My $15 slow cooker from a yard sale finally gave up the ghost last night, turning my planned bean stew into a cold, watery mess.

I mean, I guess I should've seen it coming after three years, but has anyone found a truly reliable cheap cooker that won't die mid-meal?

Thinking about the old shellac flakes I found in my granddad's shop

Three years ago, I was cleaning out my granddad's old garage in Toledo after he passed. I found a dusty tin of orange shellac flakes he must have bought in the 70s. Last month, a client brought in a beat up 1920s gramophone cabinet, and I remembered that tin. I mixed a small batch, just to see. The smell when I dissolved it in alcohol was nothing like the pre-mixed stuff I usually grab. It had this warm, almost spicy scent. Working with it felt different too, like I was connecting with how he would have done things. It took more patience, but the depth on that old wood was something else. I wonder if anyone still uses the old flake method for special pieces, or if it's just not worth the extra time anymore.

PSA: That new 'light pollution filter' I bought for my camera gave me a weird green tint on everything

I got a specific filter, the Hoya Red Intensifier, because the online reviews said it was great for cutting through the skyglow from my town. I was trying to get a cleaner shot of the Orion Nebula from my backyard last week. The first test shot looked okay, but after stacking about 30 images, the whole frame had this strange, sickly green cast that I couldn't fully edit out. It wasn't the usual color noise, it was like a uniform tint over the stars and the nebula itself. I spent hours trying to fix it in software before I gave up. I learned that some of these filters can really mess with your camera's sensor in unexpected ways, especially with newer models. Has anyone else run into color balance issues with specific light pollution filters?

Am I the only one who switched to a ceramic steel for honing?

After using a standard steel for years, I tried a ceramic one last Tuesday and the edge on my boning knives is noticeably keener and lasts longer. Anyone have a preferred brand they stick with?

We hit 300 grease trap cleanings in a single quarter and it made me rethink our whole setup.

That number hit our books last week and my jaw dropped. We run a small pest control business, but we do a lot of work for restaurants, so we see a lot of kitchens. Seeing that many grease traps needing service in just three months tells me one thing: a lot of places are cutting corners on basic maintenance to save a quick buck. I walked into a spot in the River North area last month for a roach call and the smell from their clogged trap was so bad it was drawing flies. The manager said they 'stretched' the cleaning to save $150. That false economy costs way more in fines and lost customers. How many of you have seen a kitchen's problems get way worse because they skipped a simple, scheduled clean? I'm starting to think a missed grease trap service is the first sign of bigger issues.

A cashier's comment about my beans

I was buying six cans of black beans at the grocery store last Tuesday, and the cashier said, 'You must really like beans.' I told her they were for chili, and she just shrugged and said, 'You know dried are about a third the price, right?' I'd never even looked at the dried bean aisle. Now I soak a big batch on Sundays, and it saves me around $8 a week. Anyone have a good trick for flavoring them up besides just salt?

Pro tip: I thought saturation diving was the most dangerous job until I saw the stats

Read a report from the IMCA last week. Turns out, the highest fatality rate in our industry isn't saturation. It's surface-supplied air diving in inland waters. Found out the rate is nearly double. Always figured the deep stuff was the riskiest. Anyone else see this data and have it change their risk assessment?

My barista in Seattle said I should try a pourover with the beans I always buy... I thought it was just a fancy drip coffee

A walnut slab in my shop split overnight and I think I know why

I had this beautiful 8/4 walnut piece air drying in the corner for about six months, but the heat kicked on hard last Tuesday and the next morning there was a crack you could fit a quarter in. I'm pretty sure the sudden dry air from the furnace did it, so now I'm keeping a pan of water near the wood pile. Anyone else deal with indoor drying during winter and have a better fix?