That time a shop vet told me to skip the torque wrench on old quill stems

Back in March I was rebuilding a 1978 Schwinn at a co-op in Portland and a guy who's been turning wrenches since the 80s said just snug it hard, you'll feel it. I followed his advice on a quill stem and sure enough, the bolt cracked the wedge after a ride down a bumpy road. He was right that older stems don't need factory spec, but I still wish I'd used a cheap beam wrench to check my feel first. Has anyone else had a veteran's shortcut backfire on vintage parts, or am I just cursed with a heavy hand?

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