By Bruce Hansen, A.C. Gilbert Heritage Society Newsletter, December 2006

The Magnetic Fun and Facts sets were relatively popular from the 1920s through World War II. Most, if not all, of the experiments continued in Gilbert Electrical sets into the 1960s.

The set detailed dozens of experiments with static electricity and magnets. The static electricity experiments demonstrated putting positive and/or negative charges on small pieces of suspended cork. The experiments with magnets discussed poles, magnetic induction, and how to make magnets. Iron filings and a compass were used to show the poles. A number of demonstrations involved magnetizing needles and how the magnet would attract or repel them.

There were 20 “Parlor” tricks with magnets shown at the back of the manual. These included a magnetic car (needle with cardboard wheels being pulled with a magnet under a table), a submarine (needle through a small piece of cork pulled down a cup of water by a magnet), and a suspended top (nail through a cardboard disc spun while being suspended by the magnet).

Pictured below is the Magnetic Fun and Facts No. 2 set, circa 1936. The ebonite and glass rods (just to the right of the horseshoe magnet) were rubbed with silk (lower right) or felt (lower left) to build up a positive or negative static charge. The blue wooden base and support rod (left side) were used to suspend cord or paper bits for the static electricity experiments. My set came with iron filings in each of the two test tubes, but I have seen sets where one tube held steel axles and steel balls (stuck to the horseshoe magnet in this set).