Why I’ve got all these straps I’ll never know
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You must have done same mech engineering 1st year course syllabus as I did at Tech.
Is that a pipe vice?
We did the same, made all the different components for it, and other things on milling m/cs, centre lathes, and shaping m/c s
Some forge heat work also as far as I remember.
Wow…those straps must have cost you a fortune…..
I served a engineering apprenticeship rob , I believe that vice was made for a phase test a t college , I choose to be a universal grinder but when I went into the workshop they asked me to work a jig borer , but worked on vertical / horizontal milling machines / borers , internal / external / surface etc grinders etc etc , welding etc
All my apprentiship papers have spent 45 yrs in cupboard , waste , I only ever wanted to drive a lorry but now , what a mistake , if I’d of stopped at rolls Royce I’d of been long retired , dad retired at 55 .
But you can’t turn the clock back I’m afraid
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They cost me nothing franglais , we had to completely clear the lorry out on a Friday ( including straps / ratchets / protectors ) or they’d be gone over the weekend , then obviously you had to take them out the car when you got home as needed car boot for weekend , then I’d think I’m fed up with this , leave them in the garage & tell them to give me a new set when I got to work on a Monday .
The idiots ( transport office ) would send your tramping lorry out at the weekend & leave 20 day shift lorry’s parked up , or you’d empty everything out on a Friday & find out it had not been used all w/end
Aye similar story here I ended up as a fitter & turner, at a GEC factory..
A lot of good it did me,.all I wanted to do was trucking after going off with my mates tramping.
So I jacked and went on tramping on a Ford Transit pick up believe it or not, so had job sussed before getting my Class 1.
Being led astray by mates round all the dodgy bars in E.London at the time, parked on ‘The Ramp’ at Bishopgate, or ‘The Roundabout’ at Aldgate… or a tube down Soho from Sheperds Bush truck park.
Back to cab wrecked and sleeping in.
Great days…getting in a couple of dodgy scenarios with some heavy faces I remember also, but being young we had no fear…trouble is I aint changed..
Different job in those days…would I do it again if I knew then how job would turn out eventually?
Not a chance, I would have certainly earned more money anyhoo.
Lots of engineering skills in here, I started out my working life after leaving school at 15 years of age as an apprentice tool setter setting up lathes in an engineering firm (Blakemore’s, no longer in existence) that looked exactly like the place in the film Saturday night & Sunday morning that starred Albert Finney.
Years ago when my brother in law started his apprenticeship, I asked him about some of the machines he used.
When i finished the factory had a state of the art Vertical milling m/c it was known as a NC Mill.as far as I remember, and was set up by putting plastic pegs in like a keyboard, and left to go on auto making batch work.
I asked if he had used one, and he told me you only see them in museums.
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It’s British Gas five-hour window of half price electricity today between 11:00-16:00, so muggings here has fallen for laundry duties.
Went to a race meeting, watched cars and trucks, yesterday. Light domestic chores today.
I’ll start a charge from the OHME phone app to top up with some of that half price electricity from the comfort of the armchair, It beats going out to a petrol station. 
I’ve got that too from my Dad!
this weekend, Staying at Jomtien beach, Found a few bars with Thatchers gold on draught, arrived today via Amsterdam.
All this way just for a shave and haircut 
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if you havent seen it before a trip to the bridge over the river kwai is well worth the effort if your ever the other side of bankok
Back in Bangkok for the week, but do much planned, Keep meaning to. Along with the railway market
Picking up new car on Saturday. (New to me anyway lol) 
Looking forward to my otherwise usual Sat PM to Wed AM weekend this week.
On sick last 2 weeks so I decided to do a full week this week, Mon to Sat 5 nights out.
On my 4th night out and still 2 days to go ffs.
I’ll need a lie down at weekend.
A shock to the system, would not like to go back to doing this sh every week, but sat in a Spoons atm after a '‘Chicken New Yorker’ and a pint of Guinnes…So not ALL bad.
Off to a Fleetwood Mac tribute concert, Saturday night.
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