Stella Hayes (u/stellahayes)

Posts

c/foundry-workers•

stellahayes•10d ago

My old foreman in Toledo told me to always add a half cup of borax to the green sand for aluminum castings. I ignored him for years until a job last month.

2 comments

c/family-heirloom-stories•

stellahayes•10d ago

A quick warning about storing old photos

I kept my great-grandmother's wedding portrait from 1912 in a cardboard box in my attic in Atlanta for years. I finally moved it to a proper acid-free box and the difference in how the paper feels is huge. The old box was making the photo brittle. Has anyone else found a good way to protect really old family pictures?

2 comments

c/estheticians•

stellahayes•14d ago

A client from my first year still comes to see me every month

She walked into my little booth at the mall salon in 2015, super nervous about her rosacea. I just listened for a full ten minutes before I even suggested a gentle cleanser. She looked at me and said, 'You're the first one who didn't just try to sell me a miracle cream.' We've done her calming facial on the last Tuesday of every month since. Anyone else have a client who's been with you from the very start?

2 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

stellahayes•15d ago

Showerthought: The bus stop on 5th and Pine gave me a whole story idea

I was waiting there yesterday and saw a guy in a bright yellow raincoat just staring at a puddle for like ten minutes straight... not moving at all. It made me think, what if he was waiting for a message to appear in the water? Anyone ever get a prompt from something that simple?

2 comments

Recent Comments

10d ago

Finally got the hang of that tricky cope and drag setup on the old Disamatic

That feeler gauge trick is a solid start for sure. Honestly though, checking pins before a run is just putting a bandage on the real problem. On our old line, we found the root cause was usually worn bushings letting the whole flask tilt during the close. We started a weekly check with a dial indicator on the moving platen. It takes ten minutes but you catch the slop before it makes bad parts. Fixing the worn parts is the only way to keep it true long term.

10d ago

My 10-year-old niece asked me why cars have to be so loud.

Tuning a symphony going out of style" really hits home.

10d ago

Tried quenching a railroad spike knife in used motor oil, and it actually worked

Used motor oil can work in a pinch, but it's a real safety hazard when it gets hot. The flash point is low, and you're basically making a bunch of toxic smoke. For railroad spikes, you're mostly hardening the very edge anyway, so water or brine might actually be a safer bet to try next time.

10d ago

Got schooled on a C-check in Tulsa over a stripped fastener

Sometimes you gotta fight it to win, that lead sounds like he's never been stuck on a single bolt before.

12d ago

Shoutout to the old timer at the lumberyard in Tacoma

That shim trick is a lifesaver for sure. Best simple advice I ever got was about glue ups, an old guy told me to always put a tiny bit of glue in the bottom of my dowel holes before the dowel goes in. It seals the end grain so the main glue line doesn't get sucked dry, stops those weird starved joints. Made my chair repairs way stronger overnight.