Look at the Kastor Kit through modern eyes:
- its molten metal flows at 400°
- its electrical connection is unshielded
- its safety feature: a pair of tweezers
- its lead: toxic to breath and touch
The exhibit asks: Were our grandparents reckless? What in their world allowed them to put into the hands of children a kit that now seems the most dangerous plaything ever?
Remember Prometheus? He stole fire for man... and with fire came industry. The 1930s were a Promethean age in America. In the New Haven area alone, a hundred factories cast parts in metals, rubber, and the new plastics. We were a culture closer to the fires of industry. The Kastor Kit was an initiation. It was a natural and appropriate preparation in the land that aspired to be the world's foundry.