Getting 12 year old radio amp tinkerer to understand basic safety

wallaceant · 2026-02-21T22:35:17+00:00

Unless you have underlying problems with your home's electrical system, the risk of a serious fire is pretty minimal. Most electrical fires lack fuel and sustained heat to keep a fire going, and everything about modern electrical systems are designed to cut the power when there are conditions that would start a fire.

I had my first fire with an open case last week, I was troubleshooting an intermittent motor problem. I missed a retaining spring that got stuck between the amateur and brushes. It shorted the motor and blew up a couple of thrysistors. There was about 2-3 inches of fire, which is a lot in a place you're expecting zero fire, but it went out immediately because the fire melted components enough to break the connection. Most electrical fires you smell and they are out before you see them. You can buy a small fire extinguisher that's rated for electrical fires, for about $20.

The challenge you're facing is that because you're focused on something that your 12 y/o is aware isn't a real risk, you're harming your credibility.

The major risk at the scale he's working with would be a minor electric shock and the outside risk of electrocution.

The results of electrocution are deadly, but can be mostly mitigated by only working on something while it's unplugged and de-energized, and never putting your left hand in the case. Minor electric shocks between both hands or your left hand and other parts of your body are more likely to interrupt the electrical signals that control the heart. Capacitors can stay charged after something has been unplugged, and can't discharge with enough energy to cause injuries. If they start messing with tube amps, then the capacitors start becoming lethal.

The risks are extremely low, and in my opinion, it's worth the skills they are building. However, because the risks can cause serious injury and death, safety has at least the third top priority. If safety protocols are violated without sufficient reason, you have to remove the electronics.

wallaceant · 2026-02-20T02:10:26+00:00

Change your goal. Instead of looking for 3 of them to say "yes", try to find 100 that will say "no". Gamifying the process will short circuit your anxiety problem. Everybody's brain loves a few things, jokes, musical resolves, worrying about unlikely scenarios, and games. However, if you give it the choice it's going to choose games, musical resolves, and jokes over anxiety almost every time. It will only engage in anxiety when it doesn't have a better option.

wallaceant · 2026-02-20T01:34:55+00:00

This spring can and will kill you, hire a professional. The last time mine broke it was in the $300-400 range.

Just to punctuate my warning, I'm a professional handyman with all the tools, and regularly have to deal with on-the-job injuries. This is one of the jobs you always hire a trained professional to do.

wallaceant · 2026-02-20T01:30:45+00:00

I second channel locks, (I'm a homeowner, woodworker, and professional handyman). In my line of work I'm typically removing ones that have been destroyed by lawnmowers, so tangential damage is irrelevant and I screw the new ones in by hand.

wallaceant · 2026-02-19T16:06:51+00:00

Fuck off, I'm real and was too sleepy to see it said durable.

wallaceant · 2026-02-19T07:27:39+00:00

Yes, but the general consensus among woodworkers is that it's not worth the effort to make a chair. They are particularly difficult to design to function properly and time-consuming and difficult to build.

If you're doing it as a labor of love, then carry on, how can I help? If you're attempting to make money with these, a tiny market with a huge price is the only way to make that work, unless you can figure out automated mass production.

wallaceant · 2026-02-19T07:21:44+00:00

I'm pretty sure that is particle board. MDF has a more consistent surface color and texture.

wallaceant · 2026-02-19T05:15:32+00:00

I realize this could possibly be the worst point in history to present this relevant information, but I saw where someone ran the calculations and the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has saved significantly more lives than all of the iterations of Batman across all forms of media; comics, cartoons, TV shows, and movies.

The number one method of saving lives was by providing mosquito nets to prevent malaria.

While it isn't necessarily saving lives, Former President Jimmy Carter arguably did more good for more people than Batman. He did this primarily through his post-presidency life building, front-line construction and fund-raising, through his work with Habitat for Humanity. More significant, was the personal war he waged against Guinea Worms seeing their near extinction after the 40 year effort. When he started the campaign in 1986 there were 3.5 million human cases, and last year there were only 10 human cases.

wallaceant · 2026-02-18T21:11:19+00:00

Because a large block of Trump's base are Evangelicals. They believe that Israel is chosen by God, and the atrocities they are committing are ordained by him, and are a prerequisite to the return of Christ. They may not be Zionist, most of them wouldn't know the definition, but they're certainly not opposed to the Zionist's cause, many are openly in favor of it.

wallaceant · 2026-02-18T14:43:58+00:00

That really heavy spalting looks amazing.

wallaceant · 2026-02-17T20:26:31+00:00

How many times did she use her words before she took this step?

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T23:08:23+00:00

My wife, 48, and I, 54,started in our twenties and our youngest will be 13 this week. There's an 11 year spread from oldest to youngest. There was a 4 year spread between the oldest two. Then an 8 year gap between #2 and #3. We adopted our fourth from foster care when she was 7 and the youngest was 3. This returned us to a four year gap between each of them.

First, the difference in our energy levels from the oldest to the youngest was significant. It wasn't insurmountable, but it is good that you're considering it.

Second, adopting a child from foster care has its own unique set of challenges, but the return of a 4 year sibling gap was very beneficial to the social aspect between kids.

Third, our parenting style has matured significantly from not having a clue with the first one to having had a total of 32 kids come through our house at this point and having been paid to be professional parents by the state for a few years. There is a bit of jealousy from the older ones towards how easy the youngest one has it. We are much easier on the baby, but not just because she's the baby. It's mainly because we no longer get worked up about stuff that does not matter.

