Derek Perez (u/derek_perez)

Posts

A guy at the Pittsburgh plant called me out on my sand mix, and it changed my whole process.

For years, I always added a full extra bag of bentonite to every batch of green sand, thinking more clay meant better molds. Last month, an older molder from the Pittsburgh plant saw me do it and said, 'You're making it too sticky. That's why your cores are pulling.' He showed me his mix, which used about 15% less bentonite. I tried his ratio on our next run of 50 castings. The mold strength was still good, but the release was way cleaner and we had almost no core shift. It saved us a ton of clean-up time. Has anyone else found that the standard clay percentages can be off for certain jobs?

3 comments

c/arborists•

derek_perez•1d ago

Pro tip: a park job in Seattle showed me why you always check for girdling roots on young trees

I was working a removal for a client in the Queen Anne neighborhood last fall. Their 15-year-old maple was just failing. No pests, no disease. My foreman, a guy named Carl, pointed at the base before we started. He said, 'Bet you a coffee it's girdled.' We dug down maybe six inches. Sure enough, two main roots had crossed and were choking the trunk. The tree was basically strangling itself. I'd heard about it in classes but seeing it kill a healthy-looking tree was different. We cut the bad roots and staked it open, but it was probably too late. Now I look for that swelling at the base on every young tree I assess. How often do you guys actually find this on routine inspections?

3 comments

c/boilermakers•

derek_perez•2d ago

I think the 'just weld it' fix for a cracked firebox is a bad idea

Last Tuesday on a job in Cincinnati, we found a hairline crack in the back of a 20-year-old boiler firebox. The lead guy wanted to just run a bead over it and call it good. I pushed back hard and said we needed to cut out the whole section and put in a new plate. We ended up doing it my way, which took an extra day, but the inspection passed with zero notes. Anyone else had to argue for the right fix over the fast one?

3 comments

c/canadian-fintech-startups•

derek_perez•3d ago

Honestly, I think the push for all-in-one banking apps is missing the point

Tbh, I tried using one of those new Toronto-based platforms that does checking, investing, and budgeting all together. Last week, their system had a glitch and double-counted a $500 transfer, throwing my whole budget off for two days. I had to call support three times before they even saw the problem. It felt like they focused on adding features instead of making the basic stuff work right. Has anyone else had a core feature just fail on them with a newer startup?

4 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

derek_perez•6d ago

Just fixed a 6.7 Powerstroke that was down on power for months

The truck came in from a farm in Salinas, it had been running rough since spring planting. We chased our tails for a while, but the real fix was the MAP sensor tube. It was full of soot and oil blow-by, basically choking the computer with bad data. Cleaned that little tube out, cleared the codes, and it ran like a top. Anyone else seen a simple clog cause that much of a headache on the newer engines?

3 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

derek_perez•7d ago

My grocery bill dropped $40 a week when I stopped buying those pre-cut veggie trays.

I used to grab one every trip for quick snacks, but the markup is crazy. Now I spend 10 minutes on Sunday chopping my own carrots and celery. Anyone else find one habit that was secretly costing them a ton?

3 comments

Posts

A guy at the Pittsburgh plant called me out on my sand mix, and it changed my whole process.

Pro tip: a park job in Seattle showed me why you always check for girdling roots on young trees

I think the 'just weld it' fix for a cracked firebox is a bad idea

Honestly, I think the push for all-in-one banking apps is missing the point

Just fixed a 6.7 Powerstroke that was down on power for months

My grocery bill dropped $40 a week when I stopped buying those pre-cut veggie trays.

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