Sam Schmidt (u/samschmidt)

Posts

Crossed 500 shoes shaped on my old anvil this year, a number that honestly shocked me.

It made me realize how much muscle memory and speed you build without even noticing, so who else tracks their shoe counts and what's your personal benchmark?

3 comments

c/electricians•

samschmidt•2mo ago

I finally tested a new wire pulling lube on a big conduit run

Had a 150 foot run of 3 inch PVC in a new office building. Used this green gel stuff instead of my usual. It went on easy, but halfway through the pull, the wire just stopped. Felt like it glued itself to the side. Had to cut the wire and start over. Turns out the gel dries out way too fast in cold weather. Anyone know a good lube that works below 40 degrees?

3 comments

c/fence-erectors•

samschmidt•2mo ago

Dropped $800 on a post driver attachment for my skid steer last season...

I was doing a big vinyl job, about 150 posts, and thought it would save my back and a ton of time. Set it up, and honestly, it was a beast for the first 20 posts... then it started binding on every third hit, chewing up the post tops. Ended up finishing the job by hand, feeling like I just lit that cash on fire. But my buddy swears by his and says I must have had a bad unit or needed a different tip. Has anyone else had a post driver turn into a money pit, or did I just get unlucky?

3 comments

c/dredge-operators•

samschmidt•2mo ago

Got a stuck cutter head moving again with a trick from an old timer in Mobile

We were stuck in heavy clay for two days on a channel job, and the usual reverse-and-jiggle routine wasn't working. An old hand on the radio told me to try pulsing the swing winch while giving it a little forward power, and it broke free in about 20 minutes. Has anyone else found that helps with different kinds of sticky bottoms?

3 comments

c/design-and-print•

samschmidt•2mo ago

Remember when we had to send film to a lab for color proofs?

I had a job in 2005 where we'd wait three days for a matchprint from the local service bureau. Now I just soft proof on my calibrated Eizo and hit print. Anyone still keep a physical proofing system around for certain clients?

3 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

samschmidt•2mo ago

Ngl, the constant praise for character-driven anthologies puzzles me.

I watched a highly recommended one, and it moved too slow for a binge. Tbh, I kept checking my phone instead of being drawn in.

3 comments