Apprenticeship horror stories

[Julio Avila]

robin, i think its a damned stupid idea to keep a wild animal as a pet of any sorts. unless you are roy boy, that is

[MsRad]

robin, i think its a damned stupid idea to keep a wild animal as a pet of any sorts. unless you are roy boy, that is

ha! agreed!

[Lochlan]

MsRad...

The kook had an actual wolf as a pet. He lived on a small hobby farm. He kept the wolf there and he'd occasionally get loose and eat one of the chickens or ducks.

I was in the back making needles and heard the door chimes. I went out to help the customer. I get out to the counter and the wolf was standing right in front of me. It was lookin in my direction but it almost looked like he was looking "through" me. It was an eerie ass feeling. I froze in my tracks and then see bossman and his trashy ass girl in the window laughing at me. The wolf then commenced to mark his territory all over the shop. Wolf piss smells sooooo fucking bad!

He said he was living in Denver at the time and scoped out a wolf mother for a while. She had pups and went out looking for food. He took his chance and went into the den and took a pup. At least that's the story he told me.

Don't know if any of you have ever been close to a wolf but they are intense animals. Supper tall and extremely intelligent. It did not feel good to be that close to ol Four Socks

Is this him by chance?

[Julio Avila]

i wish that was him.

that guy at least has better lookin sluts hanging out with him

[dari]

Nice mouth, Julio. The chicks hips on the left are unfortunate, they seem very wide, or maybe she's just underweight. Maybe too much running with wolves.

[Julio Avila]

So can I buy a shirt with the tits on it?

[Scott Sylvia]

yeah just call the shop if we have your size ill mail you one, pretty awsome i think...but seriously i would have been stoked the wolf pissed in the tattoo shop. or did you have to clean that up? rattle snakes at least dont piss in the shop haha..fucking cant wait to get an apprentice. i just have to get a little meaner.

[Bryan Burk]

Once he got old, charlie's dog cash would come in the the room while I was tattooing and just shit right in front of the customer's feet... and I wasn't even an apprentice anymore

I made Bob clean it up (true)

[Julio Avila]

Yes I cleaned up wolf piss. It was bright yellow green. Almost gatorade-ish. The smell was very vinegary.

One last thing.... You ever watch Sanford and son? Well towards the end Sanford had a neighbor named Julio. Julio had a goat. Ding dong bossman thought it was only fitting that I should have one too. I show up to work and he's already tattooing and goes," there's something for you in the back". Now he lived on a hobby farm, but I lived in the CITY!!! He made me take the Pygmy goat home for one night before I told dude there's no way I could keep it. Poor fucker was in the trunk of my Honda civic hatchback for few hours. Gave him back the next day. The wolf probably ate him.

Oh and they named him for me. " guacamole". Sometimes I hAted being the only beaner in the shop

[aaronkicks]

My mentor/boss/whatever you wanna call it liked to play a game where he'd call me into a room. He'd be strategically standing behind the open door into that room and as soon as I'd be in the doorway he'd slam it shut on my face. It didn't matter if I had food or breakables in my hands He also taught me invaluable lessons about taking out the trash. I forgot to take it out once and when I came in the next day he took every trash bag in the shop and spread it out right all over the placexcc before it was time to open up. He also said that I had to have every inch of the shop cleaned and disinfected properly before noon (which gave me a half hour) or else I'd be fired.

The best one though was if I was eating food or a sandwich from takeout or whatever he'd wait till I left the room and if there wasn't a wrapper he'd put paper on top of it and sit on whatever it was I was eating.

[Julio Avila]

ugh i really hate it when people mess with my food.

im a really reserved guy but i may have snapped.

[aaronkicks]

See that was the point though. He was trying to find my breaking point. Me being a chill guy I was just like "eh whatever" and ate the sandwich/food anyways. It takes the fun out of the prank if you don't respond to it.

[hawk]

Here is the BIO of a "qualified Tattoo Expert" who boasts the "Only Tattoo School" It's a bit off topic of horror stories but when I came across it I was very amused. If this is too off topic or nameing names to the point it needs deleted then by all means delete moderators, I just figured it would fall into what could easily turn horor story.

BIO

Dr. L. W. Pogue

Dr. L. W. Pogue is a licensed doctor of chiropractic and certified naturopathic physician. He received his Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Life University. He was trained in operating room aseptic technique (sterilization) at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Dr. L. W. Pogue is a licensed doctor of chiropractic and certified naturopathic physician. He received his Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition from Life University. He was trained in operating room aseptic technique (sterilization) at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

Beginning 1968 to present he has owned and operated tattoo studios in Michigan, Georgia, and Louisiana. In addition, he has operated The Worlds’ Only Tattoo School from its infancy, late in 1968 to this present day. He has trained more tattoo artists than ANYONE in history and there is only a remote second place – Harvey Kennedy, who is also on his staff. The World’s Only Tattoo School is the first tattoo school in existence to be licensed as a trade school by the government.

