Apprentice Memories – Please share

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Hello Hopper,

Looks like some typical, and must I say, well executed apprentice pieces.   Surprisingly similar to some that I made (and still have) at the Ford Motor Company Apprentice School in 1972/73.  Maybe there’s a generic set of drawings out there somewhere.  Few in-house shenanigans from us though, we were clearly all too sensible and well behaved.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

We had 10 tool tags, each one represented a loaned tool from the stores – anything from a drill to a Hilger and Watts alignment telescope.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

The Training Centre at BSC Bilston had up to 120 apprentices at years they did 2 years in the Training Centre I knew the Training Centre manager and also heard tales of his antics from apprentice as they came into the Electrical Dept. So myself and several other sparkies had been in the Training Centre for a meeting we went downstairs the Training Centre was deserted so knowing the Training Centre manager did not like to see dark blue chip on the drilling machines or the lathes we left a few i was told later he went spare, later the afternoon knowing he would not tolerate smoking in the toilets he would shout fire then throw water over the door one of the other sparks told him someone was smoking in the toilets so off he went water in hand fortunately there was no one in there !

H

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

I never did an apprenticeship.

I trained at Long Eaton Government Training Centre, 1974 -5, at first as Capstan Setter/Op, then as Centre Lathe Turner.

There was very little messing about done there – along with most on the others I was too keen to learn the trade in what everyone recognised to be a short and intensive course – 6 months. I’d had to work in semi-skilled operator jobs for a previous six months in order to get on the course – I’d ended up doing nearly a year in a factory that made jacking screws for artic trailers and trolley jacks for garages.

The Training Centre was very well-equipped with machines at different stages of life – some were almost brand-new, others worn so as to force trainees to learn various techniques to get a good working performance from them. The instructors were mostly good-natured and all were highly skilled.

 

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Above is the boiler house at Chrysler Australia I mentioned being left in charge of at the tender age of 18 in a post above, taken mid-1970s. The 44 gallon drum on the handcart in the mid-ground gives an idea of scale.

Four Superior watertube boilers on the right. Gauge glass, pressure gauge, feedwater valves etc are on the platform at the top of the stairs on the boiler front, at second floor level.

Four Ingersoll Rand XL air compressor “L twins” on the left. Pistons 3 foot diameter on the vertical low pressure cylinder, about 18 inches on the high pressure horizontal cylinder.

The tea-break table was just to the left of the compressor control panel at the front of the pic. With four compressors running and four boiler forced draft fan intakes screaming like jet engines, it is not wonder I have wear hearing aids today. No mention of hearing protection back then. In fact it was actively discouraged lest you not hear a low water alarm or the beginnings of water hammer in one of those big steam pipes in the top right of the pic.

And below is the boiler house today. Repurposed as a yuppie microbrewery since the factory closed down in about 2008. My old boilerhouse mentors, all ex-navy and merchant marine men would have a quiet chuckle.

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

I started my apprenticeship a little late in November when the collage started in september after trying a short job in forestry which started very nice in summer weather but as the weather droped in autum it seemed less atractive. I went to Hermatage Engineering for a job they were mixed engineering making tools for Die Press work, making parts for RR nuclear reactors, eavan parts for concorde and fittings and pipes for RR engines. They were owned by Mansfield hosiery  Mills group so we would also make tooling and jigs for inspecting jumpers and mark botton holes etc. They allowed me to start the day release at local West Notts College and soon caught up with rest of the group. I had to do some basic set pieces like chain drill and a square hole and file it to size then file a roud bar to fit the square hole. We were given a M and W wooden toolbox containing a copper hide mallet,  a small hammer. a set of marking and measuring tools in a wallet containing a pair of dividers, odd leg marking dividers, inside and outside calipers, center punch, screw cutting tool gauge, and a 6 inch rule. also a 0 to 1 micromiter. Other tools were bought on the tool club where I paid back an amount weekly over a period of time till it was paid up. Some of the tools were made at College in practical time like a Machine vice and a surface gauge firstly after making simple morse taper drifts and a screw driver. We were also able to make other items at work when we were not to busy like a clocking arm and a couple of bottle squares.

I have all these tools and toolbox except for screw driver and still in use. After 5 years of collage I was put on full wages and classed as a qualified engineer but carriad on at College doing electrician and pnumatics courses as well as getting inpection and testing electrical qualifications, when I qualified after 5 years the apprentices who had only done 4 years were classed as qualified as the training was reduced to 4 years, we were not Happy.

David George

 

 

 

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