I finally found a way to fix sticky Canon shutter blades without a full teardown

Had a Canon AE-1 with shutter blades sticking at slow speeds for months. Tried the usual stuff like cleaning the surface with lighter fluid but it only helped for a day. Then I read somewhere about using a tiny drop of naphtha on the pivot points while cycling the shutter. Did that on a bench test last Thursday and it ran smooth through 50 test shots at 1/30. No more sticking at all so far. Anyone else tried this trick or got a better fix for blade drag?

Debate: Was my old instructor right about avoiding polyester blends?

My fashion design teacher back at FIT swore I should never use polyester blends for structured garments, but I used a 60/40 cotton-poly blend for a jacket last semester and it held up great after 12 wears. Now I'm wondering if she was just being a purist or if I got lucky. Anyone else had this debate with a pro who gave advice that felt outdated?

Charging $50/hr for 3 years then doubled it overnight. Clients actually respected me more.

I was terrified to raise my rates. Stayed at $50/hr from 2020 to 2023 because I thought I'd lose everyone. Then my landlord raised rent $300 and I had no choice. Sent out an email saying rates were going to $100/hr effective immediately. Prepared for angry replies. Got none. Three clients even said "about time." My income actually went up. Should have done it day one. Anyone else notice clients treat you better when you cost more?

That time I tried to use a biscuit joiner with zero sleep

Last Tuesday I was finishing up a kitchen job in Tacoma and I was SO tired I forgot to set the fence depth. I plunged that thing right into my workpiece and it shot a biscuit clean across the shop. It hit my coffee mug and shattered it. Now I keep a Post-It on my joiner that says "check depth dummy." Has anyone else had a tool mishap because you were running on fumes?

My neighbor the master gardener told me I was pruning my roses all wrong

She came over last April and showed me how I was cutting too close to the bud, leaving those stubs that invite disease. Now I leave a quarter inch above the outward-facing bud and my bushes are way fuller. Anyone else had an old-timer correct their technique?

Finally got a decent shot of the Orion Nebula after 4 tries

I've been trying to get a clear photo of M42 since I got my used Celestron last spring. The first three attempts were just blurry smudges because I was too impatient with the focusing. Last weekend at a park near my apartment in Portland, I actually sat there for 45 minutes letting the scope cool down and used a Bahtinov mask. It came out way sharper than anything I've managed before. Still not as good as the pro shots on here but it's a huge jump for me. Anyone else struggle with getting the focus right on their first few deep sky attempts?

My cheap stud finder lied to me for 2 years, found out yesterday when I redid the basement

That $60 streaming box was a total waste

Bought one of those cheap Android streaming boxes off Amazon. Supposed to be 4K HDR. Nope. Buffered constantly on my 200mbps connection in Chicago. Stick with the name brand stuff or just use your smart TV apps. Anyone else get burned by those cheap no-name boxes?

My old Atari 2600 came back to life after a weird trick with a paperclip

I was trying to fix the power switch on my Atari 2600 from 1980. The console would not turn on at all. I opened it up and cleaned the switch with contact cleaner, but that did nothing. Out of ideas, I gently bent a small paperclip into a hook and slid it behind the switch's plastic rocker. I pulled forward just a bit to put pressure on the metal contacts inside. The red power light flickered on. I held it there, plugged in a game, and the screen came up. I learned the plastic rocker had worn down over 40 years and was not pushing the internal switch far enough to make contact. A tiny piece of folded cardboard wedged in there now keeps it working. Has anyone else had a fix this simple bring a console back from the dead?

My neighbor told me my jade plant looked 'sad and thirsty' after I'd been watering it every other day for months.

She said the leaves were soft and a bit wrinkled, which actually meant it was overwatered, not under. I cut back to watering only when the soil is completely dry, about every three weeks now, and it's perked right up. For those of you with succulents, how do you judge when it's truly time to water?