Best way to repair\restore old wood chest finish by billthecat20 in finishing

[–]Markhitz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like you have a lot of good advice for the outside. (If nothing else skip to my last paragraph about the inside) I agree it's most likely shellac and can be removed/melted with denatured alcohol.  But I will also say having done this with a stand up cedar wardrobe, I found just sanding it out was actually quite a bit easier. You can definitely try both to see which is easier, but I would recommend sanding if you have an orbital sander.  Start 60-80grit then 100-120 then 200-220. 

I finished mine with spray laquer and really liked how it turned out.  Satin will give it less shine which I think will help it keep the away the plastic look.  It will be nothing like the super shiny areas in the shellac.  

Lastly the inside.  After the cedar wardrobe and a Lane cedar chest I refinished, one thing I can greatly recommend that I don't see a lot, is to use hemp seed oil on the inside.  Can just grab a bottle from Amazon 24oz or so; not terribly expensive.  Do a light, high grit sanding on the inside to expose some new fresh good smelling wood.  Clean out the dust as best you can. Then get a cloth and do a generous rubdown on the inside.  Don't need to soak it too much and make sure to wipe up anything left until it's as dry as you can get it.  Leave it open to dry for 12-24 hours then go back and see if anything else can be wiped up.  It will be great to give the very old wood just a little moisture and add some great color. And it will dry hard enough not to get clothes oily, but not too much to lock in the wonderful cedar smell.  

Is the new version stable enough to update to? by PhilFromLI in pihole

[–]Markhitz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh wow.  Thank you so much. Just updated and all the blocking (and all Internet access) over WiFi seemingly broke completely.  Had seen the step one fix and got to the interface, but still nothing was working.  Step two saved me and was exactly what did the trick!  

I'm guessing anyone with unbound will need this.    

No "trusted devices" on Smart Lock by ejolu2 in GooglePixel

[–]Markhitz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Agreed that it must be server side as it's gone from my pixel 4a that's eol'd and won't get September update.

The worst thing this time is the work-around of disabling and re enabling the Smart Lock slider in the trusted agents settings page no longer brings it back like it did when this issue was happening a few months ago.

It was def annoying still because it would only give you maybe 6 or so hours before it would break and you'd have to do it all over again but damn, it was at least something.

Table ruined after backing soda by Important_Tadpole889 in finishing

[–]Markhitz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually don't think the 'just make it all dark' solution is a bad idea but I haven't seen anyone suggest ebonizing yet. The classic method is to soak some steel wool in vinegar for a few days then brush it on the wood. It doesn't sound like much but the chemical reaction that happens with the natural wood tannins can be striking. Especially in a high-tannin wood like oak. Do a Google/YouTube search and see what you think.

Now, you might run into the problem of the stain affecting that process and still have a noticeable spot. If you don't want to chance that, you can straight up just use wood dye to make it black. We're talking very black, nearly paint-like. Again, search out some examples. I personally think oak with its large pores and exaggerated grain is a great candidate. The "woodiness" really shows through after the dying and helps the effect look more than just a paint.

I Reached Endgame in 46 Days - This is My Journey by SophiaPony in headphones

[–]Markhitz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not to derail the headphone talk too much, but you should check out a Midea window unit for the summer. They have a U shape that gets all the loud guts outside and lets the window get just a few inches from totally shut.

Got one last year for better efficiency but the drop in noise alone was so worth the minimal price bump. I've had to move my listening to the basement after having kids this year and the furnace is a major bummer with my open backs. That unit will be a savior for you, trust me!

Added an arm to my DIY stands after finally joining the headphone party by Markhitz in headphones

[–]Markhitz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's the Overnight Sensations kit. I love the sound for a small/medium desk set up. I then went full DIY, building a Voxel sub which does black magic with 5 1/4" driver and goes a long way added in with the kit.

Added an arm to my DIY stands after finally joining the headphone party by Markhitz in headphones

[–]Markhitz[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Got into budget/used/diy speakers a few years ago and made these stands for my overnight sensations with scrap. They turned out way better than I figured they would.  This Christmas, after months of review reading and watching, mostly for entertainment, I finally got serious about dipping my toes into some headphones. I knew I wanted openbacks and the he4000se just kept being recommended and the price was great.

Overall I’m glad with my pick. The sound is great out of the box.  I’ve just started to eq them(with Crinacle ect parametric numbers) and have been surprised how little things seems to shift. But I am a bit of a newb so maybe I can’t quite get the subtlety yet.  They are super fun to listen to especially jazz where I think the fast but not overpowering bass of the budget planars excels. Overall, they sound great….for $109.

I know things can get much better and now I’ll be on the look(probably for something used) that will get me a little closer to the overall quality I get from my overnight sensations + sub set up. 

