Ray Carr (u/ray_carr)

Posts

That guy at Micro Center who fixed my stick drift with a q-tip

I was at the Micro Center in Denver last month trying to find replacement joystick modules, all frustrated cause my left stick was drifting like crazy on my DualSense. This older guy stocking shelves just walked over and said 'you probably just got dust in the potentiometer, try cleaning it with 99% isopropyl and a q-tip before you spend $15 on new modules.' I went home, did exactly that, and it's been perfect for three weeks now. Has anyone else had weird luck just cleaning the contacts instead of swapping parts?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

ray_carr•17d ago

Old guy at the supply yard told me my trowel was too light.

Happened on a Tuesday morning. I'm grabbing mortar mix and this retired mason in line behind me just points at my trowel. Says I'm fighting the brick instead of letting it lay. Made me switch to a 10 inch Marshalltown. Been night and day since. Anyone else run into random advice that actually stuck?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

ray_carr•19d ago

I still think timing belts are better than chains in most daily drivers

Last month a customer brought in a 2012 Accord with a snapped timing chain at 140k miles, and it got me thinking. Am I the only one who prefers replacing a belt every 60k over hoping a chain lasts and then dealing with this kind of mess?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

ray_carr•22d ago

Just compared the Honeywell Vista vs the Qolsys IQ panel on a big install

I swapped out a dying Vista panel for a Qolsys IQ Panel 2 on a 40-zone house in Phoenix last week and the difference in setup speed was night and day. The Qolsys programed in about 2 hours vs the 5 I'd normally budget for a Vista with all those wired zones. Has anyone else made the switch and run into any weird compatibility issues with older wired sensors?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

ray_carr•25d ago

Showerthought: That door jamb repair that should have been 30 minutes ate up my whole Saturday

I had to fix a rotted door jamb on a 90 year old house in Denver last weekend. Figured itd be a quick cut and replace, maybe an hour tops. Turns out the framing underneath was all twisted and out of square from decades of settling. Spent 4 hours shimming and planing just to get the door to close right. Has anyone else run into a simple job that turned into a full day project because of hidden framing issues?

2 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

ray_carr•27d ago

Old cabinet maker told me to stop using sandpaper on MDF edges

I was in a shop outside Nashville last week and this guy in his 70s saw me sanding the edges of some MDF panels. He walked over and told me to just hit them with a quick pass on the table saw instead. Honestly I thought he was full of it but I tried it on a scrap piece. The edges came out way smoother with no fuzz and it saved me like 20 minutes per sheet. Has anyone else tried this trick or do you stick with sanding?

3 comments

c/fence-erectors•

ray_carr•29d ago

Rant: Had to pick between a hand auger and a power auger for a rocky job site

I was putting in a 200-foot fence line near Boulder last week and the ground was full of rocks. My buddy said go with the hand auger to feel out the obstacles, but I went with the power auger thinking it'd save time. Big mistake - I snapped a blade on the third hole and lost two hours messing with repairs. The hand auger would have been slower but way less headache. Has anyone else dealt with power auger failures on rocky ground?

2 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

ray_carr•1mo ago

Just caught a shop cutting corners on connector crimps

I overheard a lead tech at a depot last week telling his junior to just tin the wires and shove them in, skip the crimp entirely... That's a fire waiting to happen on a 737. Anyone else run into shops trying to rush through terminations like this?

2 comments

c/fence-erectors•

ray_carr•1mo ago

Spent 8 years digging post holes with a clamshell digger before trying an auger

I was out on a job in Springfield last month, 40 holes to dig for a horse farm fence. By hole 12 my back was screaming and I was only 2 feet deep on each. My helper asked why I didn't just rent a one man auger from the depot. I thought augers were only for big crews with skid steers. Rented a 2 stroke Honda for $65 and knocked out the rest in under 3 hours. Has anyone else stuck with a manual tool way too long before upgrading?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

ray_carr•1mo ago

Serious question, a customer's dad told me he never uses a torque wrench on lug nuts

Honestly, I was finishing up a brake job on a 2018 F-150 last Thursday. The owner's dad, an older guy who used to run a shop in the 80s, was hanging around. He watched me grab my torque wrench to put the wheels back on and said, 'Son, I've been doing this for forty years. I just zip them on with the impact and give them a good pull with the breaker bar. Never had a wheel fall off.' Tbh, it hit different because he wasn't being a jerk, he was just stating what worked for him. It made me think about all the times I've seen guys skip the torque spec for speed. But I've also seen warped rotors from uneven clamping force. Where do you stand? Is the torque wrench on lug nuts a non-negotiable shop standard, or is it okay to go by feel if you have the experience?

2 comments

Recent Comments

10h ago

That old timer at the shop was right about brake fluid flushes

Man, that is so spot on! My buddy Pete runs a little shop in Odessa and he had this lady with a Camry who refused a flush for like five years. He told her straight up the fluid was dark as motor oil, she said it was fine. Well, her master cylinder went out on the highway six months later and she blamed him for not warning her. The fluid looked like old coffee with grit floating in it when he finally drained it. Always the same story with these folks.

15h ago

Watching my neighbor fix his fence gate made me think about forge welding differently

Heard a guy on a podcast say leaf springs memorize stress, which explains why they fight back.

3d ago

Warning: using an impact driver on rusted brake bleeder valves

Oh boy here we go again with the impact driver debate. I've seen guys snap bleeders clean off with hand tools and then blame the tool instead of their gorilla grip. But hey if you can keep your touch light enough to use an impact without turning it into a grenade in there, more power to you, just don't come crying to me when you accidentally hit the trigger a little too long and the bleeder is now a permanent part of the caliper.

18d ago

My suet feeder went from ignored to mobbed in 3 days after moving it 6 feet

Man, that is so frustrating! I had the same thing happen with my oriole feeder last spring, stuck it in this perfect spot near the flowers and nothing for weeks. Then I just nudged it maybe four feet closer to our old lilac bush and boom, they showed up the next morning. It's like birds have this invisible map in their heads and if you're even a little off the route they just pretend the food doesn't exist. Makes you wonder why they're so picky when a full meal is sitting right there. Glad you finally got the crowd though, that first woodpecker hitting the suet is such a relief.

18d ago

Started using a 4-foot level for my deck posts instead of a 2-footer

Jump right in and get a 4-footer, you won't regret it. That wobble you're talking about is real, and it just multiplies the further you go up with your framing. I swear by my old Stabila level I've had for years, but honestly any aluminum level that's straight and not beat up will work fine. Lasers are nice for quick layout but they can drift or get bumped out of level on a job site, I still trust a good long level for getting those posts dead plumb. Once you go to a 4-footer you'll never wanna pick up a 2-foot level for posts again.