Paul Stone (u/paul_stone41)

Posts

Saw a guy at the St. Louis trade show use a wet sponge to fix a sand mold tear

He was working on a big gear pattern and the edge tore when he pulled it, so he just dampened a corner of his sponge and pressed it back into place... it held for the pour and came out clean. Has anyone else tried this trick on greensand or is it just for certain mixes?

2 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

paul_stone41•1mo ago

Shoutout to the guy at the Portland comic con who saved my signed copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #300

Last month at the con, I was trying to get my copy signed by Todd McFarlane and my pen totally died halfway through. This dude next to me saw me freaking out and just handed me his own Sharpie without a second thought. It was a metallic gold one, which actually looked way better than the black I was gonna use. Has anyone else had a random fan help them out in a clutch moment like that?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

paul_stone41•1mo ago

Am I the only one who used to hand-draw all my door timing diagrams?

For years, I sketched them on a notepad in the machine room, but after a confusing call back on a job in Tacoma last fall, I switched to a simple tablet app. It lets me save and label each diagram by job address, which has cut down on my troubleshooting time by a solid 20 minutes per callback. What method are you all using now for keeping track of door adjustments?

2 comments

c/found-notebook-stories•

paul_stone41•1mo ago

Found a notebook full of grocery lists and I think it's actually interesting

Everyone in this group seems to only care about finding deep, sad journals or wild fantasy stories. I found a plain black notebook in a box of old books I bought at a yard sale in Tacoma. It's just page after page of weekly grocery lists from 1998 to 2001. But I've been looking through it for a week now, and you can see a whole life. One week there's fancy cheese and wine, the next it's just ramen and peanut butter. You can see when a kid shows up because suddenly there's apple juice and diapers on the list. It's a real story, just told with ground beef and laundry soap. Why does a find have to be some epic tale to be worth sharing? Has anyone else found something simple that told you more than they meant to?

2 comments

c/furniture-finishers•

paul_stone41•2mo ago

Finally got a handle on why my shellac was setting up so fast

Kept having my 2-pound cut go tacky in the jar after just a few hours, even in my cool basement shop. Watched a video from a guy in Maine and realized I was mixing it with a metal stir stick. The metal was warming the alcohol and making it evaporate way quicker. Switched to a plastic paddle and now a mix lasts me a full day of work. Anyone else run into this with their shellac?

2 comments

c/coffee-enthusiasts•

paul_stone41•2mo ago

Just realized I've been grinding my own beans for over 15 years now

It hit me this morning while I was cleaning my Baratza Encore. I bought that grinder back in 2009, right after my first kid was born. Back then, getting fresh beans meant a special trip to a place like The Roasterie in Kansas City. Anyone else have a piece of gear that's just quietly marked the years for them?

3 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

paul_stone41•2mo ago

My old comic box finally gave out after 15 years

The bottom just split open last Tuesday. Had about 300 books in there, mostly 90s X-Men runs. They all spilled onto my basement floor. Took me two hours to sort them back into short boxes. Had to run to the store for new ones, cost me $40. Anyone else have a long term storage fail like that?

3 comments

c/fence-erectors•

paul_stone41•2mo ago

My boss gave me the choice between cedar and pressure treated for a big job in Bellingham last month.

I went with pressure treated for the posts and cedar for the rails, and the client said it was the best looking fence on their street.

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

paul_stone41•2mo ago

My primary light gave out at 90 feet during a bridge inspection

It happened Tuesday morning on the Ohio River job. The housing seal failed, and I was left with just my backup. I know a lot of guys swear by that brand, but this is the second time I've had a major failure with their gear in cold, dark water. I had to finish the inspection feeling my way along the piling with my hands. What's a truly reliable primary light you'd trust below 100 feet?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

paul_stone41•2mo ago

Vent: I always thought those coolant filter socks were a waste of money until my pump clogged.

My boss in Toledo insisted on them, and after 3 months my sump is still clean and the pump hasn't choked once. Anyone else have a cheap fix they swore was junk that actually works?

3 comments

Posts

Saw a guy at the St. Louis trade show use a wet sponge to fix a sand mold tear

Shoutout to the guy at the Portland comic con who saved my signed copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #300

Am I the only one who used to hand-draw all my door timing diagrams?

Found a notebook full of grocery lists and I think it's actually interesting

Finally got a handle on why my shellac was setting up so fast

Just realized I've been grinding my own beans for over 15 years now

My old comic box finally gave out after 15 years

My boss gave me the choice between cedar and pressure treated for a big job in Bellingham last month.

My primary light gave out at 90 feet during a bridge inspection

Vent: I always thought those coolant filter socks were a waste of money until my pump clogged.

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