Remember how they say pride comes before a fall? My ego wrote a check my brain couldn't cash last week trying to assemble a bookcase without the instructions. Three hours and a lot of swearing later, I had a weird ladder and all the extra parts. Your brother's boiler story is that, but with way higher stakes. Sometimes the boring list is the only thing standing between you and a very bad day.

My buddy tried that watch oil trick on his old Leica and it gummed up the slow speeds real bad.

Tbh I started using a torque wrench after I had to fix a stripped pan myself.