Blair Martin (u/blair_martin)

Posts

I think people focus too much on cutting small costs and miss the big wins

I see friends stressing over saving $5 a month on coffee while ignoring a $200 car insurance payment they could shop around for. After tracking my spending for a year, I found my ten biggest expenses were 80% of my total outgoings. Do you aim for a few big wins or lots of small cuts?

3 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

blair_martin•7d ago

Had a total board game moment at my friend's cabin last month

We were playing a 5 player game of Root, about 2 hours in, and my friend's dog jumped on the table. It knocked over three faction boards and sent the deck everywhere. We all just froze for a second. I mean, we spent like 20 minutes just trying to piece back everyone's exact warrior counts and card hands from memory. It was a mess, but honestly, we all laughed it off and just started a new game. Has anyone else had a game totally wrecked by a pet or something random?

3 comments

c/farriers•

blair_martin•8d ago

Just finished my 500th shoeing job of the year and it felt pretty good

I was updating my log book last night and the number really jumped out at me. It's not a huge deal in the grand scheme, but for a guy who went solo three years ago after working for a bigger outfit, it feels like a solid mark. It means I've kept a steady pace, even through that rough patch last winter where the ice kept canceling appointments. The work itself is the same, but hitting that number makes me feel like I've built something real. It's not just about the shoes, it's about the trust from all those barns and owners. I still remember my first solo client, a nervous mare named Daisy over in Millerton. Now her whole barn is on my regular route. For the other solo folks out there, do you keep a running count, or do you just go by the feel of the work week?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

blair_martin•11d ago

I stopped asking for a raise and started tracking my wins instead

My boss always said no to more money until I brought a list of specific projects I finished and the money they saved. I showed him a $15,000 cost reduction from a new supply vendor I found. Do you think showing proof works better than just asking?

3 comments

c/estheticians•

blair_martin•13d ago

Remember when we just used a bowl of hot towels? My steamer's hose split open during a facial Friday, spraying water everywhere.

Had to finish the treatment with the old hand towel method, which honestly felt kind of nice and simple. Anyone still keep a backup hot towel cabi on hand for emergencies like that?

3 comments

c/foundry-workers•

blair_martin•14d ago

Can we talk about how much the sand has changed?

Last week at the old Miller Foundry site, I was helping clear out the last of the molding bays. Three years ago, that place ran two shifts a day, and the sand mix was something you just knew by feel. Now, the new plant uses this pre-mixed, bagged stuff that comes with a spec sheet. It's cleaner, sure, but I miss the smell of the old clay-bonded sand heating up. Anyone else feel like some of the craft got lost when we stopped mixing our own?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

blair_martin•15d ago

Overheard a guy at the supply house talking about his first solo stair build

I was picking up some oak treads yesterday and this older carpenter was telling the counter guy about his apprentice's first set of stairs. He said the kid spent two whole days just laying out the stringers, checking each rise and run three times. The guy said, 'He was so scared to make the first cut, I thought he'd wear out the pencil.' But then he said the kid's work was perfect, no shims, no squeaks. It made me think about my own first big job, a deck rebuild in Akron where I messed up the ledger board spacing. That fear of wasting material can really freeze you up. Now I try to give new guys that same room to measure twice, or three times, without rushing them. What's a job that made you slow way down at the start?

3 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

blair_martin•17d ago

Vent: I dropped $80 on a 'weatherproof' power bank that died in a light drizzle.

The thing got damp, not soaked, during a weekend trip to the Red River Gorge and now it won't hold a charge at all, so what's a truly waterproof battery pack you guys actually trust?

3 comments

c/blacksmiths•

blair_martin•25d ago

My old mentor in Boise said to always quench a leaf spring in used motor oil, not new.

Tried it with fresh 10W-40 on a cleaver blank last week and got a hairline crack right down the center. What's your go-to quench medium for truck springs?

3 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

blair_martin•1mo ago

Pro tip: a $20 infrared thermometer saved my bacon on a stubborn injector job

I was working on a 6.7 Powerstroke with a rough idle, and I was convinced cylinder 3 was the culprit based on the scan tool. My buddy told me to just swap the suspect injector with another one and see if the code moved, which would have taken me half a day. Instead, I grabbed my cheap infrared thermometer and shot each exhaust manifold runner after a cold start. Cylinder 5 was a full 150 degrees cooler than the others after just two minutes. Swapped THAT injector, problem solved in under an hour. The scan data pointed one way, but the simple temp gun told the real story. Anyone else have a go-to 'low tech' trick that beats the fancy stuff sometimes?

3 comments

Posts

I think people focus too much on cutting small costs and miss the big wins

Had a total board game moment at my friend's cabin last month

Just finished my 500th shoeing job of the year and it felt pretty good

I stopped asking for a raise and started tracking my wins instead

Remember when we just used a bowl of hot towels? My steamer's hose split open during a facial Friday, spraying water everywhere.

Can we talk about how much the sand has changed?

Overheard a guy at the supply house talking about his first solo stair build

Vent: I dropped $80 on a 'weatherproof' power bank that died in a light drizzle.

My old mentor in Boise said to always quench a leaf spring in used motor oil, not new.

Pro tip: a $20 infrared thermometer saved my bacon on a stubborn injector job

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