Engineering Industry Training Boards (EITB)

[OnOff]

First project was to FILE a rough lump cut off a rolled billet of mild steel on a donkey saw to a "perfect" 2" cube. For some bizarre reason I still love draw filing. 2nd thing was a drill drift. Complete knurling tool towards the end.

 

[Tony S]

The first year stuff I learnt in the machine shop stayed with me throughout my time at work.

When I started at the foundry I was in seventh heaven when I saw the workshop. Two lathes, horizontal and vertical milling machines, shapper, surface grinder, a radial arm drill, topped off with two welding plants. It became my playground.

 

[Sidewinder]

Think clapper box!

 

[Tony S]

I've just spat my drink on the screen!

 

[apprentice87]

Makes me feel sorry for the kids of today with what passes for "training" now...

None of them could screw a nut onto a bolt let alone be let loose with shapers, millers lathes etc...

You were all lucky to have had the opportunity you had and not forgetting the hard work and willpower to see it through...

john..

 

[Sidewinder]

Shaper on you!

 

[Tony S]

Groan! SW that was terrible.

 

[OnOff]

Ah yes, turning the magnet off on the surface grinder when your mate's not looking! Or setting an oversize cut on the shaper and watching the lumps arc through the cold morning air leaving a vapour trail!  Even better switching the white water pump to ON and pointing the nozzle toward the operator.....

 

[apprentice87]

When i was in college we got shown films advising against sticking an airline up ones bum and the effects oily rags in the pockets would have on ones nuts. [Not the hexagonal sort]

Anyone else have them?? [the films not the nuts!!!]

While i think of it, i saw a wheel burst on a surface grinder once.... That was enough to make you poo your pants....

john..

 

[Tony S]

One GPO safety film was withdrawn for being too graphic. Nearly as bad as having to watch a film on child birth in general studies, four lads passed out.

 

[Sidewinder]

Ah yes, turning the magnet off on the surface grinder when your mate's not looking! Or setting an oversize cut on the shaper and watching the lumps arc through the cold morning air leaving a vapour trail!  Even better switching the white water pump to ON and pointing the nozzle toward the operator.....

One thing that we were warned against on pain of being sacked was turning the magnet off on a surface grinder!

Because of the chance of the wheel exploding, it was taken very seriously.

The shaper clutch would cut in so that was fine.

The coolant thing was ish, as coolant is quite nasty, and we were warned against it even in the early 80's!

 

[apprentice87]

When i saw a wheel explode it certainly was nasty...

Was about 8 or 10" diameter on a Jones and Shipman surface grinder. What i "think" happened is that the chap working the thing had not tightened up one of the table travel reverse trip thingys. [you know what i mean] Anyway, the thing was grinding away nicely, when suddenly the table fed the wheel dressing attachment, [that was bolted to the end of the table] at full traverse speed into the wheel..

There was an almighty bang and the wheel exploded.. Happily all bits of wheel were contained by the guarding, but it did stop the spindle dead. [Wonder it did not damage the thing..] [hit the diamond out of the dresser was all]

From memory [it was nearly 40 years ago] the wheel speed was about 3000rpm?? Made a big bang anyway!!

john..

 

[OnOff]

We had two retired guys, Ernie the "tech" and Bert the labourer. The only H&S instruction I remember being given was by Bert when we were having a white water fight.....

"Silly little f***ers! Best stop that or you'll get bollock cancer!"

Political correctness? My 3rd year project was a crossbow milled from solid Dural and test fired in the yard outside the machine shop into a tree in the college grounds. I'll dig out some of my stuff over the weekend and take pics.

 

[Rob.]

One task after having to draw file a drill drift, set square the usual. I had to file a junior hacksaw handle out of a block of aluminium. I'll have to dig it out an post a photo. 

Made my own tool box in sheet metal work. 

Did all the usual, got caught with the coolant trick on machines more than I'd like to admit. 

Remember a couple of times having to duck for cover when one of the lads would start one of the lathes with a chuck key still in. 

 

[OnOff]

Did the barn box too, still got it! Funnel, jug, jeweller's vice, adjustable square, marking gauge etc. Still got my tray work pieces too from when I went back post EITB and did my electrical stuff.

 

[Tony S]

One of the great things for me during my apprenticeship was “bruver”, a good few years older than me and out of his time when I started. He brought supposedly “scrap” contactors and so on home for me to play with when I was twelve. 250V control, no RCD, if you get a belt “it’s your own bloody fault!”

After the first year at college, the rest was pure theory unless we were in the power or electronics labs.

But I got this at the end.

Singed, sealed and delivered

 

[Sharpend]

Do you still have to show it when you go for a job :innocent  

 

[Tony S]

If I have to look for a job something has gone seriously wrong with my retirement plan.

But being an indentured apprentice does carry weight when job hunting and I’m deeply saddened companies no longer do them.

The contract isn’t between you and the company, it’s between your guardian and the company.

The terms placed on the guardian are pretty onerous like indemnifying the company for any damage you do to company property. Good thing they never enforced that!

 

[OnOff]

Seem to remember my Dad having to sign my papers too!

 

[Kurt]

Hi Tony, I was 16 years old and spent a year in an on-site training centre for a company that made gas cylinders and extruded pipe. It was nirvana for me. We did bench fitting, welding, turning, including grinding and shaping but the electrical stuff was not as impressive (basically a board with lights and switches. The real electrical stuff started when I was 17 and was sent out onto the shop floor as a mate. The year in the training centre was the dogs though, stuff I still use today. Yes its a real luxury for an employer to do this, don't know if any employers still do. From what I see in the private training centres its no where near the intensity we were expected to do and  we were at will to kill ourselves and each other..... lol... which often led to pranks to the less aware apprentice buddies... lol