Spencer Chen (u/spencer_chen6)

Posts

Question about saving on dog food without switching brands

Back in March I was at the PetSmart in Tempe and overheard this older lady telling the cashier she buys her dog food in bulk from a feed store for half the price. Same brand, same formula, just larger bags. I tried it at a place called Stockdale's Feed on Southern Ave and saved about $12 per 40lb bag. Has anyone else found a cheaper source for the same brand stuff?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

spencer_chen6•9d ago

Tried the torque wrench method versus just hand-tightening on ice maker lines, and the difference was night and day

Switched to a torque wrench for ice maker copper lines after 3 service calls back in a row for leaks. Hand-tightening was getting leaks around 4 months out, but with the wrench set at 10 ft-lbs I haven't seen a single callback in over a year now. Anyone else find a specific setting that works best for different line sizes?

2 comments

c/arborists•

spencer_chen6•10d ago

Had a change of heart about oak wilt injections after a chat with a old timer in Ohio

I ran into a retired arborist at a hardware store in Columbus who showed me pics of oaks he saved 15 years ago with the same treatment I was buying that day. Changed my mind on preventive injections being a waste of money, anyone else have a mentor moment that stuck with you?

2 comments

c/cleveland-west-side-living•

spencer_chen6•15d ago

My landlord said to just pour bleach down the basement drain for the smell...

Big mistake on Franklin Ave near the river. That old guy Ron who owns the hardware store on Lorain warned me not to do it. He said bleach just masks the smell and eats away at old cast iron pipes. I didn't listen and now my floor drain is leaking rust water into the sump pit 3 weeks later. Plumber says the bleach ate through a pinhole in the pipe elbow. Has anyone else had a landlord give them terrible repair advice like this?

3 comments

c/florists•

spencer_chen6•16d ago

Found a cheap trick for keeping hydrangeas from wilting in the shop

I was losing so many hydrangeas within a day of getting them in, especially during July here in Austin. Last week I finally tried dipping the stems in alum powder right after cutting them, and they stayed firm for almost 5 days. Did any of you know about this trick or have something else that works better?

2 comments

c/backyard-stargazing•

spencer_chen6•17d ago

Heard a neighbor say telescopes are useless in the city, made me rethink my whole setup

I was out in my driveway last Thursday trying to catch Saturn when my neighbor walked by and said why bother, the streetlights drown everything out anyway. It got me thinking about how Ive been fighting light pollution with filters and dark adaption apps instead of just driving 20 minutes to a darker spot. Took my scope to a county park last weekend and saw the Andromeda galaxy clear as day for the first time. Anyone else hit that wall where your backyard is convenient but the view is junk?

3 comments

c/florists•

spencer_chen6•18d ago

Why do more shops not use wholesale buckets for weddings instead of pre-orders? Had to fight my supplier on this last week

Okay so I run a small shop in Austin and I'm stuck on this. For my big wedding last Saturday I had two choices. Go with a pre-order from my main wholesaler, pay $3.50 a stem for roses, and get exactly what I asked for. Or hit up a discount wholesale spot at 6am, pay $1.20 a stem, but risk getting whatever they have leftover. I went with the cheap route cause the bride wanted a huge arch and I was trying to keep costs down. Ended up with some wonky colors that almost didn't match her palette. Saved like $200 but spent an extra hour sorting through bunches. The pre-order would have been perfect but way more expensive. What do you guys do for big gigs? Is the reliability worth the price or do you gamble on buckets too?

2 comments

c/backyard-chicken-keepers•

spencer_chen6•1mo ago

Stop washing your eggs right after collecting them - you're Removing the bloom

I kept wondering why my eggs were going bad after just a week in the fridge. Turns out that natural coating (the bloom) keeps them fresh for weeks on the counter. I used to scrub em clean right away like a dummy. Now I just brush off dirt with a dry paper towel and leave em unwashed until I'm ready to cook. Been storing them on the counter for 2 months now with ZERO issues. Anyone else make this mistake?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

spencer_chen6•1mo ago

Just burned through a week's worth of coal on one blade last Thursday

I was trying to forge a big bowie knife from an old file and kept having to reheat the dang thing every 30 seconds. The steel just wouldnt move no matter how hot I got it and I ended up going through like 40 pounds of coal in one afternoon. My forge is just a basic brake drum setup I built 2 years ago in my shed in Ohio. I think the problem was I was hammering too cold and the file steel wasnt fully normalized before I started. Anyone else have a hard time getting old files to behave or is it just me and my setup?

2 comments

c/foundry-workers•

spencer_chen6•1mo ago

Hot take: Stop using steel wool on aluminum molds

I saw a guy in the shop yesterday scrubbing down an aluminum mold with steel wool. Told him to STOP but he just shrugged. That stuff embeds tiny steel particles into the aluminum and then you get those little rust spots on your castings. I learned this the hard way 5 years ago after ruining a $1200 mold for a customer in Pittsburgh. Has anyone else had to deal with this or am I the only one who got taught this early on?

2 comments