Being The New Boy.

                         Being  the new boy.

When I was 16 I sarted a job as a trainee welder.
Iwas set to work with an old guy (about the age I am now).
The first thing he taught me was how to weld two strips of-steel bar with beveled edges together. It was simple 'Down-hand' welding.
I practiced this for almost the whole of the first day.
Now welding is a pretty Hot craft, and I soon became very warm, so the old guy suggested I should take of my shirt and work in just my Tshirt. which I did.
Immediately I felt the little sparks landing on my forearms but, I assumed this to be just a normal  part of being a welder.
The other thing I noticed was the heat from the welding on my arms. but as this was not unpleasant I ignored it.
Finally my first day as a trainee welder was over, and I put my shirt back on and clocked out.
The next morning OUCH! My arms from where the welding gauntlets ended, up to the short sleeves of my T shirt were bright red, it was like a medium bad sunburn. And in fact that is basically what it was.
The rays given off from Electric Arc welding are high in ultra violet which is what causes sunburn.
I realised at once that I had been the butt of a nasty practical joke.
When I got to work that morning, with my long sleeved shirt firmly buttoned at the wrists, all the welders greeted me with cheerful inquiries and quips about, 'how are your arms'! I gave my new work colleagues the dirtiest look I could muster, and studiously ignored my sore arms.
The 'sun tan' faded after a few days, but the little burn scars took a little longer.
The joy of being the 'NEW BOY'.