$15 and a prayer, huh? Right there with you. My buddy's 2001 Camry looked like a dalmatian from the rust spots and we just kept hitting it with bondo till it was smooth as a baby's bottom. Passed inspection three years running now. The Autozone stuff is basically glorified toothpaste with metal flakes, but it does the trick if you're not expecting a show car. Meanwhile the guy who told you to junk it probably drives a leased SUV with a bumper made of plastic and self-esteem.

Heard about that from an old timer who swore by it for cutting bitterness. Might be worth a try next time I mess up a batch.

That study from 2011 is actually pretty famous in the medical community. Dr. Donald Unger actually won an Ig Nobel Prize for cracking his own knuckles for 60 years to prove his mom wrong about arthritis. What I wonder is, why do parents keep passing down old wives' tales like that when there's been hard evidence against them for over a decade now? Do you think it's just a stubborn generational thing where they'd rather stick with what they heard growing up?

You mentioned vinegar speeding it up, @umamartin, and I'm curious how that plays out with different types of grime. Have you found it works better on certain stains like grease versus mold, or is it pretty universal? Just trying to get a better sense before I give it a shot myself.

That old guy saved you a ton of frustration... I had the exact same issue when I started hanging board a few years back. My first few rooms were a mess because I was just zipping screws in full speed and tearing the paper all over the place. I remember my dad showing me the same trick with the trigger feathering, and it felt like magic how much cleaner everything sat after that. It's funny how such a small change makes the whole job go smoother... your finish coats must look way better now. I still catch myself going too fast sometimes and have to slow down and think about it.