Thorlifter
Captain
Watch your language sir!!!!!! LOL
For the OLD Furts....remember?
- Thread starter mikewint
- Start date
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bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
I have my dad's original key pad. back in 30s kids used to buy heath kits and talk much like ham radio operators today. they didn't have the range so they would only be able to talk to other people in the Pittsburgh area. he was still a young teen when ww2 started and use of such radio was deeply frowned upon....of course the kids didn't care they talked on. he later on in life after he retired did get into ham radio...N3GTT
I also have my uncles original 2 way radio from the forest service. he served in the 20s and 30s around here and worked with the CCCs in the national forest where I have my camp. it is the crudest looking thing. the antenna was a 20some foot wire that he would have to throw in a tree branch. it didn't have much range either iirc......hmmm wonder if the thing would still work?? ( will post a pic of it when I get a chance )
anyone remember "clackers"??? back then our toys served a dual purpose...they were fun to play with and could be used for self defense...lol. they were soon deemed too dangerous...like lawn darts. I suppose its amazing some of us survived huh?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLHftISLNHE
I also have my uncles original 2 way radio from the forest service. he served in the 20s and 30s around here and worked with the CCCs in the national forest where I have my camp. it is the crudest looking thing. the antenna was a 20some foot wire that he would have to throw in a tree branch. it didn't have much range either iirc......hmmm wonder if the thing would still work?? ( will post a pic of it when I get a chance )
anyone remember "clackers"??? back then our toys served a dual purpose...they were fun to play with and could be used for self defense...lol. they were soon deemed too dangerous...like lawn darts. I suppose its amazing some of us survived huh?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLHftISLNHE
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
saw these and thought they were funny...or not
10 banned toys...of which I had half....jarts ( lawn darts ) and creepy crawlers....and..
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDiuX80Ldr8
then there are these...20 most shocking children's toys...I never bought any of these for my kids
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_w9TOQLYs
10 banned toys...of which I had half....jarts ( lawn darts ) and creepy crawlers....and..
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDiuX80Ldr8
then there are these...20 most shocking children's toys...I never bought any of these for my kids
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_w9TOQLYs
Crimea_River
Marshal
When I was a kid there was a knife sharpener guy who would walk through our neighbourhood every few weeks. He had a small cart with a treadle operated grind stone that he pulled with his right hand whilst ringing a hand bell in his left.
Yesterday while visiting my parents home where I grew up , I heard the same type of bell and it brought back those memories. Turns out it was also from a knife sharpener but this time he had his shop in the back of a truck and he rang the bell by pulling a string while he drove. I guess the standard of living has increased over the years.
Yesterday while visiting my parents home where I grew up , I heard the same type of bell and it brought back those memories. Turns out it was also from a knife sharpener but this time he had his shop in the back of a truck and he rang the bell by pulling a string while he drove. I guess the standard of living has increased over the years.
I surprised no ones mentioned to old BB guns. A source of occasional trouble for me.
When I was about 10 or so I had built a little one room shack in the woods behind my house, it had a board roof that I later covered with some old tin sheeting.
One of my friends was sitting on the roof, when I thought i'd give him a thump in the butt by shooting the board he was sitting on from underneath with my BB gun. I didn't notice I put it at a knot hole in the board.
In effect, I shot my friend in the butt from 1/2 inch away. I don't know whose butt ended up being in the worse shape, and I didn't see that BB gun again for a month.
When I was about 10 or so I had built a little one room shack in the woods behind my house, it had a board roof that I later covered with some old tin sheeting.
One of my friends was sitting on the roof, when I thought i'd give him a thump in the butt by shooting the board he was sitting on from underneath with my BB gun. I didn't notice I put it at a knot hole in the board.
In effect, I shot my friend in the butt from 1/2 inch away. I don't know whose butt ended up being in the worse shape, and I didn't see that BB gun again for a month.
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GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
That sure brings back memories! 
When I was a kid, neighborhood guys and I would get together for "BB gun wars" - which pretty much entailed putting on our Dad's or Uncle's combat gear (or war prizes) like helmets and such and going out to the oil fields for "war".
Understand, that in North Orange county, there were old oil fields that covered the landscape, with derricks, pumps, pipes and trenches criss-crossing the landscape, with the occasional abandoned homesteads or ranch houses here and there among the Sycamores and Oaks.
The weapons of choice were, of course, BB guns, but in my case, I had my Dad's hand-me-down Benjamin "pop gun", which was just a lever action air gun that made a considerable "pop" when the trigger was pulled. Being creative, I discovered this "pop gun" was best suited as a trench warfare weapon, because I would cock it, ram the barrel down into the mud/sand then the let fly like a shotgun - often with very gratifying results.
Needless to say, there was plenty of us getting hurt (not seriously and one ever lost an eye, thank God) and I shudder to think what some of those German and Japanese helmets and tunics would be worth today...
