Worth a look, even if it only means it’s just simply something a bit different from the dross on most of the time. Mind you I imagine health & safety will probably sanitise everything so it doesn’t frighten the snowflake generation. (Before anyone gets on their high horse, I do fully approve of the majority of improvements that h&s has made over the years to save lives & cut injuries)

I’ve just had a good chuckle watching another ‘old’ repeat series of James May doing all sorts of quite ridiculous challenges with Meccano, model aircraft, rockets etc. Totally silly, but still an enjoyable watch.

We wait for this new series expectantly!

On 14 March 2025 at 19:51 Mike Hurley Said:

……

…..I’ve e just had a good chuckle watching another ‘old’ repeat series of James May doing all sorts of quite ridiculous challenges with Meccano, model aircraft, rockets etc. Totally silly, but still an enjoyable watch.

We wait for this new series expectantly!

I just dropped on the one where he had OO gauge locos doing 10 miles. The German entry appeared to be driven by a model aeroplane engine with an electric transmission.OK it exploded, but if Neil could do enough research and find the makers it would make a fun article for ME&W

Looking at Michael’s sample issue I’m impressed by the amount of “stuff” advertised.

As Michael says modern magazines are pale shadow of the norm in the 50’s and 60’s. The decline started to become noticeable in the 1970’s and by the mid 1980’s the DIY et al magazines where quite obviously different and chronically thinner. MEW being a typical example of something started in the new age with a fairly decently heavy content in the earlier days but comparative lightness became the norm.

Clearly there were enough readers to support the content in those days but, being a cynical type, I do wonder how many readers actually made featured things and how many were mere armchair enthusiasts. I suspect vastly more of the latter than the former. But it’s the readers and purchasers that make a magazine viable. Constructors are just the icing on the cake so long as there are enough buying things from the advertisers to make their business, and adverts viable.

My father took Do It Yourself (I think) magazine for many years which, if I recall childhood reading in the 1960’s focused mostly on woodworking things for the house. My recollection is that he made only a couple or three things from the magazine and, probably, picked up some tips for doing household jobs.

I still have the very nice sewing box on castors he made for mum.

I find it telling that he found it more sensible to install an early MFI fitted wardrobe kit when the post war economy stand alones became inadequate despite the, ahem, “un-wonderful” quality of the MFI offering. He was more than capable of making something far better.

Before I was around he built a very decent fitted kitchen from scratch. Never really followed why a modern kit got put in as a replacement around the later 1980’s but I do recall his version being very hard work to dismantle. Properly assembled jointed, glued and pinned framework cut nailed to the wall meant it wasn’t coming out without a major fight. So glad that Wolf had invented the Grindette (angle grinder) to deal with the cut nails that absolutely weren’t coming out this side of Armageddon.

Clive

I’m watching this program (I recorded it). I’m about half way through and can’t believe they are making the body of a camping trailer from 18mm birch ply! Apart from the cost the thing must weigh a ton. Even the floor has closely spaced joists and noggins. At least it will be rigid… OMG even the internal cupboard is 18mm BP. This is on a single axle trailer frame. They will be close to 3500kg limit (assuming the chassis has that rating I can’t tell if it has over-run ) by the time it’s kitted out. 9mm BP would be fine for most of it and even 3 or 4 mm for things like cupboard doors.

Watched it last night, I thought it rather tedious and pretty well gave up after 20 mins.

They seemed to be so excited with their new ‘invention’ but I couldn’t  stop thinking ‘why’ ? Essentially they were making something that in essence has been around for years in the caravan world.

Will watch the next episode with mild interest, but little expectation.

Mike

On 14 March 2025 at 19:43 Michael Gilligan Said:

Browse here:

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Practical-Mechanics.htm

MichaelG.

.

Edit: __ based on this single issue, selected at random, I would have to say it knocks spots off ME&W for content !

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Practical-Mechanics/50s/Practical-Mechanics-1958-02-S-OCR.pdf#search=%22nuclear%22

Excellent resource Michael!

The adverts are fascinating.

Thank you.

Jimb

On 18 March 2025 at 08:52 jimmy b Said:

On 14 March 2025 at 19:43 Michael Gilligan Said:

Browse here:

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Practical-Mechanics.htm

MichaelG.

.

Edit: __ based on this single issue, selected at random, I would have to say it knocks spots off ME&W for content !

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Practical-Mechanics/50s/Practical-Mechanics-1958-02-S-OCR.pdf#search=%22nuclear%22

Excellent resource Michael!

The adverts are fascinating.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Hi Jimb, yes that is a excellent resource, being using it for a few years, and have even contributed to it a couple or so times. I got many copies of Practical Wireless from there, that I lost many years ago.

Regards Nick.

Abolute drivel intended as cheap entertainment for the masses.

The so called “caravan” would have self-destructed within 15 minutes of towing around the M25 and was totally impractical for anything other than putting in the garden for the kids to use as a toy – and even then it was full of hazards for any kids using it as such.

The sledge was a little better conceived but still impractical.

Overall I thought it was an insult to the legacy of “Practical Mechanics”.

I won’t be watching it again.

Typical TV rubbish, don’t waste your time.

They didn’t use modern materials at all. I’d suggest that melamine faced MDF on outside and inside a frame with insulation inbetween would be a much better solution. Light weight and rigid. available in 3mm or 6mm you can even get it with a beaded pattern moulded in.

In 1956 I made the Aqualung featured in Practical Mechanics. from ex RAF Nitrogen tanks x2. The Demand Valve was converted from a Calor gas valve. Tubing was all ex RAF. It worked quite well down to about 50ft, but had a habbit of suddenly giving you a mouthful of water.

Keith