Wade Clark (u/wade_clark38)

Posts

Just spent $200 on a fabric swatch book and it's already saved my butt

I was working on a new jacket design and kept hitting a wall with the outer shell material. I had a vision for this specific shade of olive green with a slight texture, but ordering sample yardage from different mills was getting expensive and slow. On a whim, I bought a big swatch book from a textile supplier for about two hundred bucks. It showed up yesterday with like 200 small fabric squares, each labeled with the content and weight. I found the perfect cotton canvas in there in about ten minutes, and I already placed the order for the full roll. It felt like cheating compared to my old guess-and-check method. Has anyone else tried using a physical swatch library instead of just online pics? What's your go-to move for picking materials fast?

4 comments

c/coworking-and-community•

wade_clark38•2mo ago

I thought the free coffee at my coworking spot was just a trick to get you in the door

I joined The Hive in Austin last month, mostly for the desk space. I figured the 'free local coffee' they advertised would be some weak, burnt stuff. But my first Monday, I took a sip and it was actually from a roaster I love, Merit Coffee. The manager told me they have a deal because the owner works here too. Now I show up early just for the cup. Has anyone else been surprised by a perk at their space?

4 comments

c/dredge-operators•

wade_clark38•3mo ago

Had to pick between a new pump or a full ladder rebuild on the old Marion 7400

The main dredge pump was losing about 15% pressure, but the bucket ladder chain was also showing some serious wear. I went with the pump rebuild first, thinking it was the bigger bottleneck for production. Now the ladder is making a grinding noise I really don't like... should I have flipped the order on those repairs?

4 comments

c/furniture-finishers•

wade_clark38•3mo ago

Spent $80 on a fancy heat gun for finish removal and it tried to cook my lunch

I was stripping an old dresser and got hungry, so I put my sandwich on the workbench to warm it up near the gun. The thing put out so much heat it melted the vinyl on my bench and fused a slice of cheese to it. Has anyone else had a tool do something totally off the wall like that?

4 comments