Shane Park (u/shane_park92)

Posts

Just realized how many old film cameras are still out there

I was reading a report from a camera museum in Tokyo and they said over 40 million 35mm SLRs were made in the 70s and 80s alone. That's a lot of potential repairs still walking around. Anyone else seeing a steady stream of these coming into the shop?

3 comments

c/blacksmiths•

shane_park92•5d ago

Hot take: my old forge burner gave out mid-project and it was a blessing

It happened two days ago while I was working on a set of fireplace tools. The burner just quit, no warning, right as I was bringing a scroll to a welding heat. I had to finish the job with my small backup propane torch, which took three times as long. Honestly, it forced me to stop and finally build the new ribbon burner I've been putting off for months. I used a 3 inch pipe and drilled 32 holes in the pattern. Has anyone else switched from a standard venturi to a ribbon burner and noticed a real difference in heat spread?

3 comments

c/botany-lovers•

shane_park92•6d ago

Shoutout to my grandpa's old plant ID book versus the app I use now

His 1978 Peterson Field Guide had these hand-drawn cross sections that taught me way more than just snapping a photo for an instant answer. Anyone else feel like they learned more slowly with physical books?

3 comments

c/fermentation-station•

shane_park92•7d ago

My first kraut volcano happened in a tiny apartment kitchen

It was about eight years ago, I was living in a small place in Tacoma and had just packed my first big crock of sauerkraut. I used a basic recipe, maybe five pounds of cabbage, and thought I had enough headspace. Three days in, I woke up to a real mess. The brine had pushed up through the weight and airlock, dripping down the cabinet and onto the floor. It smelled like a weird, salty garden. I panicked, cleaned it all up with a bunch of old towels, and moved the whole crock into a big plastic tub for the rest of the ferment. That was the moment I learned headspace isn't just a suggestion. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for how much room to leave in a crock?

3 comments

c/butchers•

shane_park92•9d ago

Spent two hours trying to get a clean cut on a full pork belly for bacon

The fat kept tearing no matter how sharp I kept the knife. Turns out the belly was partially frozen in the middle from our walk-in being too cold. Had to let it temper for nearly an hour before I could finish the job cleanly. Anyone else run into this with their cooler settings?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

shane_park92•11d ago

My 10-year-old tape measure finally gave out at exactly 100 feet of total pull

I was marking a long cut on some plywood yesterday and the blade just snapped. I keep a little log in my toolbox (a weird habit, I know) and when I checked it, I had pulled the tape out exactly 100 feet over its life. It's a Stanley Powerlock from my first year in the trade. Kind of wild to see a tool hit its limit so clearly. Has anyone else had a tool fail right after hitting a weirdly round number like that?

3 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

shane_park92•13d ago

Just realized I was setting up my home router wrong for years because I never changed the default admin password.

A friend casually asked for my router's login during a game night last year, and when I told him it was just 'admin' and 'password', he gave me a look that said everything.

3 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

shane_park92•13d ago

I finally listened to my dad about painting trim

He came over last week and saw me taping off the baseboards for a room. He said, 'Just cut it in freehand, the tape pulls the paint off later anyway.' I've been taping for ten years, but this time I tried it on a small section. He was right, the line was cleaner and it saved me over an hour. Has anyone else switched from taping to cutting in for good?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

shane_park92•15d ago

Tried planting a native garden in my yard last spring and the bugs showed up different

I mean, I put in some milkweed and a few purple coneflowers, thinking maybe a butterfly or two might stop by. By August, I had this whole little ecosystem with bees and caterpillars I hadn't seen since I was a kid in Ohio. It really hit me how just one small patch of the right plants can pull so much life back into a place. Anyone else try something like this and get surprised by what moved in?

3 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

shane_park92•15d ago

Shoutout to the old school Lisle ball joint press I found in a pawn shop

I was doing a front end job on a 2004 Silverado last month and had a new, shiny press from a big tool truck. It flexed like crazy on the first lower joint, took me almost an hour. Grabbed my buddy's beat up Lisle 37000 from his box, the one that looks like it's from 1990. That thing popped the other side out in maybe two minutes flat, no drama. The steel was just thicker, the threads were cleaner. It's got me thinking, are we paying for marketing or for metal? What's one old tool in your box that still beats the new stuff hands down?

3 comments

Posts

Just realized how many old film cameras are still out there

Hot take: my old forge burner gave out mid-project and it was a blessing

Shoutout to my grandpa's old plant ID book versus the app I use now

My first kraut volcano happened in a tiny apartment kitchen

Spent two hours trying to get a clean cut on a full pork belly for bacon

My 10-year-old tape measure finally gave out at exactly 100 feet of total pull

Just realized I was setting up my home router wrong for years because I never changed the default admin password.

I finally listened to my dad about painting trim

Tried planting a native garden in my yard last spring and the bugs showed up different

Shoutout to the old school Lisle ball joint press I found in a pawn shop

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