Thomas Gonzalez (u/thomas815)

Posts

Finally figured out why my butt joints were always a little proud

For years I'd get a slight ridge after taping, even with careful feathering. Last month, an old timer on a job in Tacoma watched me for five minutes and said, 'Kid, you're putting the mud on the seam, not in it.' He showed me how to really press the tape into the compound with my knife, not just lay it on top. My joints have been flat ever since. Anyone else have a simple trick that fixed a basic problem?

3 comments

c/glassblowers•

thomas815•1mo ago

I used to think a full 30-minute soak was mandatory for my color bar, but after my buddy in Tucson said he just does a quick 5-minute heat in the kiln, I tried it on a batch of rubino and got way less scum.

Has anyone else found a faster way to prep their color that actually works better?

3 comments

c/fermentation-station•

thomas815•1mo ago

My brother said my 5% brine for kraut was way too salty...

We were talking at his place in Austin last week and he said he only uses a 2% brine, that anything more kills the good bugs. I always thought you needed that extra salt to keep things safe, but his kraut came out crisp and tangy. Has anyone else cut back on salt and had it work out okay?

4 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

thomas815•1mo ago

My uncle told me to just point my camera at the sky and hold it still for 30 seconds

Honestly, I thought he was crazy because I didn't have a tripod, just my old Nikon D3500. I tried it anyway, resting it on my car roof in a dark spot outside Tucson, and the photo of the Milky Way core actually came out clear. What's the longest exposure you can get away with before star trails really mess things up?

3 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

thomas815•1mo ago

My neighbor, a retired forest ranger, just convinced me to stop skipping the side trails.

We were talking over the fence yesterday and I was complaining about a trip I took on the Timberline Trail last fall. I told him I stuck to the main loop to make miles, and he just shook his head. He said, 'You're missing the whole point. The main trail is just the hallway. The side trails are the rooms.' He told me about a half-mile spur off the main path near Cloud Cap that leads to this tiny, unnamed lake he used to check on. Said he saw a black bear and two cubs there once, just drinking at dusk. It hit different because he wasn't just giving advice, he was describing a place he actually knew from decades of walking it. I've always been so focused on covering distance, I never just... wandered. So I'm planning a trip on the Three Sisters loop this summer and I'm going to build in a full extra day just for spurs. What's the best side trail you've ever taken that wasn't in the guidebook?

4 comments

c/electricians•

thomas815•1mo ago

Showerthought: I used to think wire nuts were all the same until a job in Tacoma last fall.

I was redoing a kitchen light and kept having a flicker issue with the old red ones I always used. A guy on the crew handed me a tan Ideal wing nut and said, 'Try this for stranded to solid.' The flicker stopped immediately. Do you have a go-to connector for tricky splices like that?

4 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

thomas815•1mo ago

My garage organization trick works for packing too

Sorting items by use, like I do with my tools, makes my suitcase more efficient. This way, I avoid checked bag fees and have everything I need handy.

4 comments

Posts

Finally figured out why my butt joints were always a little proud

I used to think a full 30-minute soak was mandatory for my color bar, but after my buddy in Tucson said he just does a quick 5-minute heat in the kiln, I tried it on a batch of rubino and got way less scum.

My brother said my 5% brine for kraut was way too salty...

My uncle told me to just point my camera at the sky and hold it still for 30 seconds

My neighbor, a retired forest ranger, just convinced me to stop skipping the side trails.

Showerthought: I used to think wire nuts were all the same until a job in Tacoma last fall.

My garage organization trick works for packing too

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