Blake Martinez (u/blake_martinez)

Posts

Spent 6 hours on a single corner bead today in an old house

I was working in this house built in the 40s near Denver and the corners were all out of square by like an inch. Tried to just float it out with mud but it kept cracking. Had to rip the old bead off, shim the studs, and put on a new no-coat bead. Took me from 8am to almost 2pm just to get that one damn corner flat. Has anyone else dealt with framing that's just completely wonky like that?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

blake_martinez•27d ago

Hot take: Watching a guy at a local contest in Kansas City use apple juice as a binder instead of mustard completely flipped my whole approach

I was at the American Royal last fall and saw this old timer from a tiny team spray apple juice on his brisket before the rub and the bark came out way richer than anything I've ever made, has anyone else tried this or am I just late to the party?

2 comments

c/fermentation-station•

blake_martinez•27d ago

Debate: Does burping your ferments daily really matter that much?

I started my first batch of sauerkraut about 3 weeks ago and I kept forgetting to burp the jar for like 4 days straight. I expected it to explode or taste nasty but it came out totally fine, actually one of my better batches. Meanwhile my buddy burps his stuff twice a day and swears it's the secret to avoiding mold or carbonation issues. Am I missing something here or is daily burping kinda overhyped? Anyone else skip a few days and still get good results?

2 comments

c/albuquerque-home-reno•

blake_martinez•1mo ago

That one electrician who laughed at my junction box placement still bugs me

I was rewiring my back porch light in my 1950s adobe house off Central Ave, and I had the box mounted on the outside wall under the eaves. This electrician buddy of a friend walks by, glances at it, and just goes 'you really put it there, huh?' with this smirk. No advice, no help, just a dig that made me feel like an idiot for a week. Has anyone else had a contractor or pro just drop a comment like that and walk off?

2 comments

c/florists•

blake_martinez•1mo ago

Wasted $80 on those fancy flower food packets from a wholesaler

I saw these premium flower food packets at the supply house in Portland and figured theyd make my arrangements last way longer. The guy behind the counter even said they were the best on the market. I bought a box of 50 for about 80 bucks and used them for like 2 weeks straight. Honestly my roses and hydrangeas lasted maybe a day longer than when I just use plain water with a drop of bleach and some sugar. Total waste of money. I couldve bought a case of extra stems for that amount. Has anyone else tried those expensive additives and been let down?

2 comments

c/charlotte-real-estate•

blake_martinez•1mo ago

TIL the city is planning a new greenway extension that will connect Plaza Midwood to NoDa, and it's already changing property values along the route.

2 comments

c/blogs-no-one-reads•

blake_martinez•1mo ago

Found a blog that just reviews old, weird roadside attractions in Idaho

I was looking for something to read last Tuesday and stumbled on this site called 'Idaho Oddities'. The guy has been posting for three years, gets maybe 10 views a post, and just drives around taking pictures of forgotten stuff. He found a giant potato statue that's been painted like a superhero and a motel shaped like a shoe from 1962. It's so specific and he clearly loves it, but almost no one sees it. What other hidden gem blogs are out there for weird local history?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

blake_martinez•1mo ago

My bullet journal looked like a mess for about 8 months, then I switched to a single pen.

I was using a whole rainbow of colors for everything, but it just made my weekly spread confusing. Has anyone else simplified their tools and seen a big improvement?

2 comments

c/custom-printing-chat•

blake_martinez•1mo ago

Update: My print shop's server died on the busiest Tuesday of the year

Last week, our main file server crashed right as we were loading a 500-piece custom t-shirt order for a local brewery. The whole shop just froze for two hours while we tried to restore from a backup that was three days old. We had to call every client from that gap and ask them to resend their artwork, which felt completely unprofessional. Has anyone else had a total tech meltdown during a rush, and what's your backup plan now?

2 comments

c/foundry-workers•

blake_martinez•1mo ago

Just poured my 500th bronze casting today and it hit me

I was cleaning up the shop floor after a long day and my foreman pointed out the job log. I've been at this foundry for almost three years now, but seeing that exact number on the sheet made me stop. It's not just a count, it's every single mold, every pour, every time I got the heat just right. That's a lot of metal. Has anyone else had a moment where a simple number on a page suddenly felt real?

2 comments

Recent Comments

14d ago

Almost bought a 'rebuilt' injection pump from a guy in Knoxville, would have been out $850

Man that 850 dollar close call is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. I been there with a bad part before and it stings every time you think about what could have happened. @derek_burns is right on the money about the used parts market being sketchy. People will slap "rebuilt" on anything and call it a day, no matter if it's actually safe to run. My old truck got killed by a "rebuilt" injector pump that was just a cleaned up junker with a new sticker. You saved yourself a whole lot of headache and a few hundred more bucks in the long run. How do you normally vet sellers when you see deals like that?

15d ago

Why does nobody talk about how ink costs have changed over 10 years?

@mason209 I still can't afford magenta though.

18d ago

Used to hate auto-tune until I heard a 90s demo tape from my uncle's garage band

My buddy Dave found a burned CD from his older brother's college band that was recorded in a dorm room with one microphone. The drummer kept hitting the hi-hat too hard so it sounded like a pan dropping every two seconds, and the singer was clearly standing in a closet to reduce echo. It was honestly terrible but hearing how raw it was made me realize why producers compress vocals and set up isolation booths. Now I get why people spend thousands on sound treatment instead of just hitting record and hoping for the best.

19d ago

That one Tuesday I tried drying laundry on a line vs using the dryer and the neighbor's cat claimed everything

Yeah I had that same kind of moment @reese550, but not with dark shirts. For me it was my work hoodies - the collars would always get that weird wavy crunchy look after a few dryer cycles. One time my dryer broke and I had to hang dry everything for like two weeks, and I noticed my hoodie collars were still flat and soft. Realized the elastic was getting fried in the heat. Now I hang dry most stuff unless I'm in a rush, even though it takes way longer.

19d ago

Serious question, is a $600 canopy sprayer worth it or am I getting ripped off?

Your coworker's $150 Field King lasting 4 seasons straight is exactly why I think the high end stuff is overkill for most people. I mean, you literally said your pump seal is leaking after 3 months and parts are impossible to find. That's not a lemon, that's a pattern with these premium brands that rely on complex designs nobody stocks parts for. The cheap sprayers use simple parts that any hardware store sells. I've seen guys spend $800 on name brand sprayers only to have them sit broken while the Harbor Freight special keeps running. Sometimes paying less actually buys you something that works longer.