Jake Roberts (u/jake986)

Posts

Thought the expensive mud knives were a gimmick until I tried one on a 50-board house

I've always used the cheap 6-inch flex knives from Home Depot, figured it's just drywall mud who cares. Last month on a big 50-board job my helper forgot his tools and I grabbed his fancy stainless offset knife. I'm not gonna lie that thing glided through the compound like butter and I actually found myself wanting to tape just to use it again. Finished the whole job in two days less than my usual pace. Has anyone else noticed a real difference with premium tools or am I just getting old and crazy?

3 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

jake986•1d ago

Finally got my first perfect batch of macarons after 7 tries at my sister's wedding shower

I was sweating in my aunt's 90 degree kitchen in Phoenix last Saturday and realized letting the batter rest 20 extra minutes was the one thing I kept skipping.

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

jake986•2d ago

Stopped into a salon in Austin last week that had no sanitization station

Walked into this trendy spot on South Congress and didn't see a single barbicide jar or autoclave out in the open. The stylist was just wiping down shears with a cloth between clients - grossed me out so bad I left. Has anyone else run into places skipping basic sanitation?

3 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

jake986•17d ago

My neighbor laughed at me for preheating the air fryer every time

I always preheat my air fryer for 3-5 minutes before putting food in. It's just what I do. Last week my neighbor Bob saw me do it and said 'why are you wasting electricity? Just toss it in cold.' I got defensive at first but then I actually tried his way with some frozen chicken tenders. Honestly? They came out almost the same. Now I'm wondering if I've been wasting time and power for like a year. Anyone else skip the preheat or am I the weird one?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

jake986•18d ago

I had a passenger ask me to 'fix the gravity' in their elevator

Last Tuesday I was doing a routine maint check on an old Otis at a 12 story office building downtown. This older lady gets in while I'm testing the levelling, and she looks dead serious at me and goes 'can you fix the gravity in this car, it feels heavier going up than down'. I had to bite my lip so hard to not laugh, then I spent 5 minutes explaining how elevators actually work. She just nodded and walked off like I was the crazy one. Anyone else get weird requests from passengers that make no sense?

3 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

jake986•21d ago

I chose a trowel over a shovel on a dig in New Mexico and it cost me big time

Last summer I was on a site near Santa Fe and had to pick between a standard shovel and a 4 inch pointing trowel for clearing a suspected hearth. I went with the trowel, thinking it'd be more precise. Ended up spending 6 hours scratching at packed clay while the guy next to me had his feature fully exposed in 2 hours with a shovel. Has anyone else made a tool choice that backfired on a dig?

3 comments

c/camera-repairers•

jake986•23d ago

Stumbled on a stat about shutter curtain light leaks

Was reading through an old repair manual from 1987 and found out that over 60% of light leaks in cloth shutters come from pinholes smaller than a grain of sand. I always blamed the seals first. Has anyone else found that tacking the curtains first saves time?

3 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

jake986•23d ago

So tired of people over-editing their art show pieces

I was scrolling through the latest gallery submissions last night and kept seeing pieces where the artist clearly cranked the saturation way too high. It makes the shadows look electric blue and the skin tones turn orange. Why spend hours on a composition just to ruin it with cheap filters? Anyone else notice this trend getting worse lately?

3 comments

c/fence-erectors•

jake986•28d ago

Tried concrete vs. foam footings on a backyard fence job last week

Ngl I've always been a concrete-only guy for setting posts. But a buddy talked me into trying those foam footings on a 40-foot stretch of cedar fence in my cousin's yard. The foam was way faster to set but two posts shifted after a rainstorm three days later. Honestly I'm sticking with concrete for anything over 5 feet tall. Has anyone else had foam footings settle weird after wet weather?

3 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

jake986•1mo ago

Saw a family of 5 eating at a gas station diner in Iowa last week

We were driving through on a road trip and stopped for coffee at this place off I-80. Turns out they had a whole hot breakfast buffet for like $4 a person, fresh eggs and biscuits. Has anyone else run into hidden cheap eats at random truck stops that beat regular restaurants?

3 comments