Thread: Australian Made vs Off-Shore.

Originally Posted by rick130

Most people can't teach to save their lives, one technically very good tradie I know believers teaching is screaming at and demeaning the apprentice "as he won't forgot it"

its common. one airfield where i learnt to glide, all the instructors were excellent pilots. but none of them were good teachers.

Just had an example today. 30HP 3Ph 6P motor died on plant.

I organised a replacement, had it brought in and they boys set to work changing pulley over.

Couldn’t get the Taper lock off, Yield & Heat sorted that,
Taper lock was threaded and they couldn’t get a bolt in,
No tap on site. Young fully qualified tradie looking puzzled.

I grabbed a bolt, ground a flute into it, greased it up and re-tapped the taper lock. 5 min and sorted.

Young fellow learned something and the plant is now back up and producing.

Experience can not be taught. **** ups bring experience.

Originally Posted by p38arover

When we were at tech, at the end of each semester, we'd go an work in various sections of the company - it was called field training.

I recall I had to do some testing on an international submarine communications cable. I was a 17-yo first year trainee and wasn't sure of the procedure so I asked one of the qualified techs. He was not happy - "If I have to show you how to do it, I might as well do it myself!"

Many years later, I was his supervisor.

Of course, I wasn't there Ron, well I don't recall it, but I doubt he really, really meant it & maybe a flicker of his Trade Training flashed through his mind of his early learning days. Of course by you not asking you may have ****ed up what could have proven to be a very expensive exercise.

Then you would have been told "Why the **** didn't you ask if you didn't know?" It's called a No Win situation.

The tradesman with whom I spent the vast bulk of my apprenticeship, was a top bloke and great teacher. His mantra was "I don't care now many times I have to show or tell you how to do something, but the day you tell me you know, you'd better mean it.".
I never once saw him play a prank or make a fool of anyone, he was patient and willing to share his knowledge and experience.
He did once send me to the store for a can of compression powder, to get a knackered engine running.

Did he ever send you to the store for a 'long wait/weight'?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Did he ever send you to the store for a 'long wait/weight'?

Or striped paint!

Or a can of sparks for the bench grinder. They never tried it on me, farm boys were a bit ahead of tricks like that!

A bucket of steam, or a bubble for a spirit level.