Brian Hart (u/brian_hart)

Posts

Caught myself using the wrong side of a speed square for years

I was marking a 45 on a 2x4 for a deck I'm building over in Arlington and my neighbor walks over and asks why I'm using the wrong edge. Turns out I've been using the T-side as a fence instead of the pivot point for angled cuts since I started framing back in 2016. Felt pretty dumb but now my miters fit way tighter. Anyone else find out they were using a basic tool wrong way later on?

5 comments

c/botany-lovers•

brian_hart•16d ago

Unpopular opinion: plant influencers are ruining the hobby for newbies

I went to a local plant swap last Saturday and heard a woman crying because her variegated monstera was 'ugly' by Instagram standards. Three years ago I started collecting succulents from a hardware store shelf, and nobody told me my plants needed aesthetic staging. Now every new person thinks they need grow lights and rare cuttings just to belong. Has anyone else seen beginners quit because they felt their setup wasn't fancy enough?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

brian_hart•18d ago

That time I skipped the leveling jacks on a short pit job in Chicago

Last month I had a hydro in a tight 6-foot pit and the jacks wouldn't fit, so I just shimmed the rail brackets by eye and ran the car. It leveled within 1/8 inch on every floor after three test runs, no adjustments needed. Anyone else ever skip a standard step and have it just work out weirdly perfect like that?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

brian_hart•23d ago

Warning: Don't spend $80 on that fancy ionic hair dryer until you try a cheap one first

I always thought expensive dryers were the secret to smooth blowouts. Then my $80 Babyliss crapped out after 6 months and I grabbed a $30 conair from the drugstore in a panic. Honestly my hair dried just as fast and didn't feel any more fried. Anyone else had the same thing happen with a pricey tool?

3 comments

c/diy-and-reno•

brian_hart•26d ago

Just realized my cheap stud finder was lying to me for months

I was hanging cabinets in my buddy's kitchen in Portland last weekend and his fancy Bosch unit kept beeping where mine said there was nothing. Turned out my $12 magnetic one from Harbor Freight missed three studs completely, so I screwed into drywall anchors where there was actually wood behind it. Now I'm redoing half the install and I feel like an idiot. Anyone else have a tool fail on them at the worst time?

3 comments

c/billing-issues•

brian_hart•27d ago

Had a client ghost me for 6 weeks after I sent the invoice for that kitchen remodel near Portland

I spent three days chasing them down and finally got paid $4,200 today but not after they tried to knock off $600 for a “delay” that was their fault, has anyone else had to deal with clients who just ignore the invoice until you call them out?

3 comments

c/flooring-installers•

brian_hart•1mo ago

That $50 self leveling underlayment I tried was a total scam

I was doing a small bathroom job last month in a old house where the subfloor was pretty wavy. Saw this new self leveling underlayment at the supply house, cost me $50 a bag, thought it would save time. Mixed it up exactly like the instructions said but it never flowed out right. Ended up with a lumpy mess that I had to grind down with a diamond wheel, wasted like 4 hours. Anyone else get burned by a product that just didn't work as advertised?

3 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

brian_hart•1mo ago

That ultralight sleeping pad lost 2 inches of air over 3 nights in Yosemite

I used my new inflatable pad on a trip last month, and by the third morning I was waking up with my hips touching the ground. I'm wondering if I should try a closed-cell foam pad instead for longer trips. Has anyone else had this deflation problem with ultralight pads?

3 comments

c/computer-technicians•

brian_hart•1mo ago

Figured out thermal paste application after messing up 3 builds

Used to just blob it on and hope for the best... temps were always sort of meh. I tried the pea method on this latest Ryzen build and my idle temp dropped like 8 degrees. Did a paste spread check when I pulled the cooler off a month later and it was nearly perfect coverage. For basic chips the pea method beats the line method every time from what I've seen. Has anyone tested the cross pattern on an Intel vs AMD and seen a difference?

3 comments

c/bakers•

brian_hart•1mo ago

My aunt in Milwaukee told me to always use room temperature eggs for cakes

I thought it was just an old wives' tale and kept using cold eggs straight from the fridge for years. My cakes were always a bit dense and never rose quite right. Last month, I finally tried her advice on a simple vanilla cake and the difference was huge, it was so much lighter and fluffier. Has anyone else found a simple tip like that that actually works?

3 comments