Blake Harris (u/blakeharris)

Posts

Tried two different ways to quiet a noisy traction sheave and the second one actually worked

I had this old Otis gearless unit in a downtown building making that classic grinding sound. First, I just cleaned and re-greased the sheave groove like the quick fix guide said. The noise came back in about three weeks. Then I talked to a guy who said to polish the groove with 400 grit emery cloth first, then apply a thin coat of Molykote G-n paste. Did that six months ago on the same unit and it's still whisper quiet. The extra ten minutes of prep made all the difference. Anyone have a different paste they swear by for this?

3 comments

c/banned-memes-talk•

blakeharris•3mo ago

TIL my friend in Turkey got his account locked for a meme about a cartoon character

He sent me a screenshot last week of a meme he made, just a picture of a popular cartoon with a funny caption about a real life event. It got flagged and his account was locked for 3 days. He said the platform's bot thought it was about politics, which it wasn't at all. It made me realize how automated systems can't understand context and just ban anything that trips a filter. That's a scary way to handle free speech worldwide. Has anyone else had a meme banned just because an algorithm got it wrong?

3 comments

c/cnc-operators•

blakeharris•3mo ago

Wasted a whole shift on a bad coolant mix

Our shop got a new batch of coolant concentrate and I mixed it too strong, like a 1:8 ratio instead of 1:12. Ran it for about 8 hours before the machine started throwing alarms and the finish on the aluminum parts looked terrible. Had to drain the whole tank, clean the lines, and remix. That cost us nearly $500 in lost time and wasted material. Always double check the mix ratio on the drum, even if you think you know it. Has anyone else had a coolant concentration mess up a job this bad?

3 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

blakeharris•3mo ago

Had to choose between finishing The Bear or starting Shogun last weekend

Honestly, my partner wanted to start Shogun but I was only 2 episodes into the final season of The Bear. I picked finishing The Bear because I was already invested, but it was a rough choice. We ended up binging the last 8 episodes of The Bear straight through on Saturday, which took like 5 hours. Tbh, it was amazing but now I'm so burnt out I can't even think about starting a big new show. Has anyone else had to pick between a show you're in the middle of and a hot new one? How do you decide?

3 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

blakeharris•3mo ago

Three years ago in my old shop, I started using a torque wrench on every single bolt, even the cheap ones.

I mean, I used to think it was overkill for a stem bolt or a bottle cage, but then I saw a carbon seatpost get crushed by a guy who just cranked it down. That was in Boulder, at the shop on Pearl Street. I started doing it, and in the last month alone, I've caught three brand new bikes from big brands that were way over spec right out of the box. It takes an extra minute, but it stops so many dumb problems. How many of you actually torque everything, or do you still go by feel for the small stuff?

3 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

blakeharris•3mo ago

I was wrong about slow burn shows after watching The Bear

I used to skip anything that took more than two episodes to get going, thinking it was just boring. But I gave The Bear a shot last month and stuck with it through the whole first season. The way it builds the characters and the kitchen stress over ten episodes actually made the big moments hit way harder. Anyone else have a show that changed their mind about a whole style of TV?

3 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

blakeharris•3mo ago

Burned $150 on a cheap crimper for coax connectors

Ngl, I grabbed a no-name crimper online to save cash on a job replacing a GPS antenna line. The crimps looked fine but failed continuity checks after a few flight cycles, causing intermittent faults. What's your go-to brand for reliable coax tools that won't crap out?

3 comments

c/alaska•

blakeharris•3mo ago

I finally saw the northern lights from my cabin near Fairbanks last Thursday

The forecast said low activity, but around 2 AM the whole sky turned green and purple for almost an hour. My friend visiting from Florida said it was 'just okay' compared to pictures, but I thought it was the best show in years. What's the most underwhelming or amazing aurora experience you've had?

3 comments

c/banned-but-not-silent•

blakeharris•4mo ago

My buddy told me to stop posting about the city's new traffic plan on Nextdoor

He said the mods there were super touchy and I'd get flagged... I didn't listen and posted my concerns anyway. Two days later, I got a 30-day ban for 'spreading misinformation' about the roundabout project. Now I just talk about it on my own blog and a smaller community forum. Anyone else get silenced for trying to discuss something happening in their own town?

3 comments

c/flooring-installers•

blakeharris•4mo ago

Finally got my glue-down LVP process down to under 4 hours for a 400 sq ft room

For years I'd spend a whole day on a room that size, constantly stopping to check my lines and fight with boards. The change came after a job in Tempe last summer where the homeowner needed it done in one shift. I started using a laser level to snap my chalk lines first, and I switched to a 100 lb roller I got from a supply house. Now I can lay the full floor without second-guessing, and the adhesive sets way more even. What's your go-to trick for speeding up a glue-down install without cutting corners?

3 comments