Dr. Pogue is an expert in neuro-linguistic programming – a power-learning system. From 1967 to present he has trained thousands of karate experts, including some who have become world champions in less than two years. Dr. Pogue and co-instructor Harvey Kennedy have both won USKA World Karate Titles in their 50’s – a feat not equaled by many. Pogue uses neuro-linguistics to achieve high results in power-training artistic individuals to become competent tattoo artists in a very short, intensive program. Over 38 years of unparallel experience speaks for itself.

Dr. Pogue shares his time with his homes in Michigan, Louisiana, and Trinidad, West Indies and is a collector of classic autos.

[dari]

Awesome. Can he teach me karate and tattooing at the same time through neuro-linguistic programming? Cause if so, I'm signing up!

Thanks for sharing this, Hawk.

[Barbie Doll]

His name was Miller Cotton? Was this during the Civil War? And did he dress like Colonel Sanders?

Hahaha awesome! Mmm fried chicken...

[Gia Dobson]

Dr. Pogue sounds like a very big deal. Im guessing he has many leather bound books and his office smells of rich mahogany.

[Lochlan]

Wow, this place sounds great and Dr. Pogue is a good looking gentleman with a well groomed goatee so he must know what he's doing! The second picture is a tattoo one of the students did while there that they use on the website as a reason to attend...my question is shouldn't this be a reason not to attend if they use a tattoo like this on their website?

Thanks Hawk.

[Barbie Doll]

I think his name is Dr Pogue the Third and he is the director of many boards

[Lochlan]

The tattoo by the student may have to make an appearance under the long forgotten LST game Guess what's wrong with this tattoo.............

[Jake]

Dr. Pogue is an expert in neuro-linguistic programming – a power-learning system.

Unless it's like how they learn stuff in The Matrix I seriously doubt his power-learning system. Instant neural upload me "how to tattoo" (and hell why not "how to fly a helicopter" at the same time) and then come talk to me about your teaching "style"!

Hahahahaha. Good stuff man

[Brynne Worthy]

Dr. Pogue has a Kenny Rogers air about him...

I started my first apprenticeship under this guy who was theeeee worst junkie I have ever met. Because all of his money went to heroin, I would scrub off and pressure cook used needles daily. I had to pick him up on corners while he pan handled if we got a walk in. The kicker was when he missed his target and had an abscess the size of a softball on his upper arm. He went to the hospital for it, where they instructed him to clean it out and stuff new gauze into it every few hours. I had the lovely job of taking out the gauze (which smelled like cat pee), picking off the little pieces of balled up heroin attached to save for later, washing the old gauze and dunking it in alcohol, then stuffing it back into the giant gaping hole in his arm.

He moved shops and thankfully I couldn't go with him.

[dari]

Dr. Pogue has a Kenny Rogers air about him...

I started my first apprenticeship under this guy who was theeeee worst junkie I have ever met. Because all of his money went to heroin, I would scrub off and pressure cook used needles daily. I had to pick him up on corners while he pan handled if we got a walk in. The kicker was when he missed his target and had an abscess the size of a softball on his upper arm. He went to the hospital for it, where they instructed him to clean it out and stuff new gauze into it every few hours. I had the lovely job of taking out the gauze (which smelled like cat pee), picking off the little pieces of balled up heroin attached to save for later, washing the old gauze and dunking it in alcohol, then stuffing it back into the giant gaping hole in his arm.

He moved shops and thankfully I couldn't go with him.

That is so not "heroin chic!"

[Tight-Lines]

Sounds like a dude I had walk into my ER. His arm was so eaten away by infection that you could see bone and tendons. Also, his son was in the room trying to shoot his dad up while on the gurney. Junkies have great decision making skills.

[jaytee]

I had a couple of shitty apprenticeships, not particularly funny or anything but I thought I'd share. After trying to land an apprenticeship for literally years I got one. The tattooist was not that great but it was this or nothing. Anyway after settling in I turn up on monday morning to find the shop has shut down, owner gone, never to be seen again - along with my equipment (including autoclave). After another soul destroying search for another apprenticeship I actually managed to get another. No problems this time with equipment like the previous apprenticeship but I noticed that this guy would tattoo someone and then use the same set up to tattoo the next person - ie same needle/tubes. Crazy considering he had the latest all singing, all dancing autoclave on hand?!

Either way neither tattooist was that skilled, and it eventually dawned on me that just because somebody works/owns a shop doesn't mean shit, and that a GOOD apprenticeship is actually very hard to find. During my research I found that around half the shops that are out there are not actually good and wouldn't be worth learning from anyway.

[conor blue eyes]

one time my mentor told me to get a bucket and a sponge to clean his car out front. after i washed his car i put the bucket away. he asked me what i was doing and i told him i was finished. he laughed and said that i just started and he then told me to clean every car in the lot. even strangers and people's cars in other businesses.

another one of my favorites was:

me: is it ok if i take a day off to sell some stuff to the pawn shop, im dead broke (and was couch surfin at the time)

mentor: sure, but if you need to take a day off you dont need to tattoo. you're fired.

needless to say i never made it to the pawn shop, but he did tip me out pretty good that day.

hah!