Grace Thomas (u/gracet22)

Posts

Reading about the old growth timber in the Pacific Northwest got me thinking

I was looking into some history stuff and found out that a single old growth Douglas fir tree can contain over 14,000 board feet of lumber. That's enough to frame like three whole houses, which just blew my mind. It makes you wonder if the push for engineered lumber is purely about efficiency or if we've lost something with that switch. What's your take on using modern materials versus the real, massive timber from back in the day?

4 comments

c/bakers•

gracet22•13d ago

My sourdough starter died last month and I had to start over from scratch.

I left it in my car during a trip to Boise and the heat killed it. I used a tablespoon of rye flour from a bag I bought in 2021 to get the new one going, and it was active in three days. Has anyone else had to revive a starter from a tiny bit of old flour?

3 comments

c/abandoned-mall-stories•

gracet22•14d ago

Appreciation post: I just realized I've documented over 50 different abandoned malls across the Midwest.

Some people think hitting a number like that means you're dedicated to preserving history, while others say it just proves you're obsessed with decay, so what's your take on when documenting becomes more about the count than the experience?

3 comments

c/boilermakers•

gracet22•15d ago

Why does nobody talk about the 500-hour mark on a new boiler tube?

I just logged the first 500 hours on a big water tube boiler we installed at a plant in Wichita. The heat transfer numbers were still spot on, which really surprised me. I expected some drop off by now, but the readings were as good as day one. It makes me think the pre-cleaning and passivation steps we took were more important than I gave them credit for. Has anyone else seen a boiler hold its efficiency this well past the initial run-in period?

3 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

gracet22•17d ago

I was reading an old interview with a Marvel editor from 1998 and found a wild number about X-Men #1

So I was digging through some old comic news sites for fun (you know, just killing time) and found this interview with Bob Harras. He was talking about the 1991 X-Men #1 launch, the one with the five different covers. I always knew it sold a lot, but he said the initial print run was over 8 million copies. Eight million! For a single issue! My mind is still kind of blown by that. I have a copy in a box somewhere, and it's not worth much because, well, everyone and their brother has one. It really puts today's sales numbers into a different light. I guess that was the peak of the speculator boom. Has anyone else stumbled on a fact about comic sales or print runs that just seemed crazy to you?

3 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

gracet22•17d ago

PSA: I just wasted $120 on a 'universal' DPF sensor that didn't fit anything

Bought it online for a 2018 Freightliner, the listing swore it was compatible. Spent 3 hours trying to make it work before realizing the connector was totally wrong. Had to overnight the right part from the dealer. Anyone else get burned by these generic sensor listings?

3 comments

c/ask-anything•

gracet22•18d ago

Showerthought: People keep asking the same question in different ways here

I was looking through the forum last night and noticed at least five posts that were basically asking 'how do I start a blog' but with slightly different wording. It matters because it makes finding a clear answer harder for everyone. Has anyone else seen this happen with other common topics, like fixing a slow computer or learning guitar?

3 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

gracet22•22d ago

My friend's art looked way better on her phone than on my monitor, and it's a common problem

I was checking out a friend's new character art on my desktop, a decent 27 inch monitor, and the colors were super washed out and dull. She was confused because it looked perfect on her phone screen. I see this all the time in online galleries. People are finishing their work and posting it without checking how it looks on different devices. They just trust their own screen. I learned this the hard way after my first big commission, a $200 piece, looked totally different on my client's laptop. Now I always pull up my finished piece on my phone and my old tablet before I call it done. It takes five minutes but saves so much headache. How do you guys make sure your art looks good everywhere?

3 comments

c/bookbinders•

gracet22•22d ago

Appreciation post: Saw a 1920s book press in a small town library in Vermont

I was visiting the library in St. Johnsbury last month and they had this old book press just sitting in a corner. The librarian said it was donated in the 50s and they still use it sometimes. It made me think about how much of our work is digital now, planning cuts and designs on a screen. Does anyone else still use older tools like that, or is it all new gear for you?

3 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

gracet22•22d ago

Vent: My digital portraits looked flat for months until I tried a new brush pack

I was stuck making faces that felt like paper cutouts, especially with skin tones. Then about three weeks ago, I downloaded a free set of textured brushes from an artist named Kaela. The difference is wild, my latest piece has this soft, real look I could never get before. Has anyone else found a specific brush or tool that fixed a big problem in their art?

3 comments

Posts

Reading about the old growth timber in the Pacific Northwest got me thinking

My sourdough starter died last month and I had to start over from scratch.

Appreciation post: I just realized I've documented over 50 different abandoned malls across the Midwest.

Why does nobody talk about the 500-hour mark on a new boiler tube?

I was reading an old interview with a Marvel editor from 1998 and found a wild number about X-Men #1

PSA: I just wasted $120 on a 'universal' DPF sensor that didn't fit anything

Showerthought: People keep asking the same question in different ways here

My friend's art looked way better on her phone than on my monitor, and it's a common problem

Appreciation post: Saw a 1920s book press in a small town library in Vermont

Vent: My digital portraits looked flat for months until I tried a new brush pack

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