I infrequently need a spare pair of hands from a part time apprentice, and when I do I don't always need constant help throughout a day, but as I'm paying him for a full day anyway I want to get my money's worth out of him!

What little jobs do you get your apprentices to do to keep them busy in quieter moments?

I don't have any apprentices, but I darn sure wish I did. The thing is is that if they don't know a lick about forging, than you cant have them doing any forging, but if you need something like holes drilled, they could forge rivets, go make runs to the steel supplier and welding store if need be, I really don't know, just thinkin out loud. Just stuff that's pretty straight foreword that's hard to screw up! what's the apprentices skill level? obviously he isn't a master smith, or else he wouldn't be an apprentice.

                                                                                                                              Littleblacksmith

and also not knowing what your shop tends to forge makes it difficult to suggest things that would help your business, and not just be a waste for you.

                                                                            

There must be loads of tasks that could be done by an apprentice even if you have to teach them to do it. After all they are there to learn! All those jobs that eat into your time on the main project. Apart from the usuall pushing a brush and go getting, resising stock, drilling holes, laying out and marking, cutting stock to size, filling and grinding finishes, applying finish coatings. ad infinitum.....make a list and post it on the wall and the apprentice should be able to keep himself busy with the mundane untill you deccide what you need him to be getting on with. Oh, and if they can't keep the coffee comming....sack 'em !!!!!

When I was working hourly in autobody I have had a few times when work was slow. I was given many odd jobs to keep me busy. Some were pressure washing the shop and painting it, serious shop cleanup, detailing the boss's vehicles , yard work, even helping one boss frame walls in his house he was building. I'm sure there were many other small things I'm just not thinking of right now. Anything you need done that they could do. It's your dime and you are paying them to work, so if they have a good work ethic then I'm sure they will keep busy. 

Items that you sell on a regular basis that may not have much margin on them, hooks and tent stakes come to mind

Thanks for the replies. I'm mainly commission based so don't that many simple stock items I could get an apprentice going on.

It's really the ultra basic tasks that I need a list of as my most regular apprentice is very dyslexic, so marking out, measuring etc is a non starter, and he doesn't drive.

About the best thought I've had so far is drilling collars (?) to have ready in stock so that I can then weld to fly press tooling shanks as and when required. Not sure of the right terminology, but I meant the bits of plate that sit flush against the fly press ram face to spread the impact.

 

Perhaps you should look into a production item just for slack times.