Here’s a DIY version of the pocket protector – Popular Mechanics 1950 – and speaking of melting things…
How To Build It 1932 shows how to use old tires as odorless fuel… Interesting what was acceptable over 70 years ago to burn in your homes. That said, around 10 million tires per year are consumed as fuel at dedicated tire-to-energy facilities – Link.
More at Modern Mechanix – Link.
12 thoughts on “DIY Pocket protector and using tires as fuel?”
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From what I’ve been told, tires burn extremely hot. I don’t think I would actually want to burn a tire inside a house. On the otherhand, according to my father and grandfather, “back in the day” it was some sort of ice covered dark ages. It snowed almost non stop, and becasue of a sudden technology blackout, everthing was a ten mile walk in said snow, with no shoes, and because of wide spread geograhpical anololies, the trip was uphill, in both directions. So maybe burning tires wasn’t such a bad idea.
Tires were also made of a purer rubber compound back then which did not give off noxious fumes/smoke when set alight.
You also might have some steel belts in your modern tire, which probably won’t burn well in the fireplace.
I’m having a hard time believing that burning what amounts to a giant rubber cigar wouldn’t give off the slightest aroma of burning rubber.
But I guess I’m about 70 years too late to call the editors out on it, so I’ll just keep quiet. You’ve won this round, How To Build It magazine!
@Lagg:
Haha! Excellent diagnosis!
Yep, Steel belted tyres are a pretty good reason not to “try this at home Kiddies”. Let’s see. We would have a tightly rolled coil of steel held in its coiled form by a fairly weak wire loop and a few mm of rubber which is either on fire or melting.
I predict a fairly spectacular unravelling of the steel coil, subsequently distributing flaming pieces of molten rubber tyre at great speed in all directions.