Yeah I used to think two clamps was fine for big glass too. Your story is making me rethink that for sure lol.

I mean, you're right about the raw touch. My first time with coal I spent more time trying to get the fire right than actually hammering anything. I probably looked like a confused bear trying to bake a cake. There's something about that messiness that makes getting a good heat feel like a real win, though.

Wait, one detail really flipped your whole view? That's wild when you held the opposite for so long. Makes you wonder how solid any of our first takes really are.

Yeah, that line about working with old data really rings true. You just can't replace being out there.

Honestly the big thing nobody talks about is how much your kitchen's humidity messes with rest time. If the air is super dry, letting batter sit even for a short bit can over dry it and cause those cracks you're seeing. I had the same issue until I got a cheap hygrometer to check the air moisture. Now I only rest my batter if the humidity is above 50%, otherwise I pipe right away. Took me like five batches to figure this out but it was a game changer. So maybe skip the rest step on dry days and see if that helps.