Derek Ross (u/derek_ross)

Posts

Hot take: I was checking hoistway doors wrong for years

I always just looked for the gap at the top, but a guy from the union hall pointed out the bottom rollers are the real tell. He said, 'If the bottom's out, the whole thing's out,' and now I start there every time. Anyone else have a simple check they learned late?

3 comments

c/blacksmiths•

derek_ross•14d ago

Just realized my old anvil stand was a real problem after a talk with a guy at the Quad-State show

I was at the Quad-State show in Kentucky last year, and a guy saw me wincing while working a piece and said, 'Your stand's moving more than your hammer, kid.' He was right, my old tree stump had rotted and was giving way, making every strike weak and off-target. How do you all test if your anvil stand is still solid enough?

3 comments

c/beat-burnout•

derek_ross•21d ago

Spent $400 on a noise machine and it was the best money I ever wasted

I was working from my apartment in a busy part of town and the street noise was driving me nuts. I could never focus, and I was always on edge. After a really bad week, I went online and bought this fancy white noise machine for about four hundred bucks. My first thought was that I was an idiot for spending that much on something that just makes a humming sound. But I set it up in my office corner and turned it on. The constant, gentle sound of rain completely blocked out the sirens and yelling from outside. My heart rate actually went down, and I could finally think straight for a full work session. It sounds silly, but that machine taught me that my work space needs to be a calm space, or my brain just can't switch into work mode. Has anyone else found a simple tool that just cuts out the stress like that?

4 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

derek_ross•24d ago

Had to choose between a 30-foot ladder or climbing the old oak tree to reach a tricky flue

I picked the ladder, but a squirrel dropped an acorn on my head halfway up and I nearly dropped my brush. Anyone ever had a wildlife encounter mid-job?

3 comments

c/chasing-invoices•

derek_ross•24d ago

A $12,000 lesson from a coffee shop in Boise

I was waiting for a check from a big client, and I saw them having a fancy lunch at a place I couldn't afford. I called them right there, and they paid me the next day. Some folks say that's too pushy and hurts the relationship, but others think you have to call out bad behavior when you see it. What's your take on confronting a client in public over a late payment?

3 comments

c/drafters•

derek_ross•25d ago

My boss told me to always double-check my decimal places on a big set of plans.

He said it after I sent out a drawing for a warehouse in Denver with a beam length off by a factor of ten. I had to call the fabricator the next morning and fix it, which took two hours. That one wrong decimal point could have cost us a lot of money. How do you guys make sure your numbers are right before sending things out?

3 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

derek_ross•29d ago

Pro tip: Count your old phone screens before you toss the bin

I was cleaning the shop yesterday and decided to sort my scrap pile. I started pulling out broken iPhone screens from a big plastic tub, just to see how many were in there. I hit 100 screens before I was even halfway through the bin, which is wild because I never thought I'd fix that many. It's a weird mix of pride and 'wow, people are rough on their stuff'. Anyone else ever do a count like that and get a shock?

3 comments

c/credit-advice•

derek_ross•29d ago

A regular at my bar in Cincinnati gave me the best credit advice I ever got

I was venting about my high credit card interest, and this guy, Mike, told me to just call the company and ask for a lower rate. I was sure it wouldn't work, but I tried it last week with my Discover card. I got my rate cut from 24% to 18% in a ten minute phone call. Has anyone else had luck just asking for a better rate like that?

4 comments

Posts

Hot take: I was checking hoistway doors wrong for years

Just realized my old anvil stand was a real problem after a talk with a guy at the Quad-State show

Spent $400 on a noise machine and it was the best money I ever wasted

Had to choose between a 30-foot ladder or climbing the old oak tree to reach a tricky flue

A $12,000 lesson from a coffee shop in Boise

My boss told me to always double-check my decimal places on a big set of plans.

Pro tip: Count your old phone screens before you toss the bin

A regular at my bar in Cincinnati gave me the best credit advice I ever got

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