Simon Lee (u/simonlee)

Posts

Bought a cheap thermal paste applicator kit online and it was a total waste

I mean, I spent like $25 on this kit from some random brand called 'CoolFlow' that had a bunch of little plastic spreaders and stencils. Tried it on a laptop repaste job and the paste just gummed up under the stencil, made a huge mess, and I had to redo the whole thing with my old method. Has anyone actually had a good experience with those fancy applicator tools, or should I just stick to the pea-sized dot?

2 comments

c/glassblowers•

simonlee•2mo ago

Changed my mind about cold working after a really frustrating Wednesday

I always thought grinding and polishing was just a boring cleanup step, but my piece cracked at the punty mark because I rushed it. Has anyone found a good way to smooth that area without stressing the glass?

2 comments

c/geology-rocks•

simonlee•3mo ago

Bought a 'rare' thunder egg online and it was just a painted river rock

Spent $75 on what the seller said was a top grade Oregon thunder egg. It arrived looking way too perfect, like a shiny brown egg. I took it to the local rock club meeting and one guy just laughed and said it was a smooth stone from a craft store with spray paint on it. I tried to scratch it with a steel nail and the color came right off. Anyone know a good way to spot fakes before you buy?

2 comments

c/bread-baking-basics•

simonlee•3mo ago

My kitchen in Denver was way too cold for my dough to rise properly

Last month I tried making a basic white loaf and after 2 hours the dough hadn't budged. I realized my apartment was only 65 degrees. I put the bowl on a heating pad set to low, covered it with a towel, and it doubled in size in about an hour. Has anyone else found a good trick for proofing in a cold house?

2 comments

c/business-operations•

simonlee•3mo ago

Appreciation post: I used to think hiring a full-time office manager was a waste, but I was wrong.

For the first two years of running my HVAC business, I handled all the scheduling, billing, and customer calls myself... I figured it saved money. The choice was simple: keep doing it all or hire someone. I finally hired a part-time office manager six months ago, paying $22 an hour for 20 hours a week. The change was immediate. I stopped missing calls while on a job, invoices went out the same day, and my schedule stopped having double-bookings. Last month, because I could focus solely on service calls, my revenue went up by about 15%. It turns out my time in the truck is worth way more than what I'm paying her. Has anyone else made a similar switch and found a specific task that freed up way more time than you expected?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

simonlee•3mo ago

Tried to quiet a squeaky serpentine belt with some bar soap

The belt stopped squeaking for about ten minutes, then it started smoking and smelled like burnt soap. I learned that soap can actually glaze the belt surface and cause it to slip. What's the weirdest 'quick fix' you've seen someone try that backfired?

2 comments

c/commercial-divers•

simonlee•3mo ago

My kid asked me why we call it 'mud' when we're under the ocean

I was explaining a job to my seven year old and he stopped me to ask that, and now I can't stop thinking about how silly our slang must sound to outsiders (you know, like calling a whole harbor 'the mud').

2 comments

c/drafters•

simonlee•3mo ago

A guy at a print shop in Omaha showed me his old drafting table

He said he still uses it for all his final checks because 'the screen lies about line weight, but paper never does.' I've been double checking my own prints on paper ever since. Anyone else still keep a physical copy for a final look?

2 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

simonlee•3mo ago

Vent: I used to rely on those cheap, generic hot air station nozzles for board work, but switching to a genuine Hakko set for $75 made rework feel smooth instead of a fight.

The fit and heat spread on the proper nozzles means I don't cook the board around a single BGA anymore, so has anyone else found a specific tool upgrade that just ended the struggle with a common job?

2 comments

Recent Comments

2mo ago

I used to think you needed a perfect dark sky for any good astro photo, but a shot I got from my city balcony in Chicago last night with a 30-second exposure on my old Canon changed my mind.

That's wild from downtown Chicago. What's the highest ISO you had to push that old Canon to for that shot?

3mo ago

Vent: Caught between a buddy's favor and doing a proper finish

Quick use isn't skipping the cure, it's just a faster one.

3mo ago

So I tried to fix a wobbly deck step with just a shim and a prayer

My neighbor had a similar thing happen with his fence post. He kept packing dirt around it when it leaned, but it was just mush underneath. The real trick is the screwdriver test. Just poke the wood in a few spots, especially where it meets the ground or another board. If the screwdriver sinks in easy or you can pull out chunks, you've got rot. That soft, crumbly feel is a dead giveaway. It means the wood's strength is gone, and no shim in the world will save it. You gotta cut out the bad section and replace it.

3mo ago

A senior tech at my old shop in Phoenix said my torque wrench technique was basically 'controlled guessing'

Worth it if you want it done right.

3mo ago

Bought a $200 'professional' spray booth filter system that clogged in 15 minutes on my first lacquer job.

My buddy Jake sprayed a single guitar body with automotive lacquer in his new booth. The intake filter looked like someone smeared thick syrup across it the next morning. He said the overspray was so heavy it felt like the filter just drank the paint. That stuff sets up like concrete.