our house, getting some empty forty five gallon oil drums screwing the caps back on and chucking them in a fire. Turns out there's a fairly large explosion and a ballistic oil drum.
And as we lived on the edge of Salisbury plain the wood next door offered all sorts of fun involving blank rounds we found and the fires at the dump, along with the discovery that once you had lit what turned out to be a live thunder flashes fuse chucking it in the bucket of water you had prepared in the back garden, didn't put out the fuse or stop it going off. Happy days
And as we lived on the edge of Salisbury plain the wood next door offered all sorts of fun involving blank rounds we found and the fires at the dump, along with the discovery that once you had lit what turned out to be a live thunder flashes fuse chucking it in the bucket of water you had prepared in the back garden, didn't put out the fuse or stop it going off. Happy days
Rider007 said:
Threw a hairspray can on a bonfire , said can starts to expand rapidly for some reason explodes and departs in a horizontal trajectory at some speed towards me who is stupidly standing about 20 feet away, said shrapnel rocket nicks my pullover and continues on it's merry way. Look down to arm expecting it to be detached but just a tear in pullover. Not a graze to skin
As a kid was a big fan of fires and aerosols. The best aerosols were Impulse cans, they were nice and thin so exploded quickly and reliably. They seemed to be popular in the early 80s, which was good as you'd have all those men suddenly giving women flowers...Anyway, on the way to school me and my partner in crime would often go through a section of waste ground for a bid of skulduggery. One morning we found the embers of dying fire and a ripped bag of cement. As luck would have it, we also found an Impulse aerosol. We poured the cement power on the fire to see it if would burn, but to no avail. As we messed about, as we did this a drunk vagrant guy wandered by. He was in a right state and my mate invited him to sit down by the fire for a bit of heat. A soon as he sat down, we shoved the aerosol into the glowing embers and walked away. About 10 seconds later the can exploded with a big orange flash and the cement powder went up like a mini mushroom cloud. We though we'd caused the guy to combust! But when the air cleared he was just sat there dead still, covered in cement like a dusty antique.
When my mum went baby sitting my mates would come around and we would take her Metro out for a spin ... we were 13 / 14, looking back it now I was crazy and stupid to do it, but this was early 90's so joy riding not heard of then. It all came to a head one summer when I went to stay at my dads, my step mum had a 3 month old 3 series BMW and it had been reversed parked in the garage. I thought I would take it for a spin while dad was out, what I didn't factor in was my poor clutch control reversing up a steep drive while trying to reverse it into the garage, in panic thinking my dad would be home any moment I gave it some serious revs let clutch out and ended up putting the car through the front bay window. Didn't know what do to locked myself in the loo and all I could hear when my dad got back was him saying 'oh my god .... oh my god', he didn't talk to me for nearly a year after.
LordHaveMurci said:
Using scaffold poles & hand railings as launchers for fireworks (bangers).
Meh. Teenage rocket fight. It's a bit like a duel without the walking and turning round bit. You stand facing your opponent and on a signal you both light the blue touchpaper. You then hold your rocket by the stick until it's ready to go.
The main elements of skill (obvs) is being able to judge exactly when to let go.
But being able to launch your rocket so that it bounces off the ground just before it gets to you opponent creates huge confusion and maximises the chance of a strike.
Me and my mates did this when we were sober teenagers growing up in Scotland
I revisited the launch technique a few years later at a party in Fulham. This time the rockets were pointing up. But I was fairly pissed. The reactions weren't quite so good and I woke up the day with a stinging and bald right arm.
silverfoxcc said:
Ahhh the old weed killer and sugar mix.
