Fun With Apprentices!

[raynjer]

A couple of us slightly older moldmakers were discussing a short while ago some of the fun we use to have at the expense of the young apprentices just starting out. You know the kind of thing I'm talking about, the hijinx involved in initiating some poor young eager and unsuspecting victim who foolishly believed anything that you told him. You'd sit back and laugh yourselves off your stool watching the apprentice make a fool of himself. It may have been sending someone out to the local tool supply store for a can of Add-a-Thou after a grinding just a little too much off something or some other silly thing.

It seems that not much of that funstuff happens any more these days, but it certainly would be good to hear the stories of the good ol days when it was the norm to play tricks and jokes on the apprentices as a rite of inititian.
Let's hear some of the stories from others who may have been the prankster or even some of our victims!

[derekj308]

Hi rayjner

Just a few tools and supplies I've heard 'to be picked up by the apprentice'

- a bucket of steam

When the apprentice comes back telling you the steam keeps coming out tell him to hold the bucket upside down and walk quickly.

- spotted paint

- striped paint

- spots for the spot welder

- a glass hammer

- a left handed screwdriver

- a metric adjustable wrench

Tell the apprentice you stripped a metric bolt because you used an imperial adjustable wrench

- a long weight (wait)

You need to ring the supplier before that prank. They are usually more than happy to help out.

Cheers

[mc-motorsports]

Wow, glad I didn't have you guys as a mentor. I just got yelled at a lot. Actually, I probably wished I would have had you guys as a mentor during the apprentice years.

Honestly, I was lucky and learned from some very talented, very intelligent individuals. But I heard the F word a lot! Any little mistake and they were on my ass, no joking about it. When I was an apprentice, if you made a mistake, you either figured out what you did wrong and explained it in detail or you were nose to nose with the boss, red face and spraying spit with cursing with every other word... Kids today would just quit.

I'll admit that at the time I couldn't understand why someone would take everything so personal, but I learned, and I learned fast! I learned to figure out what went wrong and not mumble excuses, that was lesson #1.

You guys sound like a bunch of softies!

MEMORIES....

[Geof]

Originally Posted by mc-motorsports ...Honestly, I was lucky and learned from some very talented, very intelligent individuals...

I guess I was lucky too; at least I never had some puerile brained twit playing silly jokes on me. I have never been able to see the humor in the sort of silly antics that are pulled by experienced people on in-experienced people; kinda falls into the category of bullying in my opinion. I am not sad to see this type of behaviour decline.

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by Geof I guess I was lucky too; at least I never had some puerile brained twit playing silly jokes on me.

With all respect, I know your older than I am, I'm 32 if that matters.

What was it like in your apprentice years? Give us the long story when you get a chance, it's probably a good one!

I know the guys who taught me could be flippin pricks, but I know it's because they didn't have it easy when they were an apprentice though too.