Troy Price (u/troy832)

Posts

I finally saw why contractors swear by Wagos over wire nuts

For years I thought Wagos were a gimmick for homeowners who couldn't twist a nut properly. I mean I figured a good pair of lineman pliers and a solid nut was the only way to go. Then I got a job rewiring a old house in Denver where every box was packed tight with aluminum and copper. After fighting with wire nuts for two hours I grabbed a box of Wagos from the truck just to try it out. That first connection took maybe 10 seconds compared to the two minutes I was wasting before. By the end of the day my fingers weren't sore and I had zero loose joints. Now I keep a bag of them in my pouch for most residential work. Has anyone else had a change of heart on these things after actually using them on a real job?

3 comments

c/edmonton-diy•

troy832•4d ago

Talking to my uncle about his old paint job changed how I see prep work

My uncle was helping me paint my basement last weekend and he kept going on about sanding every little bump. I always thought primer would cover stuff like that. He showed me a wall in his garage he did 15 years ago that still looks flat because he took the time to sand and fill every hole. Made me think I've been cutting corners on prep for years. Anyone else find out they were doing something the hard way after watching someone else do it right?

3 comments

c/fake-vids-exposed•

troy832•6d ago

Paid $300 for that viral "fireproof" backpack...

Saw this video where a guy pours lighter fluid on a bag and it doesn't even scorch. Looked legit. Bought one for $300 off their site. First day on shift, a hot ember hit the strap and it melted clean through. Whole thing went up in smoke in like 30 seconds. Has anyone actually tested these things before buying, or are we all just getting scammed by CGI?

2 comments

c/chefs•

troy832•8d ago

That moment I realized I was searing steaks with the pan way too hot

Honestly, I thought I was a pro at getting a perfect crust on ribeyes. For like 3 years, I'd crank the burner to max, drop the steak in, and watch it smoke up the whole kitchen. Then last month, a sous chef at my spot in Austin told me to back it off to medium-high and wait for the oil to shimmer, not smoke. First try, the crust was even and golden, not black and bitter. That was the moment I knew I'd been burning the outside while undercooking the inside the whole time. Anyone else have a similar wake-up call with something basic they thought they had down?

3 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

troy832•10d ago

A random Redditor told me my Jupiter photos were overprocessed and they were totally right

I spent like 6 months stacking and sharpening my Jupiter shots to the point where the bands looked like neon stripes, thinking more detail was better. Someone in a comment said I was crushing the data and losing all the natural texture, so I tried a lighter touch with just Registax and no extra sharpening. Now the planet actually looks like a real thing in space instead of a bad painting, has anyone else had to dial back their processing after getting called out?

2 comments

c/fad-or-future•

troy832•13d ago

Hit 50k followers last night and it felt completely fake

I was just sharing my stained glass repair tips on TikTok for 8 months with no real growth, then one video about fixing a 1920s church window got 2 million views overnight. Now I have 50k followers and people are asking me to start a Patreon, but I still only get like 200 views on my newer stuff. Is this just a fluke or did I actually stumble into something that's gonna stick around?

3 comments

c/bookbinders•

troy832•15d ago

Took me twenty years to realize I was stitching my spines backwards

I was at a workshop in Portland last spring and a younger binder glanced at my work and asked why my spine piece was facing the wrong grain direction. I had been doing it the same way since 2003. Nobody ever said anything before. Has anyone else had a basic technique flipped on them after decades?

3 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

troy832•15d ago

Took me 3 shifts to find a chafed wire in an engine harness

I had this King Air come in with an intermittent mag drop. Compressor checks were fine, swapped plugs, still there. Turned out to be a wire rubbed through inside the harness behind the firewall. Probably 2 hours of actual troubleshooting stretched across 3 days because I kept second guessing myself. Did a continuity test 4 times before I finally pulled the harness open and saw the copper. Anyone else ever chase a gremlin like that and feel dumb after?

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

troy832•16d ago

Old timer told me to ditch the weight belt and go with a harness setup

Guy named Sully on a Gulf rig told me harnesses were safer for deep work. I laughed it off until I got tangled on a lift bag at 110 feet last month and the weight belt nearly pinned me. Has anyone else had a close call with a belt that made you switch?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

troy832•18d ago

Warning: I keep seeing guys hammer out dents with body hammers that are way too heavy for the panel

I was working on a quarter panel last Tuesday and watched a guy next to me take 3 swings with a 3-pound hammer on a shallow dent... left craters everywhere. I switched to a 2-ounce cross-peen hammer for the same job and got it smooth in under 5 minutes. Has anyone else noticed guys using the wrong hammer weight for the metal thickness?

2 comments