I mean, the "skill some guys have" part is what I don't agree with. That feel comes from practice, not from just being born with it. It's like learning to back a truck into a tight spot, you get better by doing it a lot. Saying it's just a natural skill lets companies off the hook for not training people right. Anyone can learn it if someone shows them how and they get the time to try.

Funny how those flyers work out sometimes. My neighbor got a dog from a gas station bulletin board that way, no money changed hands. The real hidden cost was the vet bills later, because the people giving it away hadn't done any shots or checkups. So you might get a free pet, but you're also taking on whatever problems come with it, which the old owners might not mention. Your buddy was wrong about the scam part, but his worry wasn't totally crazy either.

My buddy's lamp broke mid-project too. Total nightmare.

Wait, a full size carousel? I'm trying to picture the logistics. That food court must have been huge, and @riverf34 is right, it's a lot for some Sbarro and Orange Julius. The cleaning alone sounds like a nightmare. Imagine some kid dropping a whole soft pretzel mustard-side down on one of those painted horses while it's still moving. They really went all out to make you forget you were just there to get new jeans from JCPenney.

Learned that lesson the hard way last winter. My garage is basically a walk-in freezer. Started using warm water from the kitchen tap, not hot, just warm. Makes a huge difference in how it sets up. Still takes forever to cure though.