How he survived i do not know as when bombing down Stamford HIll towards South Tottenham one day on his bike
Yes, also did the smoke trick and the occasional firework fight, with bangers let off in ever more creative ways. Many happy afternoons spent along the railway lines in South Tottenham and the reservoirs on the other side of the river Lea. How he survived i do not know as when bombing down Stamford HIll towards South Tottenham one day on his bike
PostHeads123 said:
ended up putting the car through the front bay window. Didn't know what do to locked myself in the loo and all I could hear when my dad got back was him saying 'oh my god .... oh my god', he didn't talk to me for nearly a year after.
f
k me, I think I'd have run away for good.I was about 14 and my dad was incinerating some garden waste but as the branches and leaves were a bit green they weren't burning very well.
'I have the recipe for napalm in a book in my room' was my suggestion
'Don't just stand there like a lemon, go and get it!'
Upon returning from my bedroom, book clutched in hand I informed my dad that we needed petrol, washing powder, a couple of fifty gallon drums on a pallet, two thermite grenades strapped to each drum and a C-130 to drop it out the back of.
We compromised with paraffin and soap powder in a jam jar but it certainly burned better than unmolested paraffin
'I have the recipe for napalm in a book in my room' was my suggestion
'Don't just stand there like a lemon, go and get it!'
Upon returning from my bedroom, book clutched in hand I informed my dad that we needed petrol, washing powder, a couple of fifty gallon drums on a pallet, two thermite grenades strapped to each drum and a C-130 to drop it out the back of.
We compromised with paraffin and soap powder in a jam jar but it certainly burned better than unmolested paraffin
We got a bit carried away with some explosives. Ordered a load of strong sulphuric acid to share with a similarly interested friend, decanted half out into a container to take home and left it on the kitchen side to collect after we did a few other bits. Came back to discover the pot they had split it into was not chemical resistant and the acid was now slowly but surely dissolving the kitchen worktop, cupboard door and flooring. That one was more difficult to hide from his parents....
Edited by gazapc on Thursday 12th July 23:45
A mate and I used to live, largely (5 minutes walk), from the main line from Swansea to Paddington and in 1976 the new InterCity125 was the express train in the news.
A short walk from where we both lived was an underpass of the main line, the sides of which were not fenced off. As such, many an evening in the summer holidays were passed sitting on the rails waiting for that "humming" sound that heralded the approach of a train. The view either side was good, so one could scrabble to the sides of the track before the train passed within five feet of us.
I preferred the sound of Deltics. We both loved the sound of Valentas.
A short walk from where we both lived was an underpass of the main line, the sides of which were not fenced off. As such, many an evening in the summer holidays were passed sitting on the rails waiting for that "humming" sound that heralded the approach of a train. The view either side was good, so one could scrabble to the sides of the track before the train passed within five feet of us.
I preferred the sound of Deltics. We both loved the sound of Valentas.
After seeing a science experiment on TV, where hydrogen gas was collected in a soap bubble, I blew propane gas from a blow torch into water with washing up liquid in it. It produced a mountain of soap bubbles which was impressive and a bout 2 foot tall.
Stupidly I then decided to ignite said bubbles with a match. The hydrogen had gone POP! with a pleasingly loud pop.
The propane gas went KABOOM!!! and sounded like a bomb had gone off!
The resultant bang was so loud my ears were ringing for about 10 minutes.
Stupidly I then decided to ignite said bubbles with a match. The hydrogen had gone POP! with a pleasingly loud pop.
The propane gas went KABOOM!!! and sounded like a bomb had gone off!
The resultant bang was so loud my ears were ringing for about 10 minutes.
Lots similar to things already mentioned but one thing that sticks in my mind was finding a railway tunnel that had been abandoned for more than 3 decades.
The entrance was fenced off with metal security fencing, but we were desperate to see where it went, so we went home, came back armed with hacksaws and set about removing a couple of the bars so that we could slip inside.
Bars successfully removed and we got in. The tunnel itself had a curve in it, so we couldn't see the other end, but we went anyway. A few hundred yards from the entrance and it started to get a bit boggy underfoot. 10 minutes later this had progressed to wading waist deep through rank stagnant water.
