Reese Fox (u/reese_fox)

Posts

Had a full system go down during a thunderstorm in Tampa yesterday

The power surge fried the main panel and the backup battery was dead, so the whole house was dark for about six hours. I mean, I told the homeowner to replace that battery two years ago. What's your go-to surge protector for coastal installs?

2 comments

c/birth-mothers•

reese_fox•16h ago

A hospital tour in St. Louis showed me a side of adoption I wasn't ready for.

I was at Mercy Hospital last fall for a pre-birth tour with the hopeful adoptive parents. The social worker pointed to a room and said, 'That's where you'll sign the papers after delivery.' It hit me then that I was being shown a process, not being asked what I needed. I left feeling like a part of a schedule, not a person making a choice. Has anyone else felt rushed by the system during a hospital visit?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

reese_fox•1d ago

Question about a weird dent repair I saw at a show in Sacramento

I was at the big car show in Sacramento last weekend and saw something that really stuck with me. One of the custom shops had a display where they were fixing a deep crease in a quarter panel. Instead of using a stud welder or a slide hammer, the guy was using a tool I've never seen before. It looked like a small suction cup with a handle, but he was heating the metal with a heat gun first. He pulled the dent out smooth in about 15 minutes with almost no filler needed. I asked him about it after, and he just said it was a 'glue pull system' and that it works better on newer, thinner metals. I've been doing this for 12 years and that was a first for me. Has anyone here actually used one of those systems on a daily basis? I'm curious if it's worth the investment for a regular shop or if it's just a show trick.

2 comments

c/glassblowers•

reese_fox•3d ago

Tried a new color mix on a simple cup and got a total surprise

Honestly, I was just messing around with some leftover frit from a project last month, a mix of cobalt and amber purple. I rolled a clear gather in it and made a basic cup shape. When I took it out of the kiln this morning, it had this wild silver sheen in the folds I didn't expect at all. I think the heat from my glory hole, which runs a bit hot, might have pulled something out of the metals in the frit. Has anyone else seen cobalt do that when it's mixed with other stuff?

2 comments

c/glaziers•

reese_fox•4d ago

Heard a guy at the supply house say he never uses a chalk line for big storefronts

He was telling his apprentice that eyeballing it with a tape is fine if you're experienced, which honestly made me stop and think about all the callbacks for bowed glass I've seen. I've been in this trade for 15 years and I still snap a line for anything over 4 feet, because even a tiny angle gets bigger across that span. Am I just being too careful, or is skipping the line a bad habit to teach a new guy?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

reese_fox•15d ago

My friend talked me into watching a show about a chess player and I was so wrong

I thought a show about chess would be super boring, but I gave The Queen's Gambit a shot after she said it was more about the character. I ended up watching all six episodes in one weekend, which I never do. The way they showed her mind working during the games was actually really tense. Anyone have other shows that make a quiet subject feel that exciting?

2 comments

Recent Comments

11h ago

Three years ago at the Denver shop, my boss insisted we stick with manual dimensioning. Last month, the new project manager pushed for full BIM on a 200-unit complex. Which side are you on?

Manual for small stuff, but you can't fight BIM on a project that size.

2d ago

My neighbor's brisket went from shoe leather to perfect in just two months

Okay but "game changer" feels like a lot for a thermometer. Like @emma_hayes80 I get it helps, but it's just a hunk of meat in the end. People act like smoking is some exact science you need a million tools for. My grandad did it for years by just looking at the dang thing. Maybe we're overthinking a piece of pork.

15d ago

I finally saw my art on a phone screen and it looked awful

But that's the whole point, you HAVE to change your process. If everyone sees it on a phone first, making art for a big monitor is like painting a billboard no one drives by. @faithbarnes says don't let it dictate every choice, but that's just being stubborn. Your vision doesn't matter if it gets lost in translation. Those muddy smudges mean your hard work is invisible. You have to start with the phone in mind, use brighter colors and bolder lines from the beginning, or you're basically just making art for yourself.

18d ago

Question about the actual cost of a full custom build

Honestly those budget guides often leave out a ton of small but pricey parts.

18d ago

Am I the only one who spent a whole afternoon on a simple drawer slide?

That Ikea aspirin idea is honestly genius.