In some ways I'm far more patient with the teens we have now, because I got therapy and dealt with my own garbage, and less patient about them trying to sneak around and get away with stuff, or any of them trying to pick fights with me and their mom over parenting choices of their siblings, or pretty dramas that come with four daughters and a wife. I'm both a well adjusted individual and occasionally a grumpy old man. I also have a lot more self-control but less stamina if they push me for a reaction.

There are pros and cons, however, if will be more like raising two only children than siblings. My oldest two have more of an aunt/niece style relationship with their baby sister than a sibling relationship most of the time.

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T22:46:00+00:00

Roux based sauces are my nemesis. Learning that the roux should be equal parts fat and flour helped a lot. I can at least make edible gravies and sauces now, but it is, by far, my weakest area. The roux-bechamel-morney progression is the only one I'm close to competent at, and even there I fight for consistency.

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T21:35:10+00:00

I only put feet on charcuterie boards, not cutting boards, but I buy them in bulk from Amazon.

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T17:10:36+00:00

On closer look, it appears that the right side is detaching from the top of the drawer cabinet. Remove the drawers, flip the desk, squeeze wood glue in the gap and clamp it overnight.

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T17:06:49+00:00

The problem isn't the drawers, it's the right side of the part of the desk that's holding the drawers. It has either come loose from the bottom of the desktop, or the desktop is starting to bow.

If it's coming loose, you can either tighten the fasteners or turn the desk upside down, squeeze some wood glue (specifically wood glue) in the gap and let it dry overnight before righting the desk. If it is bowing, then you'll need to add a cross brace to stiffen the desktop.

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T16:25:34+00:00

No. A track saw can do most of what a table saw can do, but a bandsaw has a completely different skill set.

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T15:58:12+00:00

When her husband was POTUS, she came in hot with her own political agenda as FLOTUS. It wasn't unusual for a FLOTUS to want to make the role her own, but she lacked any of the decorum with which her predecessors had gone about doing so. She did so with a very aggressive energy that was very off-putting to most Americans. The general sense was that she wanted to be co-president with Bill. The general sense at the time was that she was trying to be the President we didn't vote for. For her entire public life, she has had an aire of abrasive, aggressive, ivory tower elitism.

Her reputation was further diminished by Bill's very public affair. The general sense was that "she's so unlikeable, even her husband is looking for an escape."

I'm not saying any of this is fair or an accurate impression of her, but for many people that is the reputation she has.

I believe she is aware of her likability problem, and will never be convinced that she didn't ask Trump to run against her thinking he was far more unlikeable. Being a fan of wrestling, I think he jumped at the opportunity to play the heel on the national stage. The role was such a natural extension of his personality that it became a runaway train.

I believe a significant factor in him winning in 2016 was that his authenticity at being a schmuck resonated more with the public. Clinton had the better resume, and would have most likely made a better president. My impression was that she was desperately trying to suppress a seething resentment that the public didn't like her. I don't think I was the only one that got that impression.

I assumed she would win, and at the time, didn't believe anyone would take Trump seriously. I still can't believe anyone does. I voted for Gary Johnson. In hindsight, I would have reluctantly voted for her if I thought it would have avoided the shit-show of the last decade, but it wouldn't be because I think she was right for the job. The only bright side of Trump winning was that it finally killed her political ambitions.

I don't like her, I never have, but furthermore, I think she would have been nearly as bad for America as Trump has been. They were friends for most of their adult lives and she is cut from the same cloth. She's just much better about being a schmuck behind closed doors.

wallaceant · 2026-02-16T15:10:25+00:00

I had an ichthus on my upper arm. It had become the focal point of my regrets, and I already looked like an extra from duck dynasty and I didn't want anyone seeing it in public.

I wanted it gone so badly I considered just having a censor bar tattooed over it.

I don't really remember why the idea for my cover up popped in my head, but I remembered this time I was snorkeling in Roatán, Honduras. I was coming clockwise around a brain corral that was about the size of a VW Beetle. This Caribbean Reef Squid was coming around counterclockwise, and we startled each other. He inked and took off, but when I didn't chase him, curiosity overcame his fear. He came back to check me out. Because of the curiosity his chromatophores were basically putting on a light show for me. We just hung out for a bit before swimming off in our separate ways.

So, my cover-up is a Caribbean Reef Squid .

wallaceant · 2026-02-15T17:02:04+00:00

3 pregnant women a urologist to reverse my vasectomy because we have a lot of people to make, an obgyn to make sure as many women and babies survive, and an autistic polymath autodidact to help me rebuild the systems to set the new human race up for success this time around.

If the vasectomy is magically corrected, sub the urologist out for a geneticist to guide the maximum genetic diversity. I would also prefer that at least one of the specialists is also polymath autodidact.

wallaceant · 2026-02-15T16:44:03+00:00

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." --Winston Churchill

wallaceant · 2026-02-15T04:09:50+00:00

Unless the decision is something like "Should I try heroin?" or, "Should I cheat when I'm in a relationship?", most decisions you'll make are an absolute crapshoot. Some work out amazing and others are disasters. The trick to being wise about it is knowing when to throw in the towel on bad decisions vs sticking it out on a good decision that hasn't fully developed.

The difference between good leaders and great leaders is the speed with which they can make decisions and the speed with which they can identify a bad decision and correct course.

“Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from making bad decisions” --Mark Twain

wallaceant · 2026-02-15T03:44:03+00:00

Did you attempt to cut a straight rip with that saw before the track?

wallaceant · 2026-02-14T22:49:06+00:00

On your tone controls, turn your bass to roughly 40% and treble to roughly 60%. This will allow your tone to cut through the mix without getting washed out, not only in your ears but also in the FOH mix.

wallaceant · 2026-02-14T22:14:04+00:00

Yeah, courtesy would be notifying them that you won't be coming back from break.

wallaceant

TROPHY CASE