[Misc] Things you used to be able to do before "Health & Safety" took over

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Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,119
Faversham




Super Steve Earle

Well-known member
Feb 23, 2009
8,929
North of Brighton
Printing up customer cheque books at the bank, with a Bradma machine. Insert Adrema plate with name and account number, place blank cheque book in position, then use right hand to trigger stamping arm and left hand to flick over each page in the book. Loud banging noise each time it slammed down and the trick was to avoid leaving your thumb under the printer arm as you flicked each page over whilst at the same time avoiding slicing your hand on the edge of the brass masking plate. Now you know why you might have had the odd spot of blood on cheque books in the 60s and 70s.
 




knocky1

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2010
13,108
Can you imagine a time before owning a refrigerator?
In our kitchen we had a pantry that stored tinned and fresh food. Summertime was terrible with virtually melted butter and foul smelling sweaty cheese.

Sounds like a film review of Last Tango in Paris. Before H&S, of course.
 








smudge

Up the Albion!
Jul 8, 2003
7,376
On the ocean wave
Did a bit of labouring in the 80's. Summer was shorts & trainers. Never ever saw a high viz vest or hard hat.
North Stand in the 70's, prior to the roof coming off. Never had the yellow steps where you couldn't stand. Free for all, & absolutely marvelous it was too.
 








Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,119
Faversham
Buying broken biscuits which were kept in a huge tin container. I can recall buying these from a store that was on the corner of Portland Road and Boundary Road. It may have been called Imperial Stores.

On the south side? That was Portslade's first Super Market. And they did Green Shield Stamps! :lolol:
 








Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,119
Faversham
I was 9 when I bough my first pen knife. I lost it throwing it into trees in Easthill Park, Portslade, circa 1968.

In 2007 my neighbour's son, aged 15, threw a pen knife at a tree in his school grounds. He was expelled.

The soppy ****!
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,827
Uffern
I got a chemistry set when I was about 10 which had a bunsen burner which connected to the little gas wand on the cooker. I would mix all sorts of chemicals together, in a flask on a tripod being heated by the bunsen burner. I used to splash these bubbling concoctions onto my shirt which ended up as holes when my shirt was washed by my mum.

I thought my chemistry set was a bit tame so I badgered my parents to get me some concentrated sulphuric acid - which they did. I can't imagine a 14-year-old being let loose with a bottle of acid now. I've still got a scar on my hand where I spilt some and that was nearly 50 years ago.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,119
Faversham
Yes it was on the South side. I think there's a good store there now. It's in Hove btw.

Yes. And yes, Hove.

Is that one road still called Carlton Terrace, Boundary Road and Station Road depending on whether on the Hove or 'slade side, and north or south of the station? I loved all that.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,119
Faversham
I thought my chemistry set was a bit tame so I badgered my parents to get me some concentrated sulphuric acid - which they did. I can't imagine a 14-year-old being let loose with a bottle of acid now. I've still got a scar on my hand where I spilt some and that was nearly 50 years ago.

You just reminded me about the gunpowder. Bearing in mind this was not an episode of Bottom....

Aged 13, I cycled off to Parris the Chemist in Hove and acquired half a pound of potassium nitrate and half a pound of sulphur, as you do. Ironically the tricky bit was the bloody charcoal. It came in sticks that I had to grind, and I had few if any patience. Long story short, West Hove golf course was the ideal venue for early teenage fireworks. If I had realised a couple of hours in the airing cupboard would make a dry powder that encased in something more robust than a glass test tube would expode with startling violence, I'd be quartermaster in ISIS by now. Were I also an adherent of a medaevil death cult which, fortunately I am not.

I still have most of the sulphur in a Robinson's jam jar in my shed, nearly 50 years later.

Just in case, like :lolol: ???

As for sulphuric acid...

And incidentally if any of you remember George the Chemist in Portslade, yes, it was me that burned it to the ground with a careless bonfire when I worked there in the early 70s (thanks to Mrs T for reminding me about that :lolol:)

Edit there has been a sulphur MOUNTAIN in north Vancouver since before I lived there in the early 80s. Check this out:

Vancouver sulphur mountain.PNG
 
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wellquickwoody

Many More Voting Years
NSC Patron
Aug 10, 2007
13,912
Melbourne
Didn't some Liverpool fan get his head knocked off by a train when departing Brighton station after a match in the 80's? Vague memories of that happening. Probably just got a clip round the ear for it......

Instead of the train operator being fined for an idiots stupidity!
 


GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,186
Gloucester
Going out to play without mum having any means of contacting you.




Plus, smoking upstairs on the bus (and in lots of other places!); jumping off a train just before it stopped - and looking out of the window to see what was pulling it; playing cricket without protective gear; cycling without a helmet; buying individual cigarettes when skint; riding to work sat on a sack in the back of the van; riding on top of the hay bales on the trailer when haymaking; not having to spend a fortune buying car seats and boosters for kids. Oh ................. there's lots, isn't there!
 


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