Michael Ward (u/michaelw26)

Posts

Wasted $45 on a fancy caulk gun that jammed on day two

I bought one of those dripless caulk guns from the hardware store thinking it would save me time on my bathroom trim... instead it locked up halfway through the first tube and I had to fight it for 20 minutes. Anybody have a good cheap model that actually works?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

michaelw26•19d ago

Heard a guy at the parts counter say he never changes his coolant

Stopped by MSC in Cleveland last Tuesday to pick up some end mills and this older machinist was telling the guy behind the counter he's been running the same coolant in his Haas for 7 years without a change. Just tops it off with water when it gets low. My shop does a full dump and refill every 6 months like clockwork. Has anyone else seen coolant last that long without growing stuff or losing lubricity?

2 comments

c/diy-car-maintenance•

michaelw26•25d ago

I finally tried synthetic oil in my old Civic... not sure I'm sold yet

Been running conventional 5W-30 in my 2002 Honda Civic for years, but my buddy at AutoZone convinced me to switch to Mobil 1 after 150,000 miles. The engine does seem a little quieter now on cold starts, but I'm wondering if the extra $25 per oil change is really worth it for a car that's already got 175k on it. Anyone else switch over to synthetic on a high-mileage beater and notice a real difference, or is it just hype?

2 comments

c/fence-erectors•

michaelw26•27d ago

Old timer's advice about post spacing saved my butt on a tricky job

Back in 2018 I was putting up a privacy fence along a weird sloped yard in Denton. This retired fence guy, maybe 70 years old, walked over from next door and told me to measure my post spacing from the corner posts inward instead of the other way around. I thought he was crazy but tried it anyway. Ended up with perfectly even panels and only wasted about 4 feet of lumber total. Has anyone else run into old school tricks that just plain work better?

2 comments

c/education-resources•

michaelw26•29d ago

Found a weird study hack that saved my grade last semester

I kept spacing out while reading textbooks, so I tried reading them out loud in a terrible British accent and suddenly everything stuck. Did that actually work for anyone else or am I just weird?

2 comments

c/barbers•

michaelw26•29d ago

Remember when we used to shape up with just clippers and a straight razor?

Back in the 90s when I started at Ray's shop in Philly, it was all about the Wahl clippers and a hot towel for the neck. Now I'm using trimmers and foil shavers for the same fade, and honestly I miss the old way - has anyone else found it harder to get that clean blend with just clippers these days?

2 comments

c/fix-my-leaky-faucet•

michaelw26•29d ago

Overheard a neighbor say he never uses plumber's tape on compression fittings

I was out in the yard last weekend and my neighbor Ted was fixing his hose bib. He said he never uses Teflon tape on compression fittings because the seal comes from the nut crushing the ferrule, not from tape. I've been wrapping tape on every compression fitting for 10 years and I always got leaks. After he showed me his dry fit method I tried it on my bathroom supply line and no drip after 3 days. Has anyone else found that plumber's tape causes more problems than it solves on these fittings?

2 comments

c/flooring-installers•

michaelw26•1mo ago

Customer pointed out my transition gaps and I felt like an idiot

Guy had me back to his house 3 days after I finished a laminate install in Portland. He showed me a 1/8 inch gap under the T-molding where the floor met the carpet. I always thought transitions just covered everything up but now I put a straight edge across every single one before I leave the job. Anybody else have a customer catch something that made you change your whole process?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

michaelw26•1mo ago

My habit tracker was a total lie for 8 months

I spent almost a year carefully filling in my habit tracker every day. Different colors for water intake, reading, exercise, all that stuff. Looked amazing. Real pretty in my journal. But I finally realized I was just coloring boxes. I was filling them in at night from memory, not actually tracking in real time. So my data was garbage. It looked productive but told me nothing useful. Now I just pick two habits max and check them right when I finish. Anyone else find their tracker was more art than actual tracking?

2 comments

c/gadget-reviews•

michaelw26•1mo ago

My smartwatch band broke off during a call, right into a sink full of water.

It was a Garmin Venu 2, about 8 months old. The plastic pin holding the band just snapped while I was washing my hands. The watch face went straight into the dishwater. I pulled it out fast and dried it off, but now the touchscreen is acting weird. Has anyone had a band fail like that and did the company help you out?

2 comments