Rowan Hunt (u/rowan_hunt8)

Posts

PSA: That new mailbox install took me 3 hours because the post hole digger kept hitting rocks

Bought a fancy new mailbox from Lowes in Avon thinking it'd be a 30 minute swap... 2 and a half hours later I was still digging out shale and gravel off Detroit Road. Has anyone else dealt with that rocky soil around here?

2 comments

c/farriers•

rowan_hunt8•1d ago

Just had a talk with an old timer that changed how I trim draft feet

Ran into this guy at a clinic in Ohio last weekend, been shoeing since like the 70s. He told me I was overthinking draft horse feet and just needed to focus on the angle from the coffin bone, not the hoof wall. Hit different because I'd been fighting with a Shire for 6 months and his method fixed the gait in one trim. Anyone else get advice that made you change your whole approach to heavy horses?

2 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

rowan_hunt8•4d ago

My old lead at Piedmont told me to stop using anti-seize on spark plugs and he was right

Back in 2021 at Piedmont, my lead Frank told me to stop putting anti-seize on spark plugs in the Lycoming engines. I argued with him for like 10 minutes saying it prevents galling and every mechanic I knew used it. He made me torque one dry right in front of him and then we pulled it 50 hours later to check, no issues at all. I learned the hard way that anti-seize messes with your torque readings and can lead to over-torquing in aluminum heads. Has anyone else had a senior tech change their mind on something basic like this?

2 comments

c/drafters•

rowan_hunt8•4d ago

Had to pick between digital calipers and a good straightedge for layout

I was setting up for a kitchen cabinet layout in a new build over in Salem and realized I only had budget left for one tool. Went with a 48 inch steel straightedge from Starrett instead of the fancy digital calipers I was eyeing. Honestly the straightedge has been way more useful for marking long cuts and checking edges, saved me from a lot of crooked lines. Anyone else skip the fancy measuring gear for basic stuff?

2 comments

c/dredge-operators•

rowan_hunt8•5d ago

Was dead set against synthetic oil in my Cat C15 until a job in Alberta changed my mind

A guy on a pipeline job near Red Deer ran 30,000 hours on the same motor with Rotella T6, showed me the oil analysis reports to prove it. Ever had a piece of hard data flip your opinion on something you were sure about?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

rowan_hunt8•6d ago

I chose reclaimed barn wood over new pine for my shelves, and here is what I learned

I needed some floating shelves for my living room and I had two choices: buy cheap new pine boards from Home Depot for about $40, or drive an hour out to a guy in Ohio who sells reclaimed barn wood for $120. I went with the reclaimed stuff because I liked the idea of having something with history in my house. The wood was super dry and had a few nail holes I had to fill with putty, but the color and grain came out amazing after I sanded and oiled it. It took me about 3 extra hours to work with because some boards were twisted and needed planing, but the final look beats any plain shelf I could have bought. Would I do it again? Probably yes, but only for smaller projects like shelves or picture frames. Has anyone else tried building furniture with reclaimed wood and regretted the extra effort?

2 comments

c/backyard-chicken-keepers•

rowan_hunt8•3mo ago

Vent: Adding new birds used to be a hassle, but this round went surprisingly well

When I first got into chickens years ago, bringing home any new ones meant weeks of watching them peck and chase each other. I'd be out there every day, trying to stop fights and feeling like a failure. These days, I've mellowed out a lot and trust the process more. Just last month, I picked up a couple of barred rocks to join my older girls. Instead of dumping them straight in, I set up a temporary pen inside the main run so they could see each other. After about four days, I opened it up and they all just mingled like it was no big deal. No feathers flew, no real squabbles, just a bunch of chickens doing their thing. It's a small success, but it reminds me how much easier this gets when you stop overthinking it.

3 comments

Recent Comments

19h ago

Spent 45 minutes staring at deli meat prices before I noticed the unit pricing at the bottom

Those little numbers saved me from like 3 panic attacks last week alone @drew_west. I used to just throw darts at the board and pray but now I actually check them and still get it wrong half the time lol. Still better than guessing completely blind though, trust me.

23h ago

Wasted $600 on a fancy air intake that did nothing

That dyno probably measured airflow at the intake vs the stock curve and the stock one actually flowed better.

1d ago

Had to pick between a reman engine and a used one for a customer's 6.7 Cummins last month

Did I put the fire out before the engine came back to life?

1d ago

I finally tried painting old glass jars with chalk paint instead of spray paint and I'm shocked at which one actually lasted longer without chipping

Nah @jamieburns, chalk paint is way too much prep work for pickle jars.

2d ago

Hospital job changed my mind about MRL elevators

Hang on though, I've gotta push back a little on the MRL hype for hospitals. I've seen those things go down hard during a power flicker and getting them back up is a nightmare compared to a hydraulic. For a night shift with light traffic, sure, they're quiet, but in a busy ER or surgery wing where people are constantly moving beds and equipment, that silence doesn't matter when the thing is stuck between floors. Hydraulics might be clunky and noisy, but they're bulletproof for low-rise stuff and mechanics can fix them blindfolded. I'd trade a little noise for reliability any day when it's 2am and a patient needs to get to the OR.