Brian West (u/the_brian)

Posts

The 3/8 inch drift punch I made for a gate hinge snapped at the shoulder yesterday

Forged it from a piece of 4140 round stock about six months ago, but I think I drew the temper back too far when I was polishing it. It just sheared off clean when I was driving out a pin on a farm gate near Salem. Had to finish the job with a bolt ground to a point. Anyone have a better method for tempering punches so they stay tough?

3 comments

-1

c/cybersecurity-tips•

the_brian•3mo ago

My roofing biz almost got hit, now I push two factor hard

I own a small roofing company. We handle customer details every day. A similar business got hacked recently. Their email was wide open with no extra login step. They faced a real mess with lost info. Now I enforce two factor on all our accounts. It is simple and cuts the risk big time.

3 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

the_brian•3mo ago

TIL a neat way to track daily habits with a grid

I found this method on a forum and tried it. You make a grid with habits on one side and days on the other. When I do a habit, I fill in the square. I track things like reading, exercise, and meditating. It helps me see my progress fast. My journal looks clean and it keeps me on track. This has become my go to for habit tracking.

3 comments

c/daily-should-i-questions•

the_brian•3mo ago

Serious question, I changed my mind about where to charge my phone overnight

I used to think having my phone next to my bed was a must, like for alarms or if someone called late. But over time, I noticed I'd always grab it before sleep, just to check one more thing, and then I'd be awake for hours. It got to the point where my mornings felt foggy and slow. Then I tried leaving it to charge in the living room, using a basic alarm clock instead. Now, I fall asleep faster and wake up without that urge to scroll right away. It's a small shift, but it really helped me feel more rested. I guess I was wrong about needing it close by. Has anyone else made a switch like this?

3 comments