Stories of apprenticeship

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robh

Member
Location
Oregon..Not Orygone
My J-man was putting 20 push button holes in a stainless control box with a KO punch. He handed me a bunch of bent washers and told me that I need to hammer them flat. I got half of them done and he couldn't keep a straight face anymore. Can't wait to use that one.
 
JJWalecka

JJWalecka

Senior Member
Location
New England
jrannis said:
I guess the best way to use my 1000th post is to remember that my first
2-1/2 years in the trade was working for my father as his apprentice.
We had some really good times.
Tools on at 7:00am, never knew about a morning break. Lunch in your work area at 12noon. 12:30 tools back on until 3:15.
It took me a while to figure out why no one from the shop wanted to come out to our job. They said we were machines. No failed inspections, no mistakes!
I didnt know any better, I just got out of the Corps, and he retired out of the 4 Marine ANGLICO, Gold jump wings with 50+ jumps. Never saw anything less than expert shooting badges on his uniform.
He sat for the first State License exam in Florida. His License was #67.
He would get up every morning at 4:45 read the bible for a half hour, then, sit-ups, push-ups, breakfast.
Eggs and beacon Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Cereal Tuesday and Thursday. 6am Bathroom. 6:10 get dressed for work. leave 6:20 to 6:30.
I still hear stories from some of the old timers about him.
Hes been gone several years now, buried in the National Cemetary.
I do miss the ol' Gunny but I think he likes it better where he is now.
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He sounded like a great man.


I remember being told to get a half ton jack.
“Oh man I think I might need some help to get that.” I said
“Why Kid”
“It’s a HALF TON jack.”
“Think before you speak”
JJ
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
jrannis said:
I guess the best way to use my 1000th post is to remember that my first 2-1/2 years in the trade was working for my father as his apprentice.
We had some really good times.
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Happy Birthday! :smile:

I still hear stories from some of the old timers about him.
Hes been gone several years now, buried in the National Cemetary.
I do miss the ol' Gunny but I think he likes it better where he is now.
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Wow. He earned that respect, and no doubt you will, too. :cool:





Slave-driver! :)grin:)
 
Mr.Sparkle

Mr.Sparkle

Senior Member
Location
Jersey Shore
A couple years back at the company I worked for at the time I had an apprentice who would come to work with massive hangovers more often than not and as a result he would spend A LOT of time in the porta-john either evacuating the night before from his body or sleeping or hiding, whatever.....eventually after many diplomatic attempts at resolving the problems with his work ethic with no avail I had enough of dealing with this behavior, so during his next disappearing act I snuck up the porta-john and dropped what had to be a 5 or so pound chunk of brick down the vent tube, he never hid in one again, and was not very fond of me for quite some time either....but strangely enough his production increased after that incident...
 
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wireman

Inactive, Email Never Verified
I was a 1st yr. apprentice and working on a large project. My foreman was an overbearing, loud, obnoxious guy.

I had never used cable tray before and a load of it had been delivered out in the lay-down yard the day before. Foreman says to go "wipe off" the globs of galvanize on the tray so I take a rag and go out to the yard. What he meant was these were globs of dried galvanize that were pointed and sharp and he was worried about it nicking the cable insulation. He meant for me to take a file to each of them.

He saw me with the rag and began hee-hawing loudly and saying that he had a 15 yr old at home who needed a job. I said "so what's he want to be .....a foreman?" He was not happy.

I paid for that one but it sure felt good. He was the only guy I wished to have a chance to work under me later on.

Fast-forward 6-7 yrs and I worked on a project with his son,but not actually with him. Very lazy and sloppy. I just smiled inside every time I saw him.
 
