OK here's my 2 cents worth.

Back many years ago when I first started as a technician at a defense contractor I was on evening shift (3:30 to 12:00). A couple nights after starting there I was offered a tour of the machine shop area. After being led through the lathes, milling machines and other work stations, we went to the iriditing and painting area. The sandblasting box was pointed out to me and I was encouraged to look into it through the glass plate in the top. As I bent over to look, suddenly arms were thrust out of the box through the rubber gloves that were attached and grabbed me. Liked to scare the crap out of me!!!

From that day on, I delighted in being onhand for the next new guy being generously offered the same tour. It was always the highlight, and it always worked!

That's hillarious!
In my days as a PARTIOT System maint. tech we used to send the new privates looking for impossible to find tools. One guy was gone for over 5 hours looking for the "bolt-stretcher"! Maybe it was wrong, but we sure got a kick out of it.

Greetings sparky:

"bolt-stretcher" - thats a good one!

In our radar shop, we would tell the newbies to go get a spool of flight line to tie off a truck tarp, bring us a Hertz-to-Cycles-per-Second Converter to measure the transmitter frequency, or maybe find a box of military bearings for the antenna mount.

Those were the good old days. My friend Don H., who often visits this forum (unless he's busy cleaning up the hurricane mess in FL, might think of a couple more to amuse us. Don: Are you out there?

_________________
- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster

some other things newbies were sent for:
-a can of squelch
-chem-light rechargers
-a box of grid squares
-HEMMT (10 ton truck used to tow PATRIOT launchers) brake fluid
- an ST1 (spell it out)

will post more when i remember

Being an ex radar troop myself, I've been both the victim and the antagonizer for a lot of these. One more to add to the list is an ID10T.