When I was a kid, neighborhood guys and I would get together for "BB gun wars" - which pretty much entailed putting on our Dad's or Uncle's combat gear (or war prizes) like helmets and such and going out to the oil fields for "war".
Understand, that in North Orange county, there were old oil fields that covered the landscape, with derricks, pumps, pipes and trenches criss-crossing the landscape, with the occasional abandoned homesteads or ranch houses here and there among the Sycamores and Oaks.
The weapons of choice were, of course, BB guns, but in my case, I had my Dad's hand-me-down Benjamin "pop gun", which was just a lever action air gun that made a considerable "pop" when the trigger was pulled. Being creative, I discovered this "pop gun" was best suited as a trench warfare weapon, because I would cock it, ram the barrel down into the mud/sand then the let fly like a shotgun - often with very gratifying results.
Needless to say, there was plenty of us getting hurt (not seriously and one ever lost an eye, thank God) and I shudder to think what some of those German and Japanese helmets and tunics would be worth today...
Thorlifter
Captain
BB gun? I don't remember ever having one. I guess I was into the high powered stuff and had a pump pellet rifle! LOL Actually a fairly powerful gun after 20 pumps.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
I had a Crossman BB/Pellet rifle in my mid/late teens but I rarely used it - actually, I think I might still have it hiding in a back closet somewhere. It's probably the least used BB gun on the planet...
By the time I was 16, I had an Armalite AR-7, Marlin 989 .22 and both an Iver-Johnson .410 top-break and .32 5-shot hammerless revolver - both of which were vintage hand-me-downs.
By the time I was 16, I had an Armalite AR-7, Marlin 989 .22 and both an Iver-Johnson .410 top-break and .32 5-shot hammerless revolver - both of which were vintage hand-me-downs.
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
I was going to mention the air gun ( and the dirt slug projectile ) after reading Tom's post but GG got it covered. the first BB gun I got was from my sister's boy friend. it was a single shot pistol that looked like a browning hi-power that you pulled back the slide to cock. i then saved up and bot a CO2 powered one. i still have both but the CO2 one doesn't work. i kept it with the intention of seeing if i could fix it. i got all my kids BB/Pellet guns and they all learned how to shoot and about gun safety. my son was about as old as Ralphie when the movie Christmas story came out....so you know he did get a red rider...
the story about the knife sharpener reminded me about the ice cream trucks that used to come by. dairy queen used to have a 3 wheeled Cushman with refrigerated box to sell dilly bars, pop up and IC sandwiches....
back in the 60s slot cars were a big thing around here. hobby shops used to have huge 10 or 12 lane tracks and hold races on the weekends. i wanted to get into doing that but to be competitive cost big bucks so i had to settle for my 1/32 Eldon race set with two 67 dodge chargers...which i still have along with my HO Aurora track. both will go to the grandkids when they are old enough..and after i clean and fix them up a little
the story about the knife sharpener reminded me about the ice cream trucks that used to come by. dairy queen used to have a 3 wheeled Cushman with refrigerated box to sell dilly bars, pop up and IC sandwiches....
back in the 60s slot cars were a big thing around here. hobby shops used to have huge 10 or 12 lane tracks and hold races on the weekends. i wanted to get into doing that but to be competitive cost big bucks so i had to settle for my 1/32 Eldon race set with two 67 dodge chargers...which i still have along with my HO Aurora track. both will go to the grandkids when they are old enough..and after i clean and fix them up a little
fubar57
General
I had/have(somewhere) a 1/32 Strombecker European Rallye with 65' of track. We never had room to set it all up. One thing I learned is that if you reversed the power wires, you could create a drag strip using just the straight pieces.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Some of my friends had Aurora slotcar setups, I had a basic Tyco set.
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
holy crap that strombecker track is awesome. hope you still have that laying around somewhere....
at6
1st Sergeant
Oh the memories of when we were young!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thorlifter
Captain
I remember the Christmas my parents got me this. Total Control Racing. It was slotless and with a flip of a thumb button you could change lanes.
bobbysocks
, if we are talking about the same air pistol, I think I had the same one. Did yours look similar to a 1911 and you loaded the BB up close to the front site?
bobbysocks
, if we are talking about the same air pistol, I think I had the same one. Did yours look similar to a 1911 and you loaded the BB up close to the front site?
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
yes...the front 3 inched were on a hinge. I think the front site may have unlocked it but not certain about that. once open you put the BB in the center of a rubber donut looking thing and closed it back up. I will see if I can get a pic of it tonight if I remember.
