"whisky-dave" wrote in message
...
On Tuesday, June 12, 2012 1:10:16 PM UTC+1, Tim Watts wrote:
Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 01:44:25 +0100, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

Rite of passage; common in most engineering works at the time.
Anyone who didn't get their balls greased or something similar can't
call themselves a proper tradesman.

Only a "rite of passage" if you know before hand that it is going to
happen at some point because you've seen it before and possibly
assisted. Afterwards the participants would supply clean clothes and
cover from the foreman as you spent a hour in the bogs cleaning
yourself up. Then all off down the pub to celebrate your joing of the
"club".


What about engineers blue willy or a can of Ralgex down the pants?

I didn't know you had a choice ;-)

I didn't personally get molested but when I arrived with my lil toolbox I
was asked if I'd had all my tools skimmed yet.
I said no, not yet, whereupon every single tool was skimmed down the full
length of the shop.

Another trick - there were a few bunsen burners around the place for making
tea etc. The rubber gas feed ran under one of the lads benches. Anytime
someone tried to light a fag he'd just squeeze the pipe.

Another guy built a beatiful wooden toolbox, no really, a work of art.
Before the owner arrived one morning they'd cut out a tenon saw and laid it
on the toolbox. It looked exactly as though some ******* had half sawn
through his pride & joy.