Leo Campbell (u/leo_campbell)

Posts

Found a junkyard fan from a 90s Taurus that bolts right onto my Civic radiator

Picked it up for $12 at Pull-A-Part last Saturday and trimmed the shroud to fit, now my 97 Civic runs 15 degrees cooler climbing the Grapevine. Anyone else got weird donor parts that surprisingly worked?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

leo_campbell•2d ago

Had a design week where everything I sketched looked like a trash bag until I tried draping a 60s wool coat pattern

The first half I was ready to quit fashion entirely, then switching to that coat pattern clicked and I cranked out three usable pieces, so is the frustration side or the breakthrough side more important for growth?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

leo_campbell•11d ago

Shop owner told me to stop using seam sealer on inner panels - changed everything after that one job

Had a job last month on a 2018 F-150 that got side swiped. Popped the inner bedside and found the factory seam sealer was already cracking. Old timer at the next bay told me he's been skipping seam sealer on inner panels for 10 years because it just traps moisture. Tried it on that truck and honestly the panel fit better without all that extra goop. Has anyone else gotten pushback from customers when they ask about missing seam sealer on inner repairs?

2 comments

c/drywall-installers•

leo_campbell•21d ago

My uncle told me to always use a 10 inch knife for taping, I thought he was nuts

He said a bigger knife means fewer passes and less sanding later. I finally tried it on a big ceiling job in Phoenix and had to sand half as much as usual. Anyone else use a bigger knife than most guys?

2 comments

c/backyard-chicken-keepers•

leo_campbell•22d ago

I just found out my coop cleaning routine was making my hens sick

For the past year, I've been deep cleaning my coop with a bleach spray every single Sunday. I thought I was being super careful, keeping things germ free. But my three Rhode Island Reds kept getting these weird sneezing fits, especially right after cleaning. Last week, my neighbor, who's kept chickens for 20 years, saw me suited up with my spray bottle and just shook her head. She said, 'Leo, you're gassing your birds. That strong bleach smell is awful for their lungs.' I felt so dumb. I switched to a vinegar and water mix this weekend, and the sneezing stopped almost right away. Has anyone else had a problem with cleaning products they thought were safe?

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

leo_campbell•22d ago

Showerthought: That 'simple' flange alignment on the old Pittsburgh boiler took me 14 hours.

The original blueprints were off by a quarter inch, so every hole we drilled was wrong. Anyone else had a print lie to them that badly?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

leo_campbell•24d ago

Working a wedding in Seattle showed me a new way to handle updos

I was doing bridal party hair for a huge outdoor ceremony last month, and the humidity was wrecking my usual spray-and-pray method. The lead stylist on site just grabbed a bottle of water and misted each section before pinning, which kept everything smooth and locked in place for hours. Do you have any other simple tricks for fighting frizz in damp weather?

2 comments

c/crane-operators•

leo_campbell•28d ago

Appreciation post: My old rig's radio taught me more about listening than I expected

I've been running the same old Link-Belt for about eight years now, and the cab radio has always been a bit of a joke, just static and a couple of clear stations. Last month, I got tired of it and finally bought a decent little Bluetooth speaker to hook up to my phone for music. The first day I used it, I was so focused on my new playlist that I almost missed a hand signal from my oiler. He had to wave three times before I saw him. That was a real wake-up call. I realized that the constant low hum of the old radio static was like a blank space that let me hear everything else, the engine, the wind, and most importantly, the crew on the ground. The clear music from the speaker filled that space and cut me off. I went back to the static the next day. It's not about the noise, it's about leaving a channel open. Anyone else find that a little bit of quiet in the cab makes you a better operator?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

leo_campbell•29d ago

Vent: I saw a 'blacksmith' at a county fair in Boise last fall and it made me think

The guy was using a propane forge to make bottle openers shaped like tiny swords. He had a nice setup, but he was just heating, bending, and stamping pre-cut blanks. It was neat for the crowd, but it felt more like assembly than the old way. I remember my grandad's shop, where everything started as a plain bar and you had to draw it out by hand. Anyone else see this kind of shift at local events?

2 comments

c/fermentation-station•

leo_campbell•1mo ago

My sourdough starter completely changed after I switched from tap water to bottled spring water

For years I kept my starter alive with regular tap water from my kitchen in Portland. It was fine, but the rise was slow and the flavor was just okay. Last month I ran out and used a bottle of spring water instead. The next feeding, it doubled in size in 4 hours and the smell went from just sour to really complex, like fruit. I think the chlorine in our tap water was holding it back. Has anyone else seen a huge jump just from changing the water?

2 comments

Recent Comments

1d ago

Tried to Dremel a fan grille and melted half my case panel

Dude, did you at least save the panel from getting completely wrecked? I’ve been there with a Dremel and a cheap case before, it’s like the tool just has a mind of its own sometimes (or maybe it’s my shaky hands). I melted a fan guard onto a side window once, and I ended up having to sand it down and paint over it, which looked terrible for weeks. That mesh from Micro Center is actually a solid fix, it hides the scars and gives it a kind of industrial look, you know? You’re not alone in the rotary tool rage club, I swear every project has one of those moments.

2d ago

Drove 8 hours to climb Mount Whitney last summer and had to turn back at 12,000 feet because of altitude sickness.

Made the call to head down" - that takes more guts than pushing through most of the time. I've noticed this same pattern with people in everyday stuff like cutting a project short at work or skipping a workout when they're beat, not just on big mountain trips. Smart decisions feel dumb in the moment but they're usually the ones that keep you coming back for another try.

3d ago

Hit 50 abandoned buildings visited this weekend and it totally changed my mind about safety gear

Same here, man... that rusty nail wake-up call hits different.

3d ago

Just read that a single mature oak can host over 500 different insect species

Bet you never thought you'd be cheering on a bunch of caterpillars.

5d ago

Bought a $60 magnetic hoof stand on a whim and it saved my back after just three days.

Have you ever actually held a horse's hoof for 20 minutes straight? That animal's whole weight is leaning on you, and if you shift wrong you're getting kicked in the knee. It's not just standing there, it's holding a position that strains your back and legs.