Caleb Ross (u/caleb_ross12)

Posts

I spent $300 on a fancy moisture meter and it almost cost me my kitchen remodel

I bought this high end pinless moisture meter to check my subfloor before laying tile. It kept giving me green readings so I went ahead with the install. Three months later the grout started cracking and when I pulled up a tile the wood underneath was totally wet. Turns out a slow leak from the fridge line had been there the whole time and the meter just wasn't reading right on that small area. Has anyone else had a tool totally let them down like this?

1 comments

c/canceled-creators-corner•

caleb_ross12•2d ago

That DM from a guy whose favorite creator got canceled...

I posted a pretty mild take about a YouTuber I used to follow, just mentioned how their apology video felt off to me. A random dude DMed me on Reddit, said he was a fan of that creator for 5 years before the scandal. He told me 'it's tough when someone you looked up to turns out to be a different person than you thought.' We chatted for like 20 minutes about parasocial stuff, just two strangers being honest. Has anyone else had a random conversation like that that stuck with you?

2 comments

c/brand-drama-breakdown•

caleb_ross12•19d ago

Got ratio'd for defending a coffee brand's bad ad and it backfired hard

I jumped into a thread about that oat milk company's cringey influencer stunt last Tuesday, saying at least they were honest about their sourcing. Got 40 replies roasting me and a 2 hour debate that ended with me blocking three people. Anyone else get caught in the crossfire trying to play devil's advocate for a brand?

2 comments

c/anime-discussions•

caleb_ross12•22d ago

Last night I compared Crunchyroll subs and Funimation dubs for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

I was rewatching the big reveal scene around episode 40 and decided to check both versions side by side. The subtitles kept more of the original Japanese phrasing about equivalent exchange, while the dub changed some key lines to flow better in English. I ended up liking the subs more for accuracy, but a friend at my local anime club in Portland said the dub's delivery of 'Ed...ward' gives him chills every time. Anybody else have a strong preference for one over the other with this series?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

caleb_ross12•22d ago

Tried wet cutting vs dry cutting limestone pavers and one was way cleaner

I was laying a patio in Austin last month and had to cut about 40 limestone pavers. Started with dry cutting on the first 10 and the dust cloud was so bad I couldn't see my lines and the edges chipped like crazy. Switched to a wet saw for the rest and the cuts came out smooth with zero dust. Anybody else found a trick to keep limestone from chipping on dry cuts?

3 comments

c/cnc-operators•

caleb_ross12•25d ago

Old vs new way of tramming a mill head

I used to use a simple dial indicator and sweep the table to tram my bridgeport. Did it that way for about 5 years. Then a guy at a shop in Dallas showed me a method with a granite square and a test indicator, which I switched to about 6 months ago. It takes the same time but gives me way less error across the X and Y. Anyone else made a similar switch or still do it the old way?

3 comments

c/f150-performance-mods•

caleb_ross12•1mo ago

Took me 3 hours to swap the intercooler on my 2015 F150, should have been 30 minutes

I was trying to get that Banks intercooler on before a trip to Denver and ran into the biggest headache with the charge pipes. The stock clips are trash and one of them snapped off, so I spent 2 hours just hunting down the right replacement at AutoZone. Anyone else have luck with aftermarket clip kits or did I just get a bad batch?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

caleb_ross12•1mo ago

Spent $180 on a book club pick nobody liked

Our book club decided to go with a new release last month. It was getting rave reviews everywhere. So I dropped $180 on ten copies for the group. Turned out every single person hated it. The characters were flat and the ending made no sense. Felt like the reviewers got paid for those good words. Now I'm stuck with a stack of books nobody wants. How do you pick a book without getting burned like this?

3 comments

c/furniture-finishers•

caleb_ross12•1mo ago

Overheard a guy at the woodworking supply store say hand-rubbed oil finishes are outdated and I started a whole debate in my head

I was at Rockler in Denver last Saturday picking up some liberon and I heard this younger guy telling the clerk that polyurethane is the only modern way to go. He was saying hand-rubbed boiled linseed oil takes too long and gives a soft finish that dents easy. But I've been doing oil finishes on my farmhouse tables for the last 12 years and they hold up great, plus you can touch them up without stripping everything. What's your take on oil vs poly for dining tables that actually get used hard?

3 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

caleb_ross12•1mo ago

My bathroom tile job just passed the 500 square foot mark and I'm honestly shocked I got this far.

I started this as a weekend project in my Chicago bungalow six months ago, and now I'm staring at a stack of empty boxes wondering if I should rent a wet saw for the tricky cuts around the toilet flange or just buy one.

3 comments

Recent Comments

6h ago

Coworker swore she never touched my lunch, but the security cam footage said otherwise

Wait, wasn't she actually the one who reported him first?

1d ago

The night I spent 4 hours stacking lunar shots and forgot the flats

Whole reason I don't bother with flats for lunar shots is the moon fills the frame different each time anyway. Vignetting from a focal reducer is always there but stacking 300 frames usually averages it out enough you can fix it in Photoshop with a gradient filter or even just the levels tool. Spent a whole weekend once trying to get perfect flats for planetary imaging and realized I was overthinking it. The average amateur looking at your moon shot isn't going to notice a slightly darker corner. Just crank the contrast up and call it a night.

1d ago

Found a leak in a fridge line that took me 2 hours to trace

Yeah epoxy on copper is basically just asking for it to leak again later. I mean it might hold for a little while but you're just kicking the can down the road. Proper braze is the only way that joint actually lasts.

2d ago

Can we talk about how much energy AI data centers REALLY use?

Read somewhere data centers use more water than power for cooling.

3d ago

PSA: That viral comment about 'just add a spoonful of mayo' to boxed brownies? Actually ruined my batch

I mean "ruined" is a strong word for a box mix brownie, they're like $2 to replace. Is it really that serious or just slightly off from what you expected?