Huh, I used to be all about hand coding but a CAM crash on a prototype changed my mind.

Huh, I kinda see it the opposite way. Those random shouters usually just fluster me more.

My buddy Tom leveled a whole dresser with a stack of beer coasters once. He was staying at a cheap motel and the thing rocked so bad every time he opened a drawer. He just grabbed a handful of those cardboard coasters from the bar and stuffed them under one leg until it stopped moving. Left them there the whole trip, said it worked better than anything from a hardware store.

Oh man, I feel you on the pressure wash habit. I used to do the same thing until I realized all that bleach and water was just soaking into the wood and making the coop damp for days, which is exactly what mites love. A good scrape gets the bulk of the crud off, then a vinegar squirt on the bare spots kills bacteria without leaving toxic residue.

Wait, wait, wait. You had a guy with 20 years of experience just walk you through crowning a tube sheet and you're only now mentioning it? I mean, that's amazing. My first few times doing that job I swear I created more leaks than I fixed, it was a nightmare. Having someone who knows the exact feel of the beading tool, that's the kind of stuff you can't get from a manual. Honestly, the fact that he got you to slow down and use a specific touch, that's the big secret nobody ever tells you.