Don`t know where it started, but someone will, just wait. We always went into work in the oldest clothes we could find within the bounds of decency. Graphite powder and grease aren`t right nice, and take a lot of getting off!! It wasn`t only faces...........!!! Cheerio,Bill.  I was an apprentice at Leyland Motors and I remember one Pancake Tuesday when I was working in the nozzle shop. I don't know about Blacking but I do know that bearing blue was used on some parts of the body that doesn't bear remembering. Now that stuff took ages to get off.  Working at North Works pre-war, we experienced "blacking" at the mercy of our peers. Lets not mention the parts blacked or blued with Prussian Blue, suffice it to say that on Shrove Tuesday morning, the apprentices were the worst dressed people on the plant; still, sacrifices had to be made to tradition, and you could always get your own back in later years. Methylated Spirit used to remove the Blue, but at some discomfort.  The tradition continued well into the war years, but does it survive to this day? I don`t know.  There were other traditional ceremonies within the workplace which did not survive the war years, particularly associated with a forthcoming marriage - really not for the Forum.  To be late for work generally meant being "hammered in" as you made your way to your workplace, with the productiion of tank brake drums, this became a very noisy affair. Incidentally, "hammering in" formed an essential part of the marriage ritual.!!!  How many readers had to climb the ladder? are there any left to tell the tale?  Don`t know where it started, but someone will, just wait. We always went into work in the oldest clothes we could find within the bounds of decency. Graphite powder and grease aren`t right nice, and take a lot of getting off!! It wasn`t only faces...........!!! Cheerio,Bill.  I was an apprentice at Leyland Motors and I remember one Pancake Tuesday when I was working in the nozzle shop. I don't know about Blacking but I do know that bearing blue was used on some parts of the body that doesn't bear remembering. Now that stuff took ages to get off.  W