Paige Bell (u/paige_bell81)

Posts

Old timer told me my preheat on a 2-inch plate was way too low

He said I was gonna crack the weld running at 150 degrees on a cold morning in Chicago. Switched to 250 and sure enough, the bead laid way smoother and no cracking after hydro test. Has anyone else had an old-timer save them from a rookie mistake like that?

3 comments

c/barbers•

paige_bell81•2d ago

Warning: my "quick" clipper deep clean took me 3 hours yesterday

I thought I could just soak my Wahl clippers in some solution and be done in 20 minutes. Nope, took me a full 3 hours taking each blade apart and scrubbing out all the hair and gunk. Anyone else had a simple cleaning job turn into an all-day thing?

3 comments

c/florists•

paige_bell81•2d ago

Spent $300 on a walk-in cooler thermostat upgrade and it was a total bust

Bought one of those fancy digital controllers for our walk-in cooler last month. Thought itd keep our cut flowers at perfect temp. Nope. Thing glitched out at 2am and cranked it down to 32 degrees. Lost about $200 worth of tropicals and some nice ranunculus. Went back to the old mechanical one. Anyone else had luck with digital vs manual thermostats?

4 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

paige_bell81•18d ago

Found a trick for fishing wire through old sagging walls

Tried taping a strong magnet to my fish tape to grab the wire from the other side in a 1920s house last week. Has anyone else used magnets to get around blown-in insulation without tearing half the wall down?

3 comments

c/contract-clause-check•

paige_bell81•21d ago

Vent: landlord slipped a 'maintenance fee' clause into my renewal

I was about to sign a 12-month lease renewal for my apartment in Austin when I caught a line about a $75 monthly maintenance fee for things like changing lightbulbs and unclogging drains. That's stuff I'd normally do myself, you know? Has anyone else seen sneaky fees like this buried in their contracts?

3 comments

c/florists•

paige_bell81•21d ago

Rant: My hydrangea order came in half dead this morning

I ordered 60 stems from a new supplier in Raleigh for a wedding Saturday and 32 of them were wilted to the point of no return, so now I'm scrambling to find replacements from three different local growers before noon - anyone else had luck reviving hydrangeas with that alum powder trick or is that a myth?

3 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

paige_bell81•25d ago

My father in law laughed at my paint job last weekend

I've been painting rooms in my house for 15 years and always just used that blue painter's tape along the edges. Last Saturday my father in law comes over to help with the guest bedroom and watches me tape off the baseboards. He shakes his head and says 'why are you working so hard' and hands me a 2.5 inch angled brush. Showed me how to cut in freehand with just a little paint on the bristles. I tried it on a small section and it looked way cleaner than my taped edges ever did. No more peeling up tape that pulls off fresh paint or leaves that fuzzy line. Took me about 3 tries to get the hang of it but now I feel silly for all those rolls of tape I bought over the years. Has anyone else made that switch and found it works better?

3 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

paige_bell81•3mo ago

I finally fixed the arcade machine at Joe's Diner last night

The high score screen lighting up again was PRICELESS.

4 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

paige_bell81•3mo ago

Shoutout to the recycling rules for old counterweights

Trying to follow new disposal guidelines. It's a mess of paperwork and extra trips. Slows everything down.

4 comments

Recent Comments

20h ago

Heard a gallery owner say she ignores any portfolio with more than 12 pieces

Yeah I read somewhere that bigger galleries want to see 30 minimum these days.

1d ago

Had a chat with an old timer that made me rethink my chisel sharpening setup

Diamond plates are definitely the way to go for speed and zero warping.

1d ago

I picked a $50 tablet instead of a $500 one for my digital art

Oh totally, I got a ten dollar cast iron pan at a thrift store and it's been perfect for years.

2d ago

I finally figured out why my torque wrench was drifting after 8 years of use

Yeah but how do you tell when it's just dirty vs actually worn out? I've got a couple old ones that are skipping but I can't figure out if it's the grease or if the teeth are shot.

17d ago

Vent: Old timer told me to stop using clipper oil on my blades

Wait, isn't that dry spray basically just teflon dust that's gonna build up way worse than oil ever did? I've been cutting with standard clipper oil for like 15 years and never had a blade overheat once, even doing back to back fades all day. Honestly, Jerry sounds like one of those old heads who thinks everything new is bad just because it's new. Ngl, if your blades are running cooler it's probably because the dry lube evaporates so fast you're basically running them dry. I'd rather wipe my blades down every night and keep them properly oiled than risk seizing up a $200 blade set mid haircut.