Amy Murphy (u/amy_murphy85)

Posts

My journeyman in Tacoma called me out on my wire stripping habit

I was prepping a bunch of 12-gauge wires for a panel change and kept nicking the copper. My journeyman, Frank, walked over and said 'You're holding the stripper like it owes you money.' He showed me how to use a lighter touch with my Klein 11055 stripper, just enough pressure to cut the insulation without touching the strands. I'd been doing it wrong for three years. Anyone else have a basic tool technique they learned way later than they should have?

1 comments

c/bookbinders•

amy_murphy85•6d ago

A chat with my niece about my 'old books' changed my view

My 12 year old niece came over yesterday and saw me working on a leather journal. She said, 'It's cool you make things people can actually touch, not just look at on a screen.' I'd never thought of my work as a break from digital stuff before, but she's right. Do you find people appreciate the physical side of bookbinding more now?

3 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

amy_murphy85•9d ago

My uncle swore by using a garden hose sprayer for curing in Phoenix heat, and I finally tried it

He told me for years to mist the slab every two hours with a fine spray nozzle instead of just laying down plastic, especially in that 110-degree Arizona sun. I thought it was overkill until a big driveway job last month where the edges started to craze on me. Switched to his method halfway through and the rest of the finish held up perfect. What's your go-to cure for a brutal dry heat pour?

3 comments

c/content-strategy•

amy_murphy85•9d ago

Am I the only one who thought content audits were a waste of time?

I used to think they were just busywork until I did one for a client's 50-page site and found 15 pages with zero traffic for 2 years. Now I'm a believer, but my coworker still says they're a distraction from new work. What's your take on the real value of audits?

3 comments

c/bad-neighbor-chronicles•

amy_murphy85•12d ago

I just hit 100 noise complaints filed against the same neighbor.

It's a number that really made me stop and think about how long this has gone on. We moved into our house in 2012, and the loud weekend parties started about six months later. I started keeping a log after the tenth time the police came out. It's not just the parties anymore, it's daily bass thumping from his car stereo. Has anyone else ever kept a formal count like this, and did it help your case with the city?

3 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

amy_murphy85•15d ago

Noticed a big shift in how they're mapping sites now

I was looking at some dig reports from a decade ago compared to ones from last year. The old ones had hand-drawn maps, but now they're all using 3D laser scans from drones. It makes you wonder, are we losing something by not sketching things out by hand anymore?

3 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

amy_murphy85•19d ago

Watching a museum docent in Chicago try to turn on a 1970s oscilloscope with a modern power strip made me realize we need a better way to explain line voltage and grounding to non-tech folks.

He kept flipping the switch on the strip, not understanding the scope's original power cord needed the ground pin to complete the circuit, which sparked a whole thing about adapting old test gear safely (anyone have a good visual guide or cheat sheet you use for clients?).

3 comments

c/furniture-finishers•

amy_murphy85•19d ago

Tbh I finally got the hang of using a card scraper on curved legs

Honestly, I was sanding this old oak table for a client in Boise and the legs were a real pain. After about 3 hours of fighting with sandpaper, I watched a video where this guy said to burnish the scraper edge at a 5-degree angle. I tried it and the finish came off like butter in under 20 minutes. Has anyone else got a better trick for tricky shapes?

3 comments

c/barbers•

amy_murphy85•20d ago

Had a kid come in for a simple fade that turned into a 90-minute color correction.

His dad tried a box dye at home and it went patchy orange, so I spent an hour just evening it out before I could even start the cut. Anyone else had a simple appointment blow up because of a home hair experiment?

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

amy_murphy85•22d ago

My new $1200 dive computer failed its first pressure test at 60 feet, but the shop says it's fine for surface-supplied air work.

I'm out the cash and now I don't trust the unit, so should we all just stick with the old-school brass and glass gauges for deep jobs?

3 comments

Posts

My journeyman in Tacoma called me out on my wire stripping habit

A chat with my niece about my 'old books' changed my view

My uncle swore by using a garden hose sprayer for curing in Phoenix heat, and I finally tried it

Am I the only one who thought content audits were a waste of time?

I just hit 100 noise complaints filed against the same neighbor.

Noticed a big shift in how they're mapping sites now

Watching a museum docent in Chicago try to turn on a 1970s oscilloscope with a modern power strip made me realize we need a better way to explain line voltage and grounding to non-tech folks.

Tbh I finally got the hang of using a card scraper on curved legs

Had a kid come in for a simple fade that turned into a 90-minute color correction.

My new $1200 dive computer failed its first pressure test at 60 feet, but the shop says it's fine for surface-supplied air work.

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