Wyatt Fox (u/the_wyatt)

Posts

Still thinking about what that old mechanic told me in 2019

Guy named Hank at a shop in Tulsa said 'your first tool purchase should be something you can pass down' and I brushed it off until I found his old Snap-On ratchet at a pawn shop last month, anyone else had a random piece of advice stick around way longer than it should have?

2 comments

c/bumper-sticker-creators•

the_wyatt•2d ago

Spent 6 months making bumper stickers with 20 words. Then a guy at a gas station said keep it under 8.

I was the guy cramming punchlines onto vinyl. Thought more words meant more funny. Then this dude in a lifted truck pointed at my sticker on his bumper and said he couldnt read it past 50 feet. So I tried making one with just 5 words. Old 'Dogs Trust Me' design with a paw print. Sold 3 in the first hour at a vendor fair in Tulsa. Now I never go over 8 words on the main message. Anyone else trim text down and see sales jump?

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

the_wyatt•4d ago

I finally went back to hand troweling after 10 years of power trowels

Last month I was finishing a small patio in Columbus, about 400 square feet, and my power trowel broke down 20 minutes in. I was furious at first, but I grabbed my hand trowels and just went old school. By the time I was done, I realized I had a better finish than I get with the machine on most jobs. The edges were cleaner, the surface had that tight look you can only get from working it by hand. I spent the next three days on a garage floor, same method, and the customer actually asked what I did different. I think we get too dependent on power tools and forget the basics. Has anyone else found that hand work gives you a better result in certain situations?

2 comments

c/alberta-homes•

the_wyatt•5d ago

The whole 'paint the ceiling before the walls' thing - does it actually save time or just make a mess?

I was doing my living room in Edmonton last month and debated for like two days whether to paint the ceiling first or do the walls then tape off for the ceiling. My buddy swears by doing the ceiling first because you can just roll right over the top of the walls and it doesnt matter if you get paint on them. But my dad always did walls first and was super careful with cutting in the ceiling line after. I tried the ceiling first method on a small bedroom and honestly it felt like more work fixing all the splatter on the walls later. But maybe I just did it wrong? Has anyone else gone back and forth on this or found a solid trick that makes one way clearly better?

2 comments

c/cable-installers•

the_wyatt•6d ago

That one old guy who showed me how to fish a wall in 5 minutes flat

Was on a job in an old house downtown. Thick plaster walls, no basement, attic full of insulation. Customer wanted a line run from the living room to the bedroom upstairs. I was about to start cutting holes everywhere. This old timer was doing the neighbor's place next door. Saw me sweating and came over. Said 'you're working too hard son, grab your glow rod and a magnet.' He walks me through the whole thing. Drop a weighted string down from the attic. Use the magnet to grab it through a small outlet hole. Took me maybe 10 minutes total. I would have spent 2 hours and destroyed that wall. He didn't even charge me for the advice. Just said 'pass it on' and walked back to his truck. You guys ever meet a random installer who saved your whole day like that?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

the_wyatt•12d ago

Pro tip: Stop using painters tape to hold trim while glue dries

I spent 3 hours last weekend redoing baseboard in my hallway because the tape let go and the trim sagged overnight. Grab a few spring clamps from Harbor Freight for like $4 each and your corners will actually stay tight while the glue sets. Anyone else dealt with sagging trim on a long run?

2 comments

c/bike-commuter-hacks•

the_wyatt•12d ago

Coworker told me my rain jacket was trapping sweat, not rain

Been commuting 8 miles each way for two years in a cheap poncho. Last week a guy at the bike lockup said I was basically wrapping myself in a garbage bag and cooking from the inside. Switched to a breathable shell with pit zips and I'm not showing up drenched in sweat anymore. Anyone else go through three jackets before finding one that actually works?

2 comments

c/console-wars-peace-talks•

the_wyatt•20d ago

Spent 2 years shifting wrong on my mountain bike until a stranger pointed it out

I was riding this trail near Boulder last month and this older guy on a hardtail catches up to me at a rest stop. He asks why I'm grinding my gears so bad and I told him that's just how it sounds when you climb. He laughs and says I've been using the front derailleur backwards the whole time. Turns out I was cross-chaining like crazy and wearing down the cassette for no reason. I thought the little lever on the left was for going up hills and the big one on the right was for speed. He showed me the proper combo on the spot and my bike actually felt 10 pounds lighter. Has anyone else had some random trail stranger fix a dumb mistake you made for years?

3 comments

c/bike-commuter-hacks•

the_wyatt•1mo ago

Neighbor told me to stop using my bungee cords for my panniers

He said they'd snap in the cold and sure enough last January my grocery bag hit the pavement on 5th Street and I had to chase down a runaway loaf of bread, has anyone switched to Rok straps or just me?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

the_wyatt•1mo ago

Rant: Told myself networking events were a waste of time for 3 years until I landed a gig from a random chat at one

I went to a local tech meetup in Austin just for the free pizza and ended up talking to a guy who hooked me up with a contract that paid my rent for 6 months, so now I'm wondering what else I've been wrong about that actually works.

3 comments

Posts

Still thinking about what that old mechanic told me in 2019

Spent 6 months making bumper stickers with 20 words. Then a guy at a gas station said keep it under 8.

I finally went back to hand troweling after 10 years of power trowels

The whole 'paint the ceiling before the walls' thing - does it actually save time or just make a mess?

That one old guy who showed me how to fish a wall in 5 minutes flat

Pro tip: Stop using painters tape to hold trim while glue dries

Coworker told me my rain jacket was trapping sweat, not rain

Spent 2 years shifting wrong on my mountain bike until a stranger pointed it out

Neighbor told me to stop using my bungee cords for my panniers

Rant: Told myself networking events were a waste of time for 3 years until I landed a gig from a random chat at one

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