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
cars....since I grew up in an auto parts store I remember a lot about the changes over the years.
dimmer switches used to be a button on the floor long before they were on the column. it was located all the way to the left under the parking/emergency brake pedal. Cal Custom ( hot rod aftermarket co ) in the "surfer days" made a chrome footprint gas pedal cover....and also a smaller version of the same for the dimmer switch.
radios. back in the early 60s it was all AM radio. as FM came out and people like the sound of it REVERB units became available. basically they were a steel box with about a 5 or 6 inch spring inside. not sure how it was wired up but it did give the am radio a lower mellower sound similar to FM stereo. only down side was if you hit a pot hole or jarred the car in any way the spring would wobble and you would hear a loud CRASH. as more and more FM stations came out FM converters came out. I sold a ton of them and they worked well. we sold aftermarket radios but this was the cheap quick fix.
windshield washers. they weren't always standard equipment. I remember a couple add on kits. one had a bellows ball that you mounted on the floor and had to keep stomping on the ball to make it squirt. the other one was a lever you mounted under the dash. same deal you pulled it for each squirt.
seat belts started being made standard in the mid 60s? we sold kits for people to upgrade. there were no shoulder harness so the driver ate the steering wheel and the passenger slammed their head into the dashboard. child seats??? surely you jest. no such thing for older children for kids old enough to sit upright you there was a snazzy seat that hung from the top of the front bench seat and had a steering wheel..shifter..and a bellows horn ( which the parent usually poked a hole in so it wouldn't work, babys were held.
window tint. pre-mylar there were green sheets of plastic that stuck to the windows via static. for a more permanent solution there was a spray...think 2 shades green and gray.
tire chains were a must back then. hardly anyone used salt. the trucks spread cinders and ash. most everyone who lived where snow was prevalent during the winter months carried chains ( and the monkey links and tools to fix them ). some of the older cars had sandbags built into the cars..located in front of the rear wheels. if you got stuck you could pull a lever and spread some sand in front of your tire. GM came out with a high-tech version of this in the late 60s early 80 with an aerosol spray can called of course Liquid Tire Chain. it didn't last too long. studded tires were introduced late 60s and there was a DIY kit....which was soon taken off of the market as those studs not properly seated could shoot from the tire ( especially if the tire was spinning on ice ) at a high rate of speed.
I am sure there are a ton more I will remember later on...
dimmer switches used to be a button on the floor long before they were on the column. it was located all the way to the left under the parking/emergency brake pedal. Cal Custom ( hot rod aftermarket co ) in the "surfer days" made a chrome footprint gas pedal cover....and also a smaller version of the same for the dimmer switch.
radios. back in the early 60s it was all AM radio. as FM came out and people like the sound of it REVERB units became available. basically they were a steel box with about a 5 or 6 inch spring inside. not sure how it was wired up but it did give the am radio a lower mellower sound similar to FM stereo. only down side was if you hit a pot hole or jarred the car in any way the spring would wobble and you would hear a loud CRASH. as more and more FM stations came out FM converters came out. I sold a ton of them and they worked well. we sold aftermarket radios but this was the cheap quick fix.
windshield washers. they weren't always standard equipment. I remember a couple add on kits. one had a bellows ball that you mounted on the floor and had to keep stomping on the ball to make it squirt. the other one was a lever you mounted under the dash. same deal you pulled it for each squirt.
seat belts started being made standard in the mid 60s? we sold kits for people to upgrade. there were no shoulder harness so the driver ate the steering wheel and the passenger slammed their head into the dashboard. child seats??? surely you jest. no such thing for older children for kids old enough to sit upright you there was a snazzy seat that hung from the top of the front bench seat and had a steering wheel..shifter..and a bellows horn ( which the parent usually poked a hole in so it wouldn't work, babys were held.
window tint. pre-mylar there were green sheets of plastic that stuck to the windows via static. for a more permanent solution there was a spray...think 2 shades green and gray.
tire chains were a must back then. hardly anyone used salt. the trucks spread cinders and ash. most everyone who lived where snow was prevalent during the winter months carried chains ( and the monkey links and tools to fix them ). some of the older cars had sandbags built into the cars..located in front of the rear wheels. if you got stuck you could pull a lever and spread some sand in front of your tire. GM came out with a high-tech version of this in the late 60s early 80 with an aerosol spray can called of course Liquid Tire Chain. it didn't last too long. studded tires were introduced late 60s and there was a DIY kit....which was soon taken off of the market as those studs not properly seated could shoot from the tire ( especially if the tire was spinning on ice ) at a high rate of speed.
I am sure there are a ton more I will remember later on...
fubar57
General
Child car seats? We sat in the back of the pickup truck, no canopy. I miss the floor dimmer switch, my new '76 GMC still had it along with the Craig Powerplay 8-track
Cool stuff fellas...
at6
1st Sergeant
I remember Cal Custom well. There was also Hollywood Accessories which was absorbed by Cal Custom later on. Then there were the Kraco stereo radio/speaker sets. I must say though I didn't think the speakers were half bad.
