Wait, was he using rosin core solder or any flux? That stuff makes way more smoke than regular solder, especially without a fan. A lot of smoke detectors pick up on the chemical fumes super fast. If his iron was too hot, it would have burned the flux right away and filled the room.

Exactly, and it's wild how they always pick the most random places for these unsolicited reviews. What is it about buying dairy that makes people feel like they've got a free pass to judge your life choices, @sandraw74? I'm genuinely curious what goes through their head, like do they walk away feeling proud of themselves for sharing that vital opinion? It just shows how little some folks have going on if criticizing a stranger's haircut is the highlight of their shopping trip.

That cold start shudder you described sounds exactly like my old truck's torque converter issue. How did you end up testing the solenoid, did you just monitor lockup pressure or swap it out first? I'm guessing the solenoid is cheaper than a mount, so maybe start there.

I used to believe letting new guys pour fast was good practice (you know, build confidence). Watching one rush job crack three molds in a row changed my tune real quick. Slowing them down to check each seal first made a huge difference.

You ever find something in a junk drawer that you totally forgot you had? One time I was trying to fix my glasses and found an old eyeglass repair kit buried under a pile of takeout menus. The tiny screwdriver was perfect, and I felt like a genius for keeping it. But then I realized the kit was from a hotel stay like five years ago. It made me wonder how many other random things I'm holding onto for no reason. Still, when my glasses snapped back together, I wasn't complaining. Now I just call it my 'maybe useful someday' drawer instead of junk.