Apprentice in the 60's

[Graham G3ZVT]

A waxless polish with a similar name is still made.

https://www.frenchpolishes.com/acata...ss_Polish.html

We had a regional polisher called Ted who came round once a week to deal with damaged cabinets, his party trick was to wipe meths over the top and set it alight, apparently it removed the ring marks from vases. When one of us tried it it once, we needed the fire extinguisher.

[ms660]

Originally Posted by rambo1152

A waxless polish with a similar name is still made.

https://www.frenchpolishes.com/acata...ss_Polish.html

We had a regional polisher called Ted who came round once a week to deal with damaged cabinets, his party trick was to wipe meths over the top and set it alight, apparently it removed the ring marks from vases. When one of us tried it it once, we needed the fire extinguisher.

Classic.

The one we had at Fred Dawes was called Walter, he was almost full time, mind you it was a large service department, probably one of the largest in Manchester at that time, at least five floors as far as I can remember.

Lawrence.

[HamishBoxer]

I remember clearly at Granada the chap doing the cabinets and that method of getting rid of water marks.I have done it and yes it works.

[Wendymott]

I guess many of you "ex TV engineers" would have gone to tech as day release in the 60's..I did mine at Bradford Tech....as far as I remember it was the E48 course. Five years... First year DC Theory and in practical, built an Amplifier with an EL84. Second year was AC Theory..... thats where I became unstuck in the exams..I did the long writing questions...stuff I knew about The practical was build an AM Medium wave superhet..metal bashing and all.. I should have got 100% but apparently they never gave 100% as the lecturer said.. "nothing is perfect".. Year 3 started on Radio Theory, practical was fault finding radio's... Four and five TV Theory and practical. Just after I had qualified or may be just before, the City and Guilds watered down the courses ... glad I had E48.
Colour TV added another year.....
Soon after I left the TV trade to work at Bradford uni......... heaven.

[ms660]

Did mine at Mid Cheshire College at Hartford for the first three years or so, then we had to go to Stockport College on Wellington Road for the remainder of the course.

Did a Teletext course one evening a week at Cornwall College at Pool (between Camborne and Redruth) the two tutors were Mr "Dixey" Dixon and Jim Geoghan, strangely enough some years before in a previous life Jim Geoghan was the service manager at the Sharston depot (near Wythenshaw) of what was to become RTR (North West) when I was based there, when he first saw me in the Teletext class some years later he looked at me with a "Don't I know you from somewhere" look.

Lawrence.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by ms660

Was this the Fred Dawes workshop at Guide Bridge, Audenshaw? Later became Rumbelow's. If so, as a youngster,I used to get scrap TVs that had been put outside and take home for parts- we lived about 50 yards away from the works. This would be about 1962/3

[ms660]

Originally Posted by Bill

It was Fred Dawes service dept/HQ on Granby Row (cornered by Fairfield Street and Back Acton Street) There were at least 5 floors and a basement, the white goods were serviced in the basement by a bloke called Les, I can't remember his surname off hand.

Lawrence.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by ms660

Ah yes, I remember the shop/showroom at the front on London Road.
The Audenshaw works was a big place as well- there must have been a lot of faulty tellys needed fixing in those days!
In recent years we have retired persons(not from F.Ds) get togethers in the Bulls Head,opposite ,but not this year.
Bill

Yes, day release. Mine was at CCAT (Cambridge College of Arts and Technology) all day and an evening class on Thursday. Made for a long day and no free (nearly) Pye bus, these where to get workers from all around the Cambridge fens. It is now the Anglia Ruskin University.

[ms660]

Originally Posted by Bill

That's right, just down the road from the shop under the bridge was Mazels Radio, I think the Fred Dawes shop building still survives but Mazels Radio has long gone and the Fred Dawes service department building on Granby Row appears to have been pulled down and rebuilt according to what I can see on Google's street view.

Lawrence.