Then, my friend momentarily disappeared, only to reappear moments later thrashing and spluttering in the foul water. He'd inadvertently discovered a pit or shaft or something under the water and had fallen straight in. Naturally, we laughed and took the piss. In his rage, he threw the torch at me. I ducked and it bounced off the wall, broke and fell in the water never to be seen again. Fortunately, by that point we could just about see the light from the other end.
We eventually made it to the other end, only to be thwarted by more security fencing. We couldn't get the right angle to cut the bolts from the reverse, so we set off back. Without a torch. The middle section of the tunnel was such that neither end could be seen and there was zero light, so it was a case of wading around in that horrible water and navigating only by touch.
We made it out in the end, and I didn't admit to my parents for several years about what we'd been up to.
The entrance was fenced off with metal security fencing, but we were desperate to see where it went, so we went home, came back armed with hacksaws and set about removing a couple of the bars so that we could slip inside.
Bars successfully removed and we got in. The tunnel itself had a curve in it, so we couldn't see the other end, but we went anyway. A few hundred yards from the entrance and it started to get a bit boggy underfoot. 10 minutes later this had progressed to wading waist deep through rank stagnant water.
Then, my friend momentarily disappeared, only to reappear moments later thrashing and spluttering in the foul water. He'd inadvertently discovered a pit or shaft or something under the water and had fallen straight in. Naturally, we laughed and took the piss. In his rage, he threw the torch at me. I ducked and it bounced off the wall, broke and fell in the water never to be seen again. Fortunately, by that point we could just about see the light from the other end.
We eventually made it to the other end, only to be thwarted by more security fencing. We couldn't get the right angle to cut the bolts from the reverse, so we set off back. Without a torch. The middle section of the tunnel was such that neither end could be seen and there was zero light, so it was a case of wading around in that horrible water and navigating only by touch.
We made it out in the end, and I didn't admit to my parents for several years about what we'd been up to.
- Putting pennies on the railway line at a train stile and hunting for them after the train had passed.
- Similar to the VW badges above, nicking dustcaps. Sorry, everyone.
- We also used to play knock down ginger. A lot. After a while we got to the point of targeting the same house every night, which, obviously, was HILARIOUS. We'd take it in turns to ring the bell and leg it. One night it was my turn, I pinged the bell and was away on my toes but I heard the door start to open, he'd clearly been lying in wait for us.
The houses all had low brick walls (about 2ft high) across the front gardens so I dived behind that, on the pavement side, and pinned myself in as far as I could get. The guy from the house stormed up and down his drive, yelling blue murder, what he would do when he caught us, etc etc, and I just forced myself further into the wall and tried not to breathe. He must have been a yard away from me but didn't spot me. Got huge kudos points that night.
- Similar to the VW badges above, nicking dustcaps. Sorry, everyone.
- We also used to play knock down ginger. A lot. After a while we got to the point of targeting the same house every night, which, obviously, was HILARIOUS. We'd take it in turns to ring the bell and leg it. One night it was my turn, I pinged the bell and was away on my toes but I heard the door start to open, he'd clearly been lying in wait for us.
The houses all had low brick walls (about 2ft high) across the front gardens so I dived behind that, on the pavement side, and pinned myself in as far as I could get. The guy from the house stormed up and down his drive, yelling blue murder, what he would do when he caught us, etc etc, and I just forced myself further into the wall and tried not to breathe. He must have been a yard away from me but didn't spot me. Got huge kudos points that night.
Edited by CAPP0 on Thursday 19th July 11:59
nicked some potassium from school chem lab whilst on a detention with a mate and threw it down the hall 3 bogs. cracked the cistern and flooded the corridor.
i got into a ALOT of trouble for that. the fact that I was in the top three in the school academically at the time probably saved me.
i got into a ALOT of trouble for that. the fact that I was in the top three in the school academically at the time probably saved me.
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