Sending apprentices on errands for non-existent items.
*Edit: I realise shanvishnu has done it but they were building site ones.
Here's some engineering ones.

I'm sure everybody in engineering has done this to an apprentice at some point.

The worrying thing is that some of the more gullible ones managed to do well within the company. How does that happen?

Sparks for the grinder
More Gauge - try and get a fixed rate
Hot/cold tap
Bucket of steam
Sky hooks
Metric/Imperial adjustable spanner
Bigger holes for the washers
British airline
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Fri 22 Aug 2008, 11:30, 7 replies)

Uspide down paint
...I bought some yesterday for marking out a garden, I chuckled to myself in the shop thinking 'this is exactly the sort of thing apprentices get sent to fetch'
(Magnus, Fri 22 Aug 2008, 11:51, closed)

sent a lad to get tartan paint.
fell for it hook line and sinker.
(Dan dan dan They tik urh jerbs!!!, Fri 22 Aug 2008, 12:00, closed)

sparks?
Did you send him to get square sparks or the ones with the corners already taken off?
(unknownstuntman, Fri 22 Aug 2008, 12:24, closed)

What about...
'the long wait', similar to shanvishnu's long stand. I waited a good while.
(Mmm Zebalicious is wondering..., Fri 22 Aug 2008, 12:37, closed)

...more
When I worked in an engineering drawing office, we used to send the apprentices down to the post office to get their application form for a draughtsman's licence....worked everytime
(chriswaddlesmullet, Fri 22 Aug 2008, 13:02, closed)

Rather inevitably
You can actually buy skyhooks. They're a piece of climbing equipment.

I'd post a link to a shop the sells them but I rather like the idea that some people will think I'm trying to fool them...
(vicarius, Fri 22 Aug 2008, 22:21, closed)

Also worked
(For instrument commissioning)
- calibrated hammer
- Holy water (for leak testing)
- a box of bargs
- circular screwdriver
- air condensate

For the bigger holes for the washers, also "bigger orifices for the orifice plates" worked.
(daizi last tried to escape on, Sat 23 Aug 2008, 15:09, closed)