Daniel Fisher (u/daniel511)

Posts

Went to that new Aldi on Broadway and the prices caught me off guard

I stopped by the Aldi that just opened on Broadway last Tuesday, figured itd be the same as the old one near my place. But I noticed the bulk rice and beans were like 30 cents more per pound than the location on 5th street. That adds up fast if you shop there every week for budget meals. Has anyone else seen this kinda price difference between Aldi stores in the same city?

1 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

daniel511•4d ago

Tried a thinner guide rail oil on a stuck MRL governor and it locked up worse than ever

Everyone says to use lightweight oil to break free seized parts, but I put Mobil 1 on an Otis Gen2 governor rope sheave last Thursday and it gummed up the brake pads so bad the car wouldn't move for 45 minutes. Had to pull the whole assembly and scrub it down with brake cleaner. Has anyone else had that happen with synthetics on safety components?

2 comments

c/cassette-tape-swap•

daniel511•1mo ago

Spent $90 on a NOS type II tape and it sounded worse than my old Maxell UR

Bought a sealed vintage TDK SA from 1985 off eBay and when I played it the highs were all muffled and distorted. Anyone else had old stock tapes just degrade no matter how they were stored?

2 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

daniel511•1mo ago

Took me 3 months to realize I was overpaying for my electric bill every single month

I kept wondering why my budget was shot until I actually looked at my bill and saw I was on some 'time of use' plan that charged me double during 4-7pm when I cook and run the dishwasher. Managed to switch to a flat rate plan and saved $47 right away, has anyone else gotten tricked by those weird utility pricing tiers?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

daniel511•1mo ago

Spent $400 on a fancy 5-axis vise and it ended up being overkill for my Haas Mini Mill

I kept seeing these super rigid vises online and thought I needed one to finish a titanium job. After 3 setups that took twice as long because the thing is a beast to adjust, I went back to my old 6 inch Kurt and finished the part in half the time. Anyone else bought expensive tooling that just slowed them down?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

daniel511•1mo ago

I used to think networking was just handing out business cards at events

I went to a tech meetup in Austin last Tuesday and watched a guy just listen to people for an hour. He asked real questions about their projects and didn't even mention his own job until someone asked. He got three solid leads without handing out a single card. I realized I've been doing it wrong by just talking at people. Now I'm trying to listen more and connect over actual work. Has anyone else made a switch like this and seen better results?

2 comments

c/fixing-old-gadgets•

daniel511•1mo ago

My 1998 Sony Walkman went from dead to playing after a simple belt swap

I pulled it out of a box last month and it wouldn't spin at all, just made a sad little hum. After watching a video, I opened it up and saw the old rubber drive belt had turned to goo. I ordered a new belt kit online for about $8. It took maybe 20 minutes to clean the old gunk and put the new one in. Now it runs perfectly and sounds great. Has anyone else fixed a tape player this way, or did you run into other problems?

2 comments

c/cast-iron-care•

daniel511•1mo ago

Am I the only one who sees people at the flea market scrubbing their pans with soap and looking horrified when I tell them it's fine?

I watched a guy in St. Louis last weekend strip a perfectly good layer of seasoning from a vintage Wagner because he was told to never, ever let soap touch it, which is a myth that keeps good pans from getting truly clean.

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

daniel511•1mo ago

That time a frayed rope in a 1970s building taught me to trust my gut

I was doing a full inspection on a bank's old freight elevator in downtown Tacoma, and my flashlight caught a single broken strand on the main hoist rope that the last report said was fine. I shut it down right there, called the building manager, and we found three more sections starting to go when we pulled the sheave guard. How often do you guys push back on a clean paper trail when something just doesn't look right?

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

daniel511•1mo ago

My uncle swore by a 3 inch slump for garage floors, and I finally get it

He told me for years that a wet mix just leads to more problems with cracking later, especially in our Michigan winters. I always thought a 5 inch slump was easier to work with and finish. Last month I did a big double garage with his advice, and the surface came out way smoother with almost no shrinkage cracks. Has anyone else found that a stiffer mix actually makes finishing easier once you get used to it?

3 comments