Just read a gunsmithing manual from 1918 that said they used to case harden with bone meal and leather scraps

I was digging through some old books at a shop in Springfield and found a worn-out manual. It was talking about case hardening small parts like hammers and triggers. The book said they'd pack the parts in a steel box with powdered bone and bits of old leather, then heat it in a forge for hours. I always thought that was just an old wives' tale or something they did way back, but this was a proper military guide. It got me thinking about how we just grab a bottle of commercial compound now and call it a day. The old way must have been a real pain to get consistent, but it clearly worked. Has anyone here ever tried a traditional bone char method, or know how it compares to modern stuff for color?

Hot take: I think the 'everything needs a smart switch' trend is a waste for most people

I was watching a DIY channel and the host said you should replace every basic switch in your house with a smart one for 'future proofing'. That's like 30 switches in my place, costing over $500 easy. Most rooms just need a light on and off, not a schedule or voice control. Has anyone else skipped the smart home stuff and been totally fine?

My first year on a tower crane, I'd eyeball every load like a cowboy.

Then last month in Denver, I swung a pallet of glass a foot too far and my foreman yelled, 'Bell, use the dang marks on the boom!' Now I actually read the load chart and use the radius indicator every single time. Anyone else have a 'cowboy' habit they had to break?

Older dryer heating element jobs can eat up your whole afternoon if you miss the hidden clip.

A pigeon hit my freshly installed window and did a full flip. The client won't stop calling it 'safety glass comedy'. What's up with that?