and yeah, i learned that the hard way too. did a repoint on a 1900s brownstone with type N cause i was being cheap and half of it popped out within a year. my buddy who's been doing masonry forever was like 'dude, that brick's softer than the mortar you just smeared on it,' and i felt like an idiot. now i always test the brick first with a scratch test before even buying the mix.

Spent $600 on pizza last month and still tipped the delivery guy.

Bad movie hype is like grocery shopping hungry, always overpromises.

Laughing at the duct tape patch job because I've been there too. Honestly, inflatables are great until they're not, and then you're just sleeping on a noisy taco shell. Foam pads may be bulky, but at least they don't betray you in the middle of the night.

Has anyone read that book 'The Art of Fine Tools' by that guy? It talks about how traditional blacksmiths in Japan used to have these strict temperature rules for forging blades, but the younger smiths figured out that adjusting the heat based on the specific blade shape actually gave them more control. Sounds just like your situation with the 2100 degrees. Your dad's rule isn't wrong for his heavy vases, but small perfume bottles are practically a different sport. I've seen similar stuff in pottery too, where a master's cone 10 stoneware recipes don't work at all when someone tries them for delicate porcelain.