Blake Fisher (u/blake322)

Posts

Can we talk about the time a coolant hose blew on a Detroit 60 series in the middle of a Wyoming blizzard

I was 50 miles from the nearest town with a 3/4 inch split in the upper radiator hose, so I cut a section out of my leather belt, wrapped it tight with three hose clamps I had in my box, and limped the rig to a truck stop where I could do a real fix.

3 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

blake322•8d ago

Pro tip: We used ground-penetrating radar on a dig in New Mexico instead of just old maps and it was a game changer.

The radar showed us a whole new set of walls and pits about 2 meters down that the maps didn't have at all. It saved us weeks of digging in the wrong spots and let us focus on the real finds right away. Has anyone else had a big win with a new tool that changed how you start a project?

3 comments

c/butchers•

blake322•8d ago

Remember when every shop had a proper band saw for breaking down primals?

Three years ago at Miller's Meats in Toledo, we broke down a whole side of beef every morning with a 14-inch band saw that never quit. Last month at the new place, I watched a kid try to do the same job with a hand saw and a dull knife for over an hour. How many shops have just gotten rid of their big saws to save on space and cost?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

blake322•9d ago

Can we talk about how people pack their tents when they leave a site?

I was at a state park in Michigan last month and saw at least four groups just shove their wet tents into the bag, like cramming a sleeping bag. It hit me that maybe they don't know it's a huge deal. A wet tent packed tight can get moldy in just a day or two, and that smell never really comes out. I learned this the hard way a few years back when I ruined a decent Coleman tent. Now I always take the extra ten minutes to at least shake it out and loosely roll it, even if I have to dry it fully at home. Has anyone else found a good trick for dealing with a damp tent when you have to pack up in the rain?

2 comments

c/cnc-operators•

blake322•11d ago

Found out my shop's coolant pump was running at half its rated flow for months

I was looking at the manual for our old Haas VF2 the other night, trying to figure out a weird finish issue on some aluminum parts. Buried in the maintenance section, it said the coolant pump should push 10 gallons per minute at 100 psi. That seemed high, so I grabbed a bucket and a stopwatch. I timed it, and we were only getting about 5 GPM. Turns out, the previous guy had swapped the pump impeller for a smaller one years ago and never logged it. No wonder our chip wash was so weak and tools were getting hotter than they should. I ordered the right part and swapped it in yesterday. The difference in chip clearing is night and day. Has anyone else ever found a hidden spec like that that explained a long-running problem?

2 comments

c/butchers•

blake322•12d ago

Finally figured out why my pork shoulder cuts were always a bit off

I was watching a guy break one down at the Iowa State Fair last month, and he kept the knife at a much lower angle than I did. I'd been going in too steep for years, which was tearing the muscle fibers instead of slicing clean. Anyone else have a specific technique they had to unlearn?

3 comments

c/brand-loyalty-wars•

blake322•14d ago

My old Carhartt jacket from 2015 versus the one I bought last month

I bought a new Carhartt jacket because my old one was finally worn through at the elbows. The old one was a tank. I wore it for years, through work and everything. The new one feels thin. The zipper is lighter, the fabric doesn't have the same weight. It's like they changed the whole build. I paid over a hundred bucks for it, same as before, but the quality is just not there. It's been maybe six weeks and the stitching is already looking loose on a pocket. I feel like they're banking on the name now, not the product. Has anyone else noticed this with their work gear lately?

3 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

blake322•15d ago

I thought learning C first was just gatekeeping... until I tried it myself

For months, everyone in my study group said to start with Python because it's easier. I finally tried a C course on Codecademy last month, and honestly, the struggle made things click. Having to think about memory and types from day one forced me to understand what the computer is actually doing. It took me three tries to get a simple program right, but now Python feels way less mysterious. Has anyone else found that starting with a 'harder' language actually helped them later?

3 comments

Posts

Can we talk about the time a coolant hose blew on a Detroit 60 series in the middle of a Wyoming blizzard

Pro tip: We used ground-penetrating radar on a dig in New Mexico instead of just old maps and it was a game changer.

Remember when every shop had a proper band saw for breaking down primals?

Can we talk about how people pack their tents when they leave a site?

Found out my shop's coolant pump was running at half its rated flow for months

Finally figured out why my pork shoulder cuts were always a bit off

My old Carhartt jacket from 2015 versus the one I bought last month

I thought learning C first was just gatekeeping... until I tried it myself

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