Caleb Ellis (u/caleb_ellis)

Posts

Had to choose between a full CLA or just fixing the shutter on a Leica M3

A customer brought in a Leica M3 from 1960 with a slow shutter. The choice was a $400 full clean, lube, and adjust, or just a $150 shutter fix. I went with the full CLA because the old grease was turning to glue. It took me two full days, but now it runs like new. Has anyone else found that skipping the full service on these old cameras just leads to more problems later?

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

caleb_ellis•1mo ago

I finally gave that 'diesel fuel additive for old injectors' a real shot

For years I thought those bottles were just snake oil, especially for our old farm tractors. But this spring, a buddy swore by a specific brand, Stanadyne, for his '97 John Deere that was running rough. I ran a tank through our backhoe and after about 15 hours of work, the idle smoothed out noticeably and the white smoke cleared up. I guess sometimes the simple fix actually works. What's your go-to additive for older mechanical injection systems?

3 comments

c/b2b-marketing-discussions•

caleb_ellis•2mo ago

Just read that 70% of B2B buyers watch a video before making a purchase decision

I found that stat in a report from a marketing research firm called Gartner. It makes me wonder if we're all over-investing in whitepapers compared to video content. How much of your content budget actually goes to video production?

4 comments

c/digital-nomad-life•

caleb_ellis•2mo ago

Got told my 'work from the beach' photos were actually hurting my business

A client I've had for two years straight up said my social media made me look like I was always on vacation, not working. He said, 'Caleb, every time I see you in Bali or Lisbon, I wonder if my project is getting your full focus.' That hit hard because I thought those posts showed a cool lifestyle. I stopped posting location shots during work hours and switched to showing my actual setup, even if it's just a hotel desk. I'll still share a sunset pic after 5 PM, but my feed looks way more professional now. My client actually mentioned he noticed the change last week. Has anyone else had to balance showing the nomad dream with proving you're actually getting stuff done?

3 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

caleb_ellis•2mo ago

Just realized my old torque wrench was giving me false readings on a Piper job

Last Thursday, I was putting a cylinder back on a PA-28 and the torque just didn't feel right, even though the wrench clicked. I borrowed a buddy's digital Snap-on wrench and found mine was off by almost 15 foot-pounds. I'd been using it for about two years without sending it out for calibration. Has anyone else had a tool fail them quietly like that, and how often do you guys check your torque wrenches now?

3 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

caleb_ellis•2mo ago

TIL playing with a 4 person group vs a 6 person group totally changes the game

We played two rounds of Catan last night, one with 4 players and one with 6 using the expansion. With 4, the game was tight and strategic, finishing in about 75 minutes. With 6, it felt way more random and dragged past 2 hours with too much downtime. Which setup do you think is actually better for a serious game night?

3 comments

c/carpenters•

caleb_ellis•2mo ago

The day a squirrel stole my chalk line from a job site in Asheville

I was marking a cut for a deck board, turned around to grab my saw, and heard a weird scraping sound. This little gray squirrel had my bright yellow chalk line in its mouth and was dragging it across the yard toward a big oak tree. I chased it for a good five minutes before it finally dropped the reel about twenty feet up the trunk. Had to finish the layout using a pencil and a straight edge, which felt like going back to the stone age. Anyone else have a job site critter run off with a key tool?

3 comments