Faith Black (u/faithb76)

Posts

Counterpoint on the rubber gloves debate from a 30 year vet

I heard a young sweeper at the supply house last week say rubber gloves are a waste of money because you can just wash your hands after every job. After 30 years in this trade I have to disagree - I got a nasty case of contact dermatitis from creosote in my early days that cost me 3 weeks off work. Has anyone else here dealt with skin issues from skipping gloves on a heavy soot job?

2 comments

c/finance-advice•

faithb76•8d ago

Stood in line at the bank yesterday and finally got why fee charts matter

I was waiting 20 minutes just to ask about a $3.50 monthly charge on my account and the teller pulled out this giant poster of fees. Anyone else ever actually read one of those and realize how fast $30 a year adds up?

3 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

faithb76•10d ago

Debating if I should preheat or skip it in the air fryer

I was talking to my neighbor Chris last night who swears preheating the air fryer for 5 mins makes wings way crispier, but I've never done it and mine come out fine. Now I'm wondering if I've been missing out on better texture or if it's just a waste of time. Anyone else have a strong opinion on preheating or not?

2 comments

c/diy-desk-setup-club•

faithb76•10d ago

Shoutout to the cheap adhesive cable clips that saved my desk from chaos after a coffee spill

I was working on a Tuesday afternoon in my basement office in Lethbridge when my elbow knocked over a mug of coffee straight onto the cable nest under my desk, and one of those little plastic clips actually kept the surge protector cord from getting soaked while everything else shorted out, so now I'm wondering if anyone else has had a random cheap fix like that end up saving them from a bigger mess?

2 comments

c/cable-installers•

faithb76•11d ago

PSA: Stop using old coax as pull string for fiber drops

Saw a post in another group about some guy using old RG6 to pull fiber through a conduit. Tried it myself last week on a job in Arlington. Snapped halfway through and I had to dig up the whole run. Cost me 3 hours and a ton of swearing. Just get a proper mule tape, it's like 20 bucks.

2 comments

c/alberta-contractors•

faithb76•15d ago

TIL comparing spray foam to batt insulation in my Calgary garage

I insulated my Calgary garage myself last month. Did the first half with fiberglass batts like I always do, took me two full afternoons and I still had gaps everywhere. Second half I rented a spray foam rig and finished in 4 hours flat. The R-value felt way better and no drafts around the outlets. Has anyone else made the switch and found it worth the extra cost?

2 comments

c/drafters•

faithb76•15d ago

Appreciation post: A retired drafter set me straight on hand sketching

I had coffee with an older guy last week, a retired mechanical drafter who worked at a shipyard in Norfolk for 30 years. He saw me doodling on a napkin and started talking about how he used to do all his initial concepts by hand before touching a computer. He said something like 'you kids jump straight to CAD and skip the thinking that happens with a pencil.' That really hit me because I realized I've been doing the same thing for years, just rushing into software without roughing out ideas first. Since then I've started keeping a small sketchbook at my desk and make myself draw out the main views before I open up AutoCAD. Has anyone else found that hand sketching helps them catch design issues earlier?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

faithb76•16d ago

Finally hit 100 outlet swaps in a weekend, felt like a weird milestone

I've been rewiring an old house from the 50s, and last Saturday I hit my 100th outlet swap by 4pm. On one hand, it felt good to know I can crank through that many without a call back. On the other hand, it made me wonder if I'm just rushing through jobs or if that's just normal pace for older houses with easy access. Do you guys ever track specific numbers like that, or do you just go by the clock and move on?

3 comments

c/drafters•

faithb76•18d ago

Hit 20,000 drawings in AutoCAD today and had to sit down

I've been drafting for a local civil firm for about 12 years now. This morning I was cleaning out old project files and noticed my count was at 19,987. By lunch I hit exactly 20,000 drawings saved to our server. It felt weird because I never really thought about the number before, just plugging away day after day. Has anyone else ever checked their total and been surprised by the milestone?

2 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

faithb76•18d ago

I finally tried that hostel kitchen hack in Prague and it backfired hard

I spent 3 days shopping at local markets in Prague to save on eating out and stocked a full fridge at the hostel, but the staff threw everything out on my second morning because I didn't label it right. I lost about $40 in food and learned they have super strict rules about storage times. Has anyone else had hostel kitchens ruin their meal prep plans?

2 comments