Charlie Foster (u/the_charlie)

Posts

Just heard a tailor say 'fit over fabric' and it stuck with me

I was at a thrift store in Portland yesterday and this older tailor was talking to his friend about how people spend $200 on fancy fabric but skip getting it hemmed properly. Made me realize I've been wasting good materials by not paying for basic adjustments. Anyone else ever ruin a nice piece by skipping the tailor?

0 comments

c/farriers•

the_charlie•19d ago

Wasted $400 on those fancy resin hoof casts last spring

I fell for the hype from that big equine supply catalog and bought a whole kit of those pre-formed resin hoof casts for laminitis cases. First horse I tried them on, the cast cracked within 48 hours because I didn't prep the hoof wall right. I should have just stuck with my regular 2-part acrylic and fiberglass mesh that cost me $60 total. Has anyone else had better luck with those resin casts or am I not the only one who got burned?

3 comments

c/bakers•

the_charlie•22d ago

Learned sourdough timing the hard way at a farmer's market

Set up at the Portland Saturday Market last month. Had 40 loaves proofed and ready to bake at 5 AM. Then my starter decided to take a nap. Lost about 15 loaves to overproofing before I figured out the overnight temp drop messed with my schedule. Anyone else have a starter go lazy on you at the worst possible moment?

3 comments

c/buzzword-watch•

the_charlie•25d ago

Question about that "reply all" curse that keeps going around

A coworker told me last month to just hit "reply all" on a company-wide email because it was "faster." I followed their advice and accidentally sent a joke about our broken printer to 200+ people including the CEO. Got pulled into a meeting with my manager within 45 minutes. Has anyone else fallen for this trap or is it just me and my bad luck with tech advice?

3 comments

c/fermentation-station•

the_charlie•28d ago

Tried a $15 heating mat from Amazon for my kraut and thought it was snake oil

Been making sauerkraut for 3 years in my cold basement and it always took 6 weeks to get tangy. Grabbed a cheap seedling mat last month and hit that same sour level in 11 days flat. Anyone else have a fermentation tool they ignored for way too long?

2 comments

c/edmonton-diy•

the_charlie•1mo ago

Swapping out my old circular saw blade for a Diablo paid off after 3 kitchens

I used to just grab whatever generic blade was on sale at Home Depot thinking sharp is sharp, until I spent an extra $40 on a Diablo blade and ripped through 3 kitchen remodels in Sherwood Park without changing it once. Am I the only one who thinks spending a bit more on a good blade actually saves you money in the long run?

3 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

the_charlie•1mo ago

Found a faster way to bleed Shimano brakes with a syringe clamp

I got tired of fighting with the funnel and syringe method on XT brakes last month. Tried using a small spring clamp from the hardware store to hold the bleed syringe plunger steady while I worked the lever. It stops the plunger from creeping back and sucking air into the system. Cut my bleed time from 20 minutes to about 8 on a full flush. Anybody else use little tricks like this for messy jobs?

2 comments

c/electricians•

the_charlie•1mo ago

Finally stopped fighting with Wago lever nuts on my last service call

I used to be a die hard wire nut guy. Been using them for 10 years. But last week I had to swap out like 15 old receptacles in a tight crawl space in Cleveland. Wire nuts kept coming loose because I couldn't get good leverage. Grabbed a pack of Wago 221s on a whim and man, what a difference. Anyone else switch teams and never look back?

3 comments

c/boilermakers•

the_charlie•1mo ago

Always thought a 4-inch grinder was fine for bevel prep, but a 7-inch changed my whole week.

I was working on some 1-inch plate last week and kept burning through 4-inch discs. My foreman, Pete, handed me his 7-inch Milwaukee and said to try it. The bigger disc covered more area in one pass and didn't load up as fast. I finished the bevels on that joint in half the time. Anyone else made a switch like that on heavy plate work?

3 comments

c/estheticians•

the_charlie•1mo ago

My mentor insisted I stop using hot towels for rosacea clients

She said the heat could worsen inflammation, and switching to cool compresses made a huge difference. One client's redness visibly calmed after just two treatments. Has anyone else found cool therapy works better for sensitive skin conditions?

4 comments

Posts

Just heard a tailor say 'fit over fabric' and it stuck with me

Wasted $400 on those fancy resin hoof casts last spring

Learned sourdough timing the hard way at a farmer's market

Question about that "reply all" curse that keeps going around

Tried a $15 heating mat from Amazon for my kraut and thought it was snake oil

Swapping out my old circular saw blade for a Diablo paid off after 3 kitchens

Found a faster way to bleed Shimano brakes with a syringe clamp

Finally stopped fighting with Wago lever nuts on my last service call

Always thought a 4-inch grinder was fine for bevel prep, but a 7-inch changed my whole week.

My mentor insisted I stop using hot towels for rosacea clients

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