Grace Kelly (u/grace926)

Posts

Heard a repair shop owner say something that stuck with me

I was at a camera swap meet last Saturday in Portland and overheard this older guy who runs a repair shop say he never touches autofocus modules on vintage film cameras anymore. He said he's ruined 3 of them trying to clean the tiny mirrors inside and now just tells customers it's a gamble. That made me think about knowing your limits in this trade. Has anyone else run into a job where you just decided it's not worth the risk?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

grace926•9d ago

Most homeowners I deal with want wireless everything until they see the battery bill for their own house

Had a job in Spokane last month for a lady named Carol who insisted on all wireless sensors because she "didn't want wires everywhere." After I installed 12 window sensors, 3 door sensors, and a motion detector, she called me back 5 weeks later complaining the batteries were already dying and she'd spent $38 replacing them. She finally admitted she should have let me run the wires through the attic like I suggested. Anyone else have customers who change their tune once they see the real cost of going battery-only?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

grace926•11d ago

I finally saw what a bad mortar mix can do to a wall after only 6 months

I went back to a job I did for a buddy's backyard fire pit last fall and it looked terrible. The mortar was crumbling between the bricks and some were actually loose already. He said it started looking rough after just a few months. I checked my notes and realized I used a different sand than usual because the supply place was out of my go-to. That sand had too much fine dust in it and the mix never set up right. I had to tear out the whole top three courses and redo them with the right blend. Now I'm super careful about which sand I buy even if it means driving to a different yard. Have any of you run into a bad batch of sand that messed up your mortar?

2 comments

c/bad-ux-confessions•

grace926•15d ago

Had to choose between a hamburger menu and a bottom tab bar for a banking app last week

I went with the bottom tab bar thinking it was more modern, but now my older users keep accidentally transferring money when they bump their phone. Has anyone else dealt with accidental taps on bottom navigation causing real headaches?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

grace926•15d ago

Spackle trick I wish I knew before redoing my dining room ceiling in Memphis

For years I sanded every patch smooth, but a contractor buddy told me to just dampen my finger and wipe the spackle flat while it's wet. Saved me like 45 minutes on one ceiling patch, has anyone else tried this?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

grace926•1mo ago

Did my sourdough improve or get worse after 2 weeks of neglect?

I baked a sourdough loaf last week after letting my starter sit in the fridge for 14 days without feeding. The crumb was more open than ever before, big irregular holes and a nice ear. But the flavor was noticeably more sour to the point where my roommate asked if it had gone bad. So here's the debate: does neglecting your starter actually improve the structure while wrecking the taste? Or did I just get lucky with my timing and technique? Has anyone else noticed a specific change in their bread after leaving the starter alone for over a week? I'd love to hear what you all think about purposefully aging your starter for better oven spring.

2 comments

c/backyard-studios•

grace926•1mo ago

My cheap mixer couldn't handle a 2 hour tracking session

I was recording vocals in my backyard shed last Saturday. Took about 2 hours to get the takes right. My $80 Behringer mixer started crackling bad by the end. Found out from a Sweetwater article that budget mixers overheat if you push them that long. Anyone else hit that wall with cheap gear in a small space?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

grace926•1mo ago

Last week I tried painting my kitchen cabinets without sanding them first

I had been planning to strip and sand my oak cabinets for months. Read all the tutorials, bought the chemical stripper. Then my neighbor stopped by and said she used a liquid deglosser and a bonding primer on hers three years ago and they still look perfect. I figured what the heck, I already had the paint. So I spent one full Saturday deglossing and priming instead of two weekends of sanding. So far so good, no chips or peeling after a week of normal use. Has anyone else skipped the sanding step and regretted it later?

2 comments

c/book-club-debates•

grace926•1mo ago

Finally picked the thriller over the literary novel for book club and nobody hated it

I was stuck between The Silent Patient and a heavy Murakami book, went with the thriller, and now half the group actually finished it on time for once.

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

grace926•1mo ago

I used to think the whole 'grind your tungsten' thing was overblown until I saw the difference myself

Been TIG welding for about 2 years, mostly on smaller pressure vessels. I always just used a bench grinder with a regular wheel to sharpen my tungsten, figured it was good enough. Then a buddy of mine who works at a fab shop over in Gary let me watch him set up his weld on a 3/8 inch carbon steel plate with a properly ground point on a diamond wheel. The arc was SO much more stable, like night and day. I tried it myself on a test piece and my weld puddle actually behaved instead of wandering around. Now I've got a dedicated diamond wheel at home and I won't go back. Has anyone else had that moment where a small change like that made a huge difference in your weld quality?

2 comments