Better Living Through Chemistry

I had a Skilcraft Chemistry Set similar to this growing-up in the 1960s.  Did you?

These sets were sold in various levels of complexity - if I had to hazard a guess I didn't have a base model or the high-end version.  Precisely which one I had is lost to memory but it was likely somewhere in the middle.   Chemistry sets were classic educational toys popular from the 1950s through the 1970s, produced by various companies.  The Skilcraft version was a brand under the National Industries for the Blind (NIB). These sets afforded curious and scientifically-inclined children to the basics of chemistry through hands-on experiments.

What I recall of my setup was that it included small bottles of chemicals - copper sulfate, iron filings, borax, sodium bisulfate, calcium chloride, sulfur, cobalt chloride and more.  

There were test tubes (and rack), glass stirring rods, funnel, beakers, droppers, measuring spoons, scales, litmus paper, pH test stuff, an alcohol-fueled burner and instruction manual with dozens of self-guided experiments.  These taught basic chemical reactions (acid-base, color change, gas production), the scientific method and likely encouraged talented children to eventually pursue a career in a field of science.

By today's standards these home-grown laboratories contained hazardous materials and wouldn't be for sale nowadays as a consequence of liability concerns.  Come to think of it, I have no recollection of goggles, gloves and routine adult supervision.  I was left at my own peril to conduct my mad scientist experiments alone at the basement work bench. 

If you happen to have one of these laying around and the chemical contents haven't corroded everything it might be of some interest to anyone that is a collector of vintage toys. 

Maybe one of these days I'll tell you about the dissection kit my dad gave me.....