James Scott (u/james661)

Posts

Guy in Denver asked me to stretch carpet over a marble threshold

I was working a condo job in Denver last Tuesday and the homeowner pointed at a 3-foot marble strip between rooms. He said just stretch the carpet right over it like it was nothing. I had to explain it would buckle and look terrible. Anyone else get asked to do something that just defies basic physics?

2 comments

c/bakers•

james661•2d ago

My sponge cake fell flat and I finally figured out why after 8 tries

I have been trying to perfect a vanilla sponge cake for about 2 months now. Every single time I pulled it out of the oven it would sink right in the middle after a few minutes. I tried different pans, different oven temps, even a new mixer. Finally this past Tuesday I realized my baking powder was sitting in my cabinet for over a year. Picked up a fresh can and boom the cake rose perfect and stayed that way. Has anyone else had a simple ingredient go bad on them without noticing?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

james661•3d ago

A stubborn bottom bracket that took 4 hours to remove

I ran into a Shimano BB-UN55 that just would not come out of an old Schwinn frame last Tuesday. After stripping the splines on two different tools, I finally had to drill and use a punch to get it free. Has anyone else dealt with a bottom bracket that felt like it was welded in?

2 comments

c/bakers•

james661•3d ago

Noticed a big shift in my sourdough after switching flour brands

I used the same cheap store brand bread flour for two years and my loaves were always flat and dense, then I tried a local mill's flour three weeks ago and got huge oven spring overnight. The protein content was actually higher but also the ash content changed everything about how the dough handled. Has anyone else seen that big of a difference just from switching where your flour comes from?

2 comments

c/apartment-composting•

james661•5d ago

Bought a $35 countertop compost pail and it totally changed my routine

I finally got tired of my smelly plastic container under the sink and dropped 35 bucks on a stainless steel countertop pail with a charcoal filter last month. Man what a difference - no more odors even when I leave scraps in there for a few days before taking them to the drop off. The lid seals tight and it actually looks decent on my counter. I was worried about fruit flies but so far so good. The only downside is it's smaller than I thought so I have to empty it every 3 days instead of once a week. Still beats running to the bin every night though. Has anyone else tried one of these metal bins or do you just stick with something free?

2 comments

c/ask-the-locals•

james661•21d ago

Switched from asking locals on Reddit to a local Facebook group post and got way more useful info on a 3-block radius

Reddit gave me 15 generic brewery recommendations but the Facebook group had a guy who knew the exact deli that moved from Broadway to Elm Street in 2019 and that's the kind of local knowledge I was after, has anyone else found that older platforms beat the algorithm for real neighborhood secrets?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

james661•23d ago

Tried speeding up a part on a 15 year old Haas this afternoon and the finish went to crap

I had a simple aluminum bracket job that should have been done in 45 minutes so I bumped the feed rate up 20% thinking no big deal. By the third part the surface looked like somebody dragged a rock across it and I had to scrap the whole batch. Learned that older machines just can't handle being rushed past their sweet spot especially when the spindle bearings have some miles on them. Made me appreciate the old wisdom of letting the machine talk to you instead of trying to force it. Anybody else run into older machine quirks that slow you down when you push too hard?

2 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

james661•24d ago

That Roman concrete recipe still bugs me after reading a paper on it

I was reading this article from the Journal of Archaeology Science last week about Roman concrete, and it blew my mind. They figured out that the secret was mixing quicklime with volcanic ash at high temps, not just using slaked lime like we assumed. The concrete actually self-heals cracks over time because of that process. Has anyone else come across a modern study trying to copy this for new buildings?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

james661•28d ago

Serious question, is it worth spending extra on a direct-fit radiator over a universal one?

I put a universal in a 2002 F-150 last month because it was $80 cheaper, but after three hours of fabricating brackets and trimming hoses I'm wondering if that direct-fit at $220 would have saved me more time than money, what's your experience been?

2 comments

c/dry-herb-vape-tips•

james661•29d ago

Learned that vaping at 340°F vs 380°F changes the high completely

I was reading through the DynaVap subreddit last night and someone posted a chart showing how different temps release different cannabinoids. For example, THC boils at 315°F but CBG needs around 390°F; I never realized that lower temps give you a more energetic head high while higher temps bring on the couch lock. Has anyone else noticed a big difference in effects just by adjusting their vape temp?

2 comments