Oh man, I know exactly what you're talking about. A buddy of mine actually tried something similar with an old Dell Optiplex he found at a garage sale. He spent like three weekends just figuring out how to mount the radiator in the front panel without ruining the look. He said the hardest part was hiding all the tubing so it still looked stock from the outside. @foster.wade is right though, there's something special about making a junk box run like a beast. He still uses that thing as his daily driver and people laugh until they see what's inside.

Wait till you try painting your car, then see if cabinets are still the worst.

Oh man, that's the story of my life with most "bargain" fixes. It's like the universe has this rule that anything cheap will fail right after you can't return it anymore.

Read somewhere you can use a paperclip to make a new zipper pull if the tab snaps off entirely. Works in a pinch until you can get a proper fix.

Pottery guy might've used clay that wasn't right for long term moisture. Craft potters sometimes use low fire clay by accident because it's easier to work with. Check if your crock has a glazed interior all the way up to the rim, unglazed spots will soak up brine and cause cracking. Glass jars are boring but they just work for ferments.