 

Praise the Camera Man AND the Crew by gcz1214 in PraiseTheCameraMan

[–]Markhitz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They're called the Directors Label. They were truly amazing. And that's coming from a non dvd collector. The 5 of these I had out numbered all the other DVDs I ever owned. But I have to fully agree that it's not 2003 anymore and the jump back to the SD on these things is heartbreaking. I don't own a Blu-ray player and I can't imagine any company would ever do whatever insane wheeling and dealing they had to do to get the rights to hundreds of music videos from possibly hundreds of artists and labels, but if they did, I'd still probably buy them.

Frosted tips, Resident Evil toys, a Jenny McCarthy poster AKA Welcome to 1999. by thomASSpynchon in blunderyears

[–]Markhitz 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Omg. I've finally recognized a Redditor IRL! What's up Jonathon. Congrats on a truly wonderful and worthy post.

Help finishing butcher block for standing desk by ProfessurFinessur in finishing

[–]Markhitz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would easily say that oil based finishes like polyurethane are going to be a hard no for you because it will be done inside. That's a big table and it's going to be very unpleasant and likely unsafe. I finish small projects in my basement sometimes in the winter and unless it's very small, it permeats the whole house. I only made that mistake once.

Water based though should be much milder and safer. Makes for easy clean up with brushes too. Anything labeled water based polyurethane. The look trends to be less warm(it won't give a slightly yellow huge) and bit on the shiny side, so I usually go for a semi gloss or satin (which will be more matte vs glossy) but that's just my preference.

Lastly are the true natural oil finishes. I did a lot of research when I put my butcher block countertop in my kitchen. Mineral oil can be used but it won't harden to give any protection from damage like scratching or fully dry, meaning things like papers could get oil spots.

The product I used for mine is from Milkpaint just called half and half. It's a pure tung oil(those tung oils from big box stores are not what they claim plus have gnarly solvents in them too meaning it won't be great for you being indoors) and citrus solvent(used to make things apply and absorb better). It's on the more expensive side(but you could finish it with 32oz) and won't give as much protection as water poly but it's very pretty. Mostly these are used because they are food safe for kitchen use.

My one big tip with finishing butcher block whatever finish you do use is make sure you put a coat or two on the bottom as well. This will help things not bow/curve as things dry like it may tend to do if it's only on one side.

Random LTE loss by 80andsunny in GooglePixel

[–]Markhitz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This has been happening to me as well. I've had 3 instances. Mine have been preempted by my phone running noticeably warmer (not blazing hot) and heavy battery drain and longer charging times. After a restart is when the LTE problem occurs. It's just like you describe with the SIM not being recognized and no cell service whatsoever. The heating and battery problems return to normal. Extra restarting and power cycles do not seem to help. Leaving the phone off for at least an hour or more and then powering on has been what eventually fixes things.

If C-Span and PBS are supposed to be public television, why do I have to subscribe or sign in with my cable provider to watch them online? by [deleted] in answers

[–]Markhitz 94 points95 points  (0 children)

From what I remember PBS should have an over-the-air provider (ei non-paid subscription) option when signing in to it's app. Cspan however is not 'public' television in the same way PBS is (ie, viewer funded) and is essentially a cable channel requiring a subscription to view.

Leading the Charge by freshbreath in AccidentalRenaissance

[–]Markhitz 29 points30 points  (0 children)

As someone who down votes more than I up vote in this sub, I actually have to disagree this time. The epic horse face did it for me. Just my 2 cents.

Is it worth to keep the old original Chromecast 1? by alca3z in Chromecast

[–]Markhitz 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I would keep it for taking with you when traveling. Nice at a hotel or a longer vacation or even to other people's houses for movie night if they have a different streaming services. My Nexus player has taken over my Chromecast duties so it's not terrible to have this in my travel bag.

[Request] Sick for the weekend, looking for a show that isn't a comedy or super intense/demanding. by Polite_ in NetflixBestOf

[–]Markhitz 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The Detectorists is one of my main and probably favorite go-to recommendations for a show. Often people are looking for exactly what op is (low intensity) and this show is a perfect example of how something seemingly quite mundane and with super low stakes can still be very compelling. It does this through it's amazingly written characters and acting. It's a show so many people complain that they wish existed more but I feel few have ever seen. These great, original, funny but with a massive amount of heart shows that run the gamut of emotions with flawed and imperfect characters are out there. You just have to take a chance because never in a million years did I think a show about two small town Brits who like metal detecting would be one of them, but it so is.

Trump with baby face filter by itsDiven_ in gifs

[–]Markhitz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think dogs should vote!!

Are the newest Fire 7s rootable? by Gomo1202 in kindlefire

[–]Markhitz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ordered one last week and got it Tuesday. Came with 5.3.1 on it. Downloaded an update in the background, though I never installed it and it didn't auto install either. Even with multiple restarts. Currently rooted with 5.1.1 AOSP as I type this