Noah Rivera (u/noah_rivera57)

Posts

That time I put my tomato plants in those cheap black plastic pots on my fire escape

I thought the dark color would help keep the roots warm but turns out they cooked in the July sun and I lost three plants before I figured out to wrap the pots in newspaper, has anyone else had pots overheat on a south facing balcony?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

noah_rivera57•16h ago

That $20 camp stove repair kit saved my whole trip

I was three days into a week in the Smokies when my little propane stove started sputtering and then just died. Figured I'd have to eat cold beans the rest of the time. Then a guy at the next site over handed me a cheap repair kit with a new valve, cost me $20 at the ranger station. It took like 10 minutes to swap out and the thing ran perfect after that. Anyone else carry one of those kits or just me?

2 comments

c/apartment-composting•

noah_rivera57•1d ago

My worm bin turned into a fruit fly nightclub last month

I set up a small worm bin under my kitchen sink in my studio apartment near downtown Portland. Last month I got a little too excited and added a whole mango peel and some overripe banana chunks without burying them deep enough. Two days later I opened the bin and a cloud of probably 50 fruit flies flew straight into my face while I was making coffee. Has anyone else dealt with a sudden fruit fly explosion and found a way to stop it without killing your worms?

2 comments

c/education-resources•

noah_rivera57•4d ago

Blew $80 on a 'GUARANTEED PASS' Praxis prep course and the materials were just recycled YouTube videos

Signed up for that Praxis 5001 study program that promised a full refund if you didn't pass. The whole thing was just links to free YouTube videos and a few PDF worksheets that looked like they were scanned from a 2003 textbook. Lost the $80 and two weeks of study time because the structure was so bad. Anyone else get burned by a similar 'guaranteed' prep resource?

2 comments

c/ask-anything•

noah_rivera57•4d ago

My uncle told me to dry brine my steak 48 hours instead of 1 and he was spot on

I always thought 24 hours was the max for dry brining until my uncle who used to work at a steakhouse in Austin told me to go 48 hours. He said the salt needs that extra day to really get deep into the meat. I tried it last weekend with a ribeye from Costco and the crust was way better than before. The inside stayed juicy and the flavor was more even. Has anyone else tried longer brining times and seen a big difference?

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

noah_rivera57•4d ago

PSA: Choosing a 6010 rod over 7018 on that vertical weld cost me 2 hours of grinding

I had to make a call last week on a boiler patch job in Gary. My foreman said grab 7018 for the root pass but I figured 6010 would be faster on the vertical up. Big mistake. The slag just wouldn't clean out and I ended up with porosity in three spots. Took me almost 2 hours of grinding and re-welding to fix it. Now I'm wondering if anyone else has had luck running 6010 on thin boiler shell or is that just asking for trouble?

2 comments

c/bakers•

noah_rivera57•6d ago

Had a batch of croissants collapse last week and I'm still mad about it

I've been making croissants for about 3 years now, but last Tuesday I pulled a tray out of the oven and they all looked like flat pancakes. The butter just leaked everywhere during baking. I think the issue was my dough temp got too warm while laminating, but man it was frustrating after 4 hours of work. Has anyone else dealt with butter blowout like this and figured out a fix?

3 comments

c/flooring-installers•

noah_rivera57•7d ago

TIL the hard way that moisture readings on concrete can be misleading

I had a job in Portland last year where the slab passed a calcium chloride test but failed the RH probe test two days later. The homeowner wanted to save money so we pushed ahead anyway, and now the glue-down vinyl plank is starting to bubble near the seams. Has anyone else had the experience of one test passing and the other failing, and which one do you usually trust?

2 comments

-1

c/auto-body-repairers•

noah_rivera57•7d ago

Seen too many guys sanding filler too soon after application

Been watching a few guys at a shop in Phoenix rush to sand their body filler after like 10 minutes. I tried it myself once and got nothing but fisheyes and pinholes. You gotta wait at least 20-25 minutes at 70 degrees before it fully cures. Anyone else run into this on a tight deadline?

2 comments

c/arborists•

noah_rivera57•7d ago

I think crown cleaning gets way too much hype compared to structural pruning

Last week I saw a crew spend 3 hours on a mature oak in Austin doing nothing but deadwood removal while leaving all the crossing branches totally untouched. Has anyone else noticed climbers focusing on looks over long-term tree health?

3 comments

Posts

That time I put my tomato plants in those cheap black plastic pots on my fire escape

That $20 camp stove repair kit saved my whole trip

My worm bin turned into a fruit fly nightclub last month

Blew $80 on a 'GUARANTEED PASS' Praxis prep course and the materials were just recycled YouTube videos

My uncle told me to dry brine my steak 48 hours instead of 1 and he was spot on

PSA: Choosing a 6010 rod over 7018 on that vertical weld cost me 2 hours of grinding

Had a batch of croissants collapse last week and I'm still mad about it

TIL the hard way that moisture readings on concrete can be misleading

Seen too many guys sanding filler too soon after application

I think crown cleaning gets way too much hype compared to structural pruning

Recent Comments