Sentimental Journey

[Ted Samsel]

Tom Stanton sez:
> 
> At 09:30 PM 3/30/97 EST, Skip Wolfe wrote:
> >
> >Monte Davis writes:
> >Chemistry sets (Chem-craft I think was the brand), that came in a metal
> >case, and had, among the other chemicals, TANNIC ACID.  Wow -- I'm
> >working with _real acid_!
> 
> Gilbert was my first chemistry set & I went on to build a basement
> lab with it. I keep looking for them at yard sales or antique toy
> stores, but they're usually near-empty of chemicals, test tubes,
> etc. Loved them & the microscope kit, particularly the idea of being
> a forensic detective, digging out fibers or hair samples & matching
> them with hapless perpetrators in the neighborhood. Too bad I only
> had two neighboring houses (12 kids in all) for my samples...
> 

I was toy-shopping a few Christmases ago and was rudely dissapointed
to find that today's chemistry sets are RILLY wimpy. One should look
at such tomes from 1900-1950 as THE BOY CHEMIST. They give nifty recipes
for such things as thermite & hydrofluouric acid. 

How we have fallen.....

tejas at infi.net
           "Eat some blackeyed peas and fried banana,
            smoke me a seegar from Havana,
            I'll be the King of Louisiana"   
                             (It's gonna be) PAYDAY  Porter Wagoner