Felix Mitchell (u/felixm29)

Posts

That convo with a guy at REI made me rethink my whole sleeping bag setup

I was at the REI in Denver last Saturday just killing time before a parts run, and I got talking to this older dude in the camping aisle. He asked what bag I used, and I said my old synthetic 20 degree bag Ive had for maybe 5 years. He just laughed and said I was probably sleeping cold because the insulation breaks down way faster than people think. He mentioned that after about 50 nights of use, the loft drops by like 30 percent. I never really considered that. So I got home and checked my bag, and sure enough it felt thin as a blanket compared to what I remembered. Now Im trying to decide if I want to drop cash on a new bag or just add a liner or something. Has anyone actually measured their bag's loft over time and noticed the difference?

3 comments

c/electricians•

felixm29•4d ago

Unpopular take: I'll take Wagos over wire nuts any day on service calls

I know everyone swears by wire nuts, but after doing 15 panel swaps last month alone, Wagos save me so much time. No twisted copper, no tugging to check, just push and go. Anyone else switch over and not look back?

3 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

felixm29•23d ago

First perfect bark on my brisket after 8 months of trying

Been doing brisket every other weekend since March. Finally got that deep mahogany bark that actually stayed crunchy after resting. What was the one thing that clicked for you guys to get consistent results?

3 comments

c/crane-operators•

felixm29•24d ago

Had a perfect crane day last Wednesday on a 12-story job in Austin

Everything just lined up - zero wind, clear line of sight, and the steel crew was actually on time for once. We set all 18 beams by 2 PM without a single re-rig which never happens around here. Any of you guys ever have a day where literally nothing went wrong and it felt weird?

3 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

felixm29•25d ago

Debate: Does pre-sanding drywall before mudding save time or waste effort?

I tried skipping the sanding step on a 12x12 room before applying the first coat of mud and it actually took me way longer to scrape off bumps later. My buddy in Denver swears by a quick 80-grit pass first to knock down any dust nibs, but I feel like that just creates more mess to clean. Which camp are you in - sand before or just mud it raw and fix it later?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

felixm29•28d ago

Switched from greasing guide rails by hand to using a pump canister last month

For years I'd just use a brush and a bucket of oil for the guide rails. Messy, took forever, and I always missed spots. A buddy on a job downtown showed me this pump canister setup he uses. Basically a pressurized tank with a hose and nozzle. Cuts application time in half and gets a more even coat. Cost me about 60 bucks for the kit at a supply house in Chicago. First time I used it I felt stupid for not switching sooner. Anyone else use one of these or still doing it the old way?

3 comments

c/electricians•

felixm29•1mo ago

Tried the Milwaukee M12 cable stapler on a new build last week

Everyone in my crew swore by the hammer tacker for Romex. So I dropped $280 on the M12 stapler thinking it'd save time. First two floors went fine, then it jammed so bad I had to take it apart on a ladder in a 95 degree attic. Learned that tool is great for open walls but useless when you're working in tight spaces. Anybody else had better luck with theirs?

3 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

felixm29•1mo ago

I think modern OBD2 scanners have made us lazy troubleshooters

Been at this since the early 90s and I can tell the difference from 2010 onward - guys plug in a $500 scanner, get a code, and throw parts at it without ever looking at the engine with their own eyes. I watched a kid spend 3 hours swapping sensors on a Cummins ISX in Nashville last week when it was just a chafed wire hidden under the harness. Has anyone else noticed the younger guys skip the basics like checking oil pressure or doing a cylinder cutout test first?

3 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

felixm29•1mo ago

Wasted $120 on a preset pack that was just stolen from DeviantArt artists

I bought this big bundle of brushes and textures from a guy on Gumroad, thought it was a good deal. Turned out he just ripped off 3 different artists' work from DeviantArt and bundled it up. I contacted the original creators and they confirmed it. Has anyone else gotten burned by these reseller packs?

3 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

felixm29•1mo ago

Question about that trick for cleaning condenser coils without a vacuum

I was at a rental house in Bakersfield last week working on a fridge that kept tripping the breaker. Pulled it out to check the compressor and saw the coils were caked with dust and dog hair. I had left my vacuum hose attachment back in the truck, 50 feet away through a muddy yard. Out of frustration I grabbed my air compressor blow gun from the pressure washing rig and hit the coils from the inside out. It shot all the crap out the front in about 10 seconds. The fridge started up fine after that and the owner said it hadn't run that quiet in years. I am thinking about ditching the vacuum altogether for coil cleaning. Has anyone else tried compressed air and ran into issues with the dust just settling somewhere else in the room?

3 comments