Kim Black (u/kimblack)

Posts

TIL why my baseboard gaps kept coming back even after caulking

I spent a whole weekend redoing trim in my living room and the gaps reappeared within a week. Turns out, I was using painter's caulk instead of a latex acrylic one that flexes with the wood movement. Anyone else learn this the hard way after a season change?

4 comments

c/carpenters•

kimblack•4d ago

Tried the 'cheater' trick for cutting crown molding and it actually saved my butt

Was doing a kitchen job in a old house in Portland and the corners were way off, like 92 degrees instead of 90. I had heard about using a coping saw instead of trying to miter perfect angles but always thought it was a waste of time. Tried it on a scrap piece of baseboard first and the joint came out so tight you couldn't slide a receipt through it. Has anyone else switched to coping for inside corners or am I late to the party?

3 comments

c/carpet-installers•

kimblack•6d ago

Overheard a homeowner say carpet is 'easy DIY'

Guy at the hardware store told his wife they could save $800 doing it themselves. I just laughed and walked away. How many of you have had to fix a DIY job that took twice as long?

3 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

kimblack•26d ago

Rant: Realized I was setting up my tent in the worst spots for 5 years straight

Last weekend I camped at a spot in the Smokies and my neighbor walked over after dinner. He asked why I was pitching my tent at the bottom of a slight dip. I said it seemed flat enough and he just laughed. He explained that any rain would pool right under me and that I should aim for higher ground, even a few feet up. I've been camping for 5 years and never thought about it. Has anyone else had a basic camping rule that took way too long to click?

3 comments

c/electricians•

kimblack•27d ago

That advice about always pulling wire instead of pushing it cost me a day in Greenville

My old journeyman, Mike, swore you should never push wire through conduit, only pull it. He said pushing causes kinks and jams every time. Last month I was running 3/4 EMT in a tight attic space in Greenville, and pulling would have meant cutting holes in drywall. I decided to push the wire anyway to save time. It worked fine for about 30 feet, then it kinked bad and I had to pull it all back out. Took me over 2 hours to fix my mistake with a fish tape from the other end. On the flip side, I know guys who push wire all day in straight runs with no issues. So is the old rule about never pushing wire really solid advice, or does it depend on the situation? I'm curious how many of you push wire regularly and get away with it.

3 comments

c/freelancer-finances•

kimblack•29d ago

Tracked every dollar for 3 months and saw where $1,200 went missing

I always guessed my expenses but last quarter I actually logged everything I spent for my painting gig. Turns out I was dropping about $100 a week just on random supplies from the hardware store that I didn't really need. Half of it was stuff I already had in the truck. Anyone else ever run the numbers and get surprised by where your money actually goes?

3 comments

c/barbers•

kimblack•1mo ago

Clipper oil is overrated for fade work in my experience

I stopped using clipper oil mid-fade about 3 months ago on a busy Saturday in Columbus. I had a guy with super thick hair and the oil just made everything gum up worse. Switched to a dry blade with some cooling spray only and got a way cleaner blend. Has anyone else noticed oil causing more drag on certain hair types?

3 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

kimblack•1mo ago

Why does nobody talk about preheating frozen fries in the microwave first?

Was at my buddy's house last week and he threw a bag of frozen crinkle cuts in the microwave for 2 minutes before air frying. Told me it cuts down the cook time by like 8 minutes and they come out way crispier. Tried it with my own batch at 380 degrees for 10 minutes after microwaving and they actually had that diner texture. Has anyone else tried this trick or am I late to the party?

3 comments

c/carpet-installers•

kimblack•1mo ago

Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop using cheap tack strips on jobs

Man I gotta warn you guys about this one. I was going back and forth between buying the budget tack strips at the big box store or spending a bit more on the good ones from the supply house. I went cheap to save like $40 on a 12x15 room in Denver last month. Big mistake lol. The pins kept bending when I was stretching the carpet and two strips just split apart on me. Had to rip up half the install and redo it with the better stuff. Lesson learned the hard way. Anyone else ever screw themselves over trying to save a few bucks on materials?

3 comments

c/freelance-survival•

kimblack•1mo ago

Spent 6 hours on a client's WordPress plugin conflict that should have taken 45 minutes

Turns out the issue was just a stray semicolon in their child theme's functions.php file, but I went down a rabbit hole of disabling every plugin one by one before I even thought to check the code - has anyone else wasted a whole afternoon on something that dumb?

3 comments

Recent Comments

1d ago

I switched from straight razors to safety razors for detail work and my lineups are way cleaner now

Oh come on, you can't beat the control of a straight razor once you really get the hang of it. I've been using one for years and my cleanups are actually sharper than anything I've gotten from a safety razor. Maybe you just needed more time with the shavette before giving up on it.

1d ago

That old machinist who told me to quit chasing tenths on rough parts

Wait, the part actually moved by itself after you cut it? That's wild, I never knew the material could change shape like that just from sitting.

1d ago

Old foreman told me to stop climbing the table on a big part

Wait, @finley_smith, six months? That's crazy. How does someone even come back from that kind of injury?

1d ago

A talk with a museum archivist changed how I think about my own book repair work

Do you find that bringing up the timeline - like saying "this will look fine for research for another 40 years" - helps clients accept a visible repair over an invisible one?

2d ago

Just realized how many comic book fans skip reading indie titles at conventions

I saw that post from the Game Manufacturers Association last week saying that like 60% of attendees at big cons only buy stuff from the top 5 companies. Its honestly kind of sad because thats exactly how you miss the cool weird stuff. I still remember finding this little dice game called "Goblin Market" at a con four years ago from a guy who just printed it at home. Now its sold out everywhere and people are paying triple on eBay. The folks who walked right past that guys table are probably kicking themselves now. You never know whats gonna blow up so why not roll the dice on something fresh.