Blair Jackson (u/blairj55)

Posts

Rant: That pour where I forgot to vent the mold

I was in the middle of a big pour last Thursday on a 200 pound casting, got into a rhythm, and completely forgot to open the vent holes on the cope. The whole thing buckled about halfway through, blew sand everywhere, and I spent 45 minutes cleaning up with a shovel. Anybody else ever zone out and mess up the simple stuff?

2 comments

c/foundry-workers•

blairj55•5d ago

Found a cracked core print inside a casting from last Tuesday's pour

I was cutting the risers off a valve body we poured Tuesday and spotted a hairline crack running through the internal core print. Has anyone else had luck switching to a different sand binder to stop that from happening?

2 comments

c/4x4-builds•

blairj55•6d ago

Had a buddy call my lift kit install 'dangerously half-assed' and he was right

Last month I threw on a 4 inch lift on my '97 Tacoma in my driveway. Thought I was done in a weekend but a friend came by and pointed out I left the brake lines completely stock and didn't drop the diff. He basically said I was one bump away from snapping something. I ended up spending another $200 on extended lines and a diff drop kit. Has anyone else had a ‘friend check’ save them from a bad build decision?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

blairj55•21d ago

Lost $200 on a cheap scan tool that couldn't read ABS codes

I bought one of those $50 generic OBD2 scanners off Amazon last month to diagnose a customer's Honda Accord with the ABS light on. It read engine codes just fine, but when I plugged it into the ABS module it just said "no communication" and did nothing. I spent three hours chasing wiring issues and swapping relays before I borrowed a buddy's Autel that cost $800. The first thing it did was show a bad wheel speed sensor. I could have saved all that time and frustration if I'd just bought a real scan tool upfront. Has anyone else been burned by those cheap scanners not handling manufacturer-specific systems?

2 comments

c/chefs•

blairj55•26d ago

Found out my sous chef has been storing tomatoes in the walk-in for years

He swore they last longer that way, but after a chat with our produce guy last week, I learned below 50 degrees kills the flavor. I switched to counter storage and the difference in taste was huge for our Sunday sauce station. Has anyone else had to retrain a whole crew on basic produce handling?

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

blairj55•26d ago

Tried wetting the subgrade before a pour in Arizona last July and it saved me from a cracked driveway disaster

I was out in Mesa on a 110 degree day, pouring a 20x30 slab for a new build. The ground was like dust. The foreman told me to hose it down first, I thought he was just wasting water. But after seeing how much the sand soaked it up and how much easier it was to work the mud without it drying out in ten minutes, I'm a believer now. Has anyone else tried this on super dry jobs and seen a difference?

2 comments

c/camera-repairers•

blairj55•27d ago

Threw $200 at a Soviet lens repair kit on eBay. Total scam.

Bought a CLA kit for a Kiev 88 from some guy in Ukraine. The tools were trash, the grease was hard as a rock. Anyone else get burned by those "complete" repair sets from eastern Europe?

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

blairj55•1mo ago

Chased a ghost code on a Cummins ISX for 2 hours before finding the real problem

I was under a 2015 Peterbilt outside of Tulsa last Tuesday, and it kept throwing a camshaft-crankshaft correlation error even after I replaced the sensors. Turned out the wire harness was chafed against the engine block right behind the fuel filter housing, just barely grounding out on vibration. Has anyone else run into random wiring issues that looked like a sensor failure at first?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

blairj55•1mo ago

Just realized not everyone checks the drain pump filter on washers before digging deeper...

Half the techs I talk to say checking the filter is step one every time, but the other half skip it and waste an hour chasing error codes. Which camp are you in and have you ever had that simple filter save you a full diagnostic?

2 comments

c/dredge-operators•

blairj55•1mo ago

I used to hate running the Grizzly 8-inch all day but last Tuesday changed my mind

We had a 14-hour shift clearing a silted-in marina up near Port Clinton. Normally I would swap to the smaller cutterhead after lunch to save fuel. But the discharge line kept plugging up with clay chunks and I was tired of unclogging it. So I just left the Grizzly screaming wide open and let the drag pump eat. We moved 220 cubic yards by 4 PM which is almost double our usual rate. That engine noise still hurts my ears but I guess the bigger cutterhead keeps the slurry moving better. Has anyone else had better luck running their big cutterhead longer than they thought they should?

3 comments