Susan Martin (u/susan488)

Posts

That lime mortar kickback story had me rolling my eyes until it bent my trowel

I always thought the old guys who swore by lime mortar were just stuck in their ways. Then I had to repoint a 1920s brick wall in Denver last spring. The modern Type N I used turned the face of the soft old bricks into powder after one freeze-thaw cycle. Went back with a lime mix and it held perfect. Is there anyone else who thought a traditional method was overhyped then got proven dead wrong on a specific job?

2 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

susan488•3d ago

Shoutout to the guy who told me to dig test pits before buying land

I almost bought a lot near Santa Fe last month. The soil test showed ancient trash pits from the 1300s under the topsoil. Has anyone else saved money by checking ground conditions first?

2 comments

c/camera-repairers•

susan488•5d ago

Finally bit the bullet on a proper shutter speed tester

I kept putting it off because the good ones are pricey, but after messing up the timing on a Nikon FM2 last month, I had enough. Dropped about $350 on a brand new, calibrated tester from a shop in Germany. It showed up last Tuesday, and man, what a difference. I had a Pentax K1000 on the bench that was running slow, and instead of just guessing with the old 'listen and hope' method, I got exact numbers in seconds. Fixed a sticky governor I would have missed. It paid for itself on that one job alone. Anyone have a favorite brand for these, or is it pretty much all the same once they're calibrated?

2 comments

c/customer-service-nightmares•

susan488•5d ago

I got my $200 refund after a manager told me 'the system won't allow it'

They said the return window closed 3 days prior. I calmly asked for a supervisor, then asked them to check their 'customer satisfaction override' policy, which I found in their own terms online. Has anyone else had to quote a company's rules back to them to get a basic fix?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

susan488•6d ago

Used to swear by my old hand saw for trim until I tried a Japanese pull saw on a job in Portland last year.

The pull saw gave me cleaner cuts with less effort, and now I keep one in my truck for any finish work, but does anyone have a good trick for keeping the blade from getting gummed up with pine pitch?

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

susan488•7d ago

Remember when you could just listen to a diesel engine to find the problem?

I was working on an old 7.3 Powerstroke last month that had a rough idle, and the computer codes were pointing everywhere. I spent a good two hours swapping sensors with no luck. My old mentor, a guy named Bill from the shop in Billings, always said to use a long screwdriver as a stethoscope. I finally gave up and tried it, placing the tip on each injector while it was running. On number three, the tick was way off, more of a dull thud. I pulled the valve cover and sure enough, the injector o-ring was blown, letting compression into the fuel rail. The computer saw the rail pressure swing and threw a bunch of false codes. That $2 trick from thirty years ago saved me from ordering a $300 high-pressure oil pump. Anyone else still use the old mechanical diagnosis tricks before trusting the scanner every time?

2 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

susan488•8d ago

Met a guy at a gallery in Portland who had a wild take on digital art

He said, 'If you're not making your own brushes, you're just coloring inside someone else's lines.' I mean, idk, maybe it's just me but I'd never even thought about that. Has anyone here made their own custom brushes for Procreate or Photoshop?

2 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

susan488•10d ago

Hot take: my worst travel day ever was in Rome because I trusted a 'free' walking tour.

They led us to a cafe that charged 8 euros for a tiny coffee, then the guide demanded a 20 euro tip per person. What's the most obvious tourist trap you've seen that's disguised as a budget tip?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

susan488•12d ago

A customer in Boise told me my clear coat looked like orange peel and I should be ashamed

He was right, my spray gun pressure was way too high and I was moving too fast. I dropped the pressure to 28 psi and slowed my passes by half, and the next panel came out like glass. Anyone else get a brutal but helpful piece of advice that stuck with them?

2 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

susan488•12d ago

I used to keep all my game boxes in the closet, but now they're on a shelf in the living room.

For years, my partner called my collection an eyesore, so I hid it away. After I painted the shelf a nice blue and organized it by player count, she actually said it looked good. How do you display your games without starting a fight?

2 comments

Posts

That lime mortar kickback story had me rolling my eyes until it bent my trowel

Shoutout to the guy who told me to dig test pits before buying land

Finally bit the bullet on a proper shutter speed tester

I got my $200 refund after a manager told me 'the system won't allow it'

Used to swear by my old hand saw for trim until I tried a Japanese pull saw on a job in Portland last year.

Remember when you could just listen to a diesel engine to find the problem?

Met a guy at a gallery in Portland who had a wild take on digital art

Hot take: my worst travel day ever was in Rome because I trusted a 'free' walking tour.

A customer in Boise told me my clear coat looked like orange peel and I should be ashamed

I used to keep all my game boxes in the closet, but now they're on a shelf in the living room.

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