Sir Billy Connolly used to cover up for skiving colleagues on the Glasgow shipyards by making welding noises to pretend they were still working.
The Big Yin told how he had to imitate the sounds of his workplace while his fellow employees went off to play illicit games of cards.
Connolly, 79, was an apprentice welder on the Govan shipyards before carving out a career in comedy.
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He had to bang his equipment off a wall every Friday afternoon so bosses thought the welders were still working.
He said: "My favourite was Friday afternoons when the other welders would play cards.
"I was the tea boy and my job was to make welding noises.
"I would have the welding gear in one hand and a piece of steel in the other hitting the wall so they would look busy while they played cards."
He added: "If you asked a welder on the Clyde if they remembered me as a welder they would say 'Yeah, he was crap'.
"I was glad I was a welder. They were the stars of the shipyard."
Connolly was speaking in an interview released by Castle Galleries to promote his latest art collection.
He has released a series of drawings over the last 10 years which have proved hugely popular.
Last month it was announced Connolly, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, will film two new TV series looking back on his life and career.
Billy Connolly Does... The Decades, on the Gold channel, will chart his rise between the 1970s and 1990s.
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