A customer's old Winchester 94 had a stuck lever that almost got me

I was in my shop in Boise working on a Winchester 94 from the 70s. The lever was completely frozen, and when I tried to tap it free with a brass punch, the whole action bound up tighter. I ended up having to soak the linkage in penetrating oil for two full days before I could gently work it loose with a small gear puller. It turned out someone had used the wrong grease and it had turned to glue. What's your go-to method for a truly seized lever on an older rifle?

Had a real tough call on a Canon AE-1 shutter repair last week

A customer brought in an AE-1 with a slow second curtain. I had to choose between a full curtain replacement, which would cost him about $150, or trying to clean and adjust the existing one. I went with the clean and adjust, and after about two hours of work, it's running within spec. Has anyone else had luck fixing these without a full curtain swap?

I always thought pocket hole jigs were just for quick fixes, but a guy at the lumber yard in Springfield changed my mind.