Times have indeed changed

[Buckrub]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/national/school-boy-brings-moonshine-to-class-teacher-in-trouble/ar-BBidJ1M

for 9th grade Science Fair, Jerry Bailey and I made a working still, with real corn mash going in, and real drops of likker coming out. We got a B if I remember.........

[Big Muddy]

"""We got a B, if I remember"""

You shoulda shared....you mighta got an "A".

[Buckrub]

We did.

Probably why we got a B............not sure it was that good!

[Thumper]

I took a gun to school for an "Informative Speech" in 9th grade speech class. (A British .303 Jungle Carbine) I suppose I'd be charged with taking an "assault" weapon to a public school these days. :hair

[jb]

I was teaching school when the legal age for drinking was dropped to 18.
My students would take me out for a beer after school and I'd stock up on booze at Christmas as it was very common to get a half dozen fifths left on my desk.
oh, and that was also the time when the girls decided they didn't need to wear bra's.
Imagine a sweet little 18 year old leaning over the front of your desk asking you a question, and I was only 24 at the time.

[Niner]

I took metal shop as an elective in my SR year in High School. For some reason I don't remember now, I was assigned to learn to run the metal lathe. After doing several of the "required" projects, the teacher told me I had to make "something useful" on the lathe and gave me a book of plans to pick from.

I found a little "pirate's canon" in there and asked if I could make that. He said "OK, but it has to work". That was probably because I was interested (and he knew it) in becoming a gunsmith. A carrer path, looking back, I surely wish I had of taken.

Long story short, I made the canon. It was only about 5" long. For my "exam" the teacher reminded me it had to work. I had taken that into account when I made it. I'd bored out the barrel and drilled a little touch-hole in the correct place. I brought in a little bit of black powder from home. I put a little bit down the barrel and seated a little bit of paper towel on top of the charge. Then I chucked the canon up in a vise, and ground up another littttttle bit of the powder really fine and put that over the touch hole. The teacher loaned me his lighter....and I lit it off. I second or two later the BOOOOM and the paper towel "ball" flying across the shop spelled and A+ for the project.!!!

Today, they'd haul me off to jail for making a Destructive Device or something.

I still have that little canon. I was going through some old "junk" in the basement a while back and came across it.

[Bwana]

That is WAY cool Niner!

I never made a cannon but like Thumper, I too brought a rifle to school for a speech I gave. Also brought a couple of guns to school so I could re-finish the stocks in shop class and then showed them at the shop fair. Now days kids get in trouble for pointing a french fry like a gun. Sad deal.