Wait, eight YEARS?? And nobody caught that until now? That's wild. I would've been so mad at myself, but also lowkey impressed the inspector figured it out.

Ain't it funny how the cheap stuff sometimes just works better? I had the same thing with an old Ford ball joint, the $200 press kit I borrowed just would not budge, but a $15 pickle fork from the parts store popped it loose in five minutes. Now I keep the simple stuff in the truck first and only pull out the fancy tools when I really have to.

Wait, did you check if the tape left any residue on the part edges after the run? Ive had double stick tape surprise me on softer materials where the adhesive migrates into the finish, takes forever to get off. For 40 parts it works great but if those are going out to a customer with anodizing or paint, that could bite you later. Tape is my go to for prototypes but I always do a quick wipe test on a scrap piece first.

The napkin trick is basically my whole life strategy at this point. I once "fixed" a wobbly shelf with a folded up bus ticket and told myself it was character. Honestly, I'm just impressed the table stayed standing long enough for you to judge, that's more than my stuff usually manages.

Oh wow, that's a rough one. But before you go full panic mode, just a heads up: most 'seconds quality' brick pallets are sold with a damage allowance built in. I've seen 10% to 15% be the normal cut off, so 20% might actually put you over the line. Did you check the fine print on the listing? It usually says something like 'minor chipping acceptable' but 40 bricks is not minor, that's almost a full row. Take photos of the pile and the pallet wrap, and email them. Real talk, freight guys are never liable for that, it's usually the seller's problem. I got a partial refund once for a similar deal, but only because I sent clear pics within 24 hours. Worth a shot, and worst case, yeah, those can be rubble or you can use the good ones for a small planter wall. Just don't toss them all yet.