Had to pick between a full engine teardown or just swapping the fuel control unit on a King Air 200 last Thursday. Went with the FCU swap first and it fixed the rough idle right away.

My uncle insisted I use lighter fluid on a sticky shutter, and I should have listened

He told me to put a drop of Ronsonol on the old Minolta's curtain pivot, but I was sure it would damage the silk. After three days of fighting with it, I tried his way and it freed up in seconds with no harm. Anyone have a better solvent for a 1960s cloth focal plane shutter?

PSA: I finally gave up on my 'safe' font pair for restaurant menus

For years I stuck with pairing a classic serif like Garamond with a simple sans-serif for every cafe and bistro client in Portland, thinking it was foolproof. Last month, a client for a new ramen spot pushed me to try pairing a bold, condensed display font (I used Bebas Neue) with a clean, friendly sans like Open Sans for the body text. The contrast made the specials pop off the page and the owner loved it. Has anyone else found a bold display font that works well for food menus without looking too loud?

Update: My $300 Pantone book turned into a very expensive cat toy

So I finally bit the bullet and bought the physical Pantone formula guide, the big fancy one. It was just over $300. I left it on my desk for maybe ten minutes while I went to grab a coffee. Came back to find my cat, Mochi, had knocked it off and was gleefully shredding the corner of the cover. The pages are fine, thankfully, but the cover looks like it went through a woodchipper. I guess I learned that 'studio safe' also means 'cat proof'. Anyone have a good, heavy bookend or case recommendation that can withstand a determined feline?

Question about using old car seatbelt webbing in a jacket

Last week, I was cleaning out my uncle's garage in Akron and found a whole box of old seatbelt material from a 70s car he used to have. I cut a strip and tried sewing a sample piece into a denim jacket sleeve, and the texture is wild, like a thick, soft ribbon. It got me thinking about using recycled safety gear for accent panels or straps on outerwear. Has anyone else worked with stuff like this and found a good way to stop the edges from fraying?

PSA: I think climbing without spurs teaches you more about a tree...

Back in the day, we'd get up there with just a rope and our hands, feeling how the tree moved... Now it's all about speed and not marking the bark, but I swear you understand the tree better when you're careful not to hurt it... Does that make me outdated or just stubborn?