Harper Wright (u/harper_wright)

Posts

Shelled out $150 for a fancy label maker and it barely prints on heat shrink

I thought I was being smart getting one of those industrial grade label makers for organizing my van. Took it on a job to label some wires in a new panel and the thing jammed up on the third label. Spent like 20 minutes trying to unjam it while the homeowner watched me struggle. Anyone else had a label maker that just lets you down when you need it most?

2 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

harper_wright•1d ago

Best repair day I've had in months happened on a Tuesday

I was dreading fixing this old Sony TV from 2012 that kept shutting off after 10 minutes, figured it was a dead mainboard. Turns out it was just two swollen caps near the power supply that I swapped in 15 minutes for under $2. Has anyone else had a repair that looked way worse than it actually was?

2 comments

c/dumb-grocery-store-rants•

harper_wright•19d ago

That time an old guy at Publix taught me about produce

Must be 6 or 7 years ago now, I was standing in the produce section at Publix near my old place in Tampa. This older gentleman, probably 70s, saw me squeezing avocados like I knew what I was doing. He just chuckled and said 'you gotta check the little stem nub, son, if it pops off easy it's ready. That squeezing just bruises em.' I still think about that guy every time I pick out an avocado. Has anyone else gotten random grocery advice from strangers that actually stuck with you?

2 comments

c/camera-repairers•

harper_wright•24d ago

Tried ultrasonic cleaning on a stuck shutter blade assembly

I have been avoiding ultrasonic cleaners for years because I figured they would shake something loose or mess up the alignment. Last week I finally caved and dropped a seized Copal shutter into a cheap Amazon ultrasonic tank I got for $60. Ran it for 5 minutes with a little dish soap and water, and the blades freed up completely. Now I am wondering how many hours I wasted manually cleaning stuff that could have been done in a few minutes. Has anyone else seen weird results with ultrasonic on older gear?

2 comments

c/fix-it-yourself•

harper_wright•25d ago

Frozen my butter in the garage for 3 years and it was fine

My grandma told me to freeze butter for emergencies and I thought she was just being old school. But after that ice storm last February knocked out power for 5 days, I grabbed a block I'd forgotten about. Thawed it out on the counter, used it for biscuits, no weird taste or texture. Now I keep 4 pounds in the deep freezer. Anybody else store stuff longer than you're "supposed to" and it worked out?

3 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

harper_wright•25d ago

Heard a guy at the coffee shop telling his friend his password was 'password123'

I was grabbing a latte at Brews & Bytes downtown last Tuesday when this dude loudly tells his buddy his bank login is 'password123' because he 'remembers it easy'. Couldn't help but think about how many people actually do that stuff. Anyone else ever overhear someone giving away their own security like that?

2 comments

c/climate-action•

harper_wright•25d ago

The solar panel guy in Arizona showed me my biggest mistake

He came out to clean my panels and pointed out all the shading from that one tree I ignored when I installed them 2 years ago. Lost about 40% of my generation on the east side the whole time. Has anyone else discovered a dumb oversight way later than they should have?

3 comments

c/farriers•

harper_wright•25d ago

Pro tip: Stop fighting with old clinch blocks on draft horses

I used to wrestle for half an hour trying to get a clean clinch on a Percheron with those old block anvils and a hand hammer. Last winter I switched to a clincher tool that does the curl and the seat in one motion, and now it takes me maybe 8 minutes per foot. Has anyone else found that a specific tool change cut your rough shoeing time in half?

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

harper_wright•25d ago

That day the firebox went rogue on me

I had a shift last Wednesday at the plant that just about broke me. We were retubing a recovery boiler and everything was going smooth until we hit the firebox inspection. I crawled in to check for hot spots and found a crack running about 14 inches along a tube wall. My foreman said it wasn't that bad but I knew better. Took us six hours to get a patch welded in and the whole time I was thinking about the time a similar crack blew out on a job back in '19. The heat was brutal and my neck got cooked even through the hood. Ended up having to redo the weld three times because the metal kept warping. Has anyone else dealt with firebox cracks that just keep coming back no matter how good the weld looks?

2 comments

c/commercial-kitchens•

harper_wright•25d ago

Spent a whole afternoon fighting a floor drain that wouldn't unclog

I spent 4 hours on a Tuesday wrestling with a slow floor drain in the dish pit. Turned out a chunk of dried rice had hardened in the trap and none of my chemicals or plunging would touch it. Anyone else deal with drains that just refuse to cooperate?

2 comments