Fulthrotl

Fulthrotl

~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
Location
HB, CA (19 Hrs. 22 Min. from Winged Horses)
Occupation
E
wireman said:
I paid for that one but it sure felt good. He was the only guy I wished to have a chance to work under me later on.
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well, there are always people we have the "silver teaspoon and a six
foot ditch" award for.

i was a 4th year apprentice, and was on a job that had a 1st year
apprentice as well.... i had injured my knee in an off road racing
accident, and stairs were an ordeal for several weeks afterwards.

i was working on the first floor, and the first year apprentice was
working on the second floor of a commercial job, and the foreman
came up and asked if he could switch us, because the other muppet
couldn't get along with his journeyman... and i spent the next
month lugging stuff upstairs with the bum knee..... and the "silver
teaspoon" award was bestowed.....:mad::mad:

and the following year, as a brand new journeyman, guess who my
first apprentice was? :grin::grin::grin:

it was a hard month on the poor thing, 'till the job was finished.
i go out of my way to treat apprentices very well, but this guy
had earned a "special status" that completely eliminated the
consideration i usually show an apprentice.

one of the things i remember was pulling wire together, and him
telling me not to put in the fish tape, as he could shove the
wire faster, and i was just slowing the process down...

so he goes to shove in three #10 solid tw's thru 30' of steeltube
with one ninety in it, and i hear him huffing and puffing on a
ladder in the next room, and finally the wire comes out, and
i carefully guide it so it misses the box, and let him push
another 4' or so.... and i keep telling him "sounds like you are
almost here..." and i hear him get off the ladder, and i quickly
cut off the wire flush with the end of the pipe with dykes,
and throw it out the window.... and he comes in, and i say
"you're almost here..."

and he goes back and we repeat the process... three times...
he finally thought he was in the wrong pipe, and pulled all the
wire out, and then i put the fish tape in.... and we pulled the
wire....

poor thing... it was a long month.

randy
 
qcroanoke

qcroanoke

Sometimes I don't know if I'm the boxer or the bag
Location
Roanoke, VA.
Occupation
Sorta retired........
wireman said:
I was a 1st yr. apprentice and working on a large project. My foreman was an overbearing, loud, obnoxious guy
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Did that guy work for Bryant-Durham Electric?
Sounds just like the jerk I worked for when I first started.
 
P

phixer00

New member
jmsbrush said:
When I was a 2nd year apprentice, we were on a big job, 200 electricians. The jw had this 1st year apprentice going all over the place looking for a box of ohms. Every gang box he went to he asked a jw or a foreman, they would say no we don't have them but I think Mike down the way has some.
I thought it was funny then, but now as an owner I would get upset my guys wasting my labor like that.
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Check out www.boxofohms.com now you can ask them how many and I need the credit card.:smile:
 
brian john

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
I worked with some real PIA's, constantly messing with apprentices and telling me I was WORTHLESS and would never amount to anything.

This helped me immensely as I found out they did not have licenses, I got my Masters before these guys had a JW license, gave me a drive to succeed. Years later several of those hard nose guys hire me or my firm, or when I see others on a job they tell the guys they are working with they taught me all I know.
 
electricalperson

electricalperson

Senior Member
Location
massachusetts
brian john said:
I worked with some real PIA's, constantly messing with apprentices and telling me I was WORTHLESS and would never amount to anything.

This helped me immensely as I found out they did not have licenses, I got my Masters before these guys had a JW license, gave me a drive to succeed. Years later several of those hard nose guys hire me or my firm, or when I see others on a job they tell the guys they are working with they taught me all I know.
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thats a good story. i worked with a guy that didnt have a license but thought he was the bees knees and told the boss how slow and bad i am at my job so i got laid off. i learned from this and thats not how i teach my apprentices. i teach them pretty much all day. explaining everything im doing to them and why and answer there questions. hopefully they will become great electricians someday when they are older
 
brian john

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
brian john said:
I worked with some real PIA's, constantly messing with apprentices and telling me I was WORTHLESS and would never amount to anything.

This helped me immensely as I found out they did not have licenses, I got my Masters before these guys had a JW license, gave me a drive to succeed. Years later several of those hard nose guys hire me or my firm, or when I see others on a job they tell the guys they are working with they taught me all I know.
Click to expand...

I teach everyone as much as that want to learn and listen. Hopefully they learn it so I do not have to do the work.

I had the displeasure of working with JW's that were afraid to teach what they knew for fear you might replace them.
 
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