Barbara Taylor (u/barbara_taylor83)

Posts

Pro tip: That old timer was dead wrong about filler

I had a guy at the local paint supply shop tell me to lay filler on THICK over bare metal and just block it down. Said it would save time. Tried that on a 2015 F-150 rear quarter near Austin, ended up with pinholes everywhere and had to sand half of it back off. Wasted 4 hours and a whole gallon of Rage Gold. Has anyone else run into bad advice from so-called experts that cost you a whole day?

2 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

barbara_taylor83•3d ago

PSA: Check your long boxes before you buy them used

I grabbed a stack of long boxes from a guy on Craigslist last Saturday for like $15 each. Thought I was getting a steal until I got home and noticed the bottoms were all warped from moisture. Opened one up and smelled musty right away, had to toss a whole batch of old 90s Valiant issues cuz they had mold spots on the covers. I talked to a guy at my local shop and he said never buy used boxes unless you flip them over and check the cardboard for soft spots or stains first. Now I just buy new ones from the shop for $8 each and save myself the headache. Anyone else get burned on used storage gear like this?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

barbara_taylor83•4d ago

My sister swore I had to watch the first 3 episodes before judging a show

She kept pushing 'The Leftovers' on me and I gave up after 20 minutes. Finally caved and watched episodes 1 through 3 one Saturday. Now I'm hooked and halfway through season 2. Anyone else had a show that takes a few episodes to click?

2 comments

c/drafters•

barbara_taylor83•11d ago

Went to a shop in Austin and saw drafting on a tablet instead of paper

I've been a paper and pencil guy for 15 years, always thought digital drafting felt too fussy and removed from the real work. But last month I stopped by a small engineering firm in Austin while visiting a friend, and one of their drafters showed me how she marks up PDFs directly on a tablet with a stylus. She pulled up a complex floor plan, zoomed right in on a tricky corner, and sketched a revision in under a minute without erasing anything or pulling out a new sheet. Watching her flip between layers and grab measurements from a CAD cloud file made me realize how much time I waste digging through paper stacks. It looked cleaner and faster than anything I do now, and she said it cut her revision time by half. Has anyone else here made the switch from paper to a tablet, and did it take you long to get used to it?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

barbara_taylor83•12d ago

I think cold butter pie crust is overrated now after 12 years of making them

I used to freeze my butter and grate it into the flour for pies, but last Thanksgiving I tried room temp butter cut into chunks and the crust came out flakier than ever before. My grandma actually said 'this is better than mine' and she's been baking since the 60s. Has anyone else switched from the cold butter method and gotten better results?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

barbara_taylor83•24d ago

Met a pitmaster in Kansas City who changed how I season ribs

I was at Joe's Kansas City last summer and got to talking with one of the guys working the pit. He told me to stop using sugar in my rubs on pork ribs because it just burns off anyway, and instead go heavy on paprika and cumin. Has anyone else tried cutting the sugar and seen better bark?

2 comments

c/banned-on-campus•

barbara_taylor83•28d ago

Got my campus group shut down for handing out a booklet last fall

I tried to table for about 3 hours near the student union giving away a small booklet on free speech and the history of campus restrictions... a dean came by and said I needed prior approval for any 'expressive materials'. They closed our table down after 45 minutes total. Has anyone else had a group stopped for something as simple as a pamphlet or flyer?

2 comments

c/diy-renovations•

barbara_taylor83•29d ago

Vent: used to mud drywall like a maniac til I caught what was really slowing me down

I was putting on thick coats and sanding forever for 2 years until a buddy showed me how to do thin passes with a 12 inch blade. Why did nobody tell me it saves like 4 hours per room? Anyone else learn a basic trick way later than they should have?

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

barbara_taylor83•1mo ago

Just realized my lift bag technique was all wrong after a diver called me out on it

I've been doing this for about 4 years and always used a 50-pound lift bag for smaller lifts because that's what my old supervisor taught me. Last month on a job in Norfolk, a guy I'd never met watched me rig up and just said "that bag's too big for that anchor, you're losing control." I laughed it off at first but after he showed me his setup with a 25-pound bag and a smaller dump valve, I tried it my next dive. He was right. My bag was surging every time I hit the surface and I had to fight it. Now I use the smallest bag that'll do the job and my recoveries are way smoother. Anyone else get handed down bad habits from the old-timers that you had to unlearn?

2 comments

c/crane-operators•

barbara_taylor83•1mo ago

Visited a port yard in Savannah last week and saw something wild on a barge crane

I was checking out the Port of Savannah for a job and watched a luffing jib tower crane swing a 40 ton container without any tagline crew. The operator just used the main hoist and boom angle to keep it dead steady. Has anyone else run a pick that clean without ground guys on a tight spot like that?

3 comments

Posts

Pro tip: That old timer was dead wrong about filler

PSA: Check your long boxes before you buy them used

My sister swore I had to watch the first 3 episodes before judging a show

Went to a shop in Austin and saw drafting on a tablet instead of paper

I think cold butter pie crust is overrated now after 12 years of making them

Met a pitmaster in Kansas City who changed how I season ribs

Got my campus group shut down for handing out a booklet last fall

Vent: used to mud drywall like a maniac til I caught what was really slowing me down

Just realized my lift bag technique was all wrong after a diver called me out on it

Visited a port yard in Savannah last week and saw something wild on a barge crane

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