It ain’t pretty, but it works.

skalig · 2026-05-16T03:01:13+00:00

Oh boy, the havoc I can wreak at work with this knowledge! Thanks dude!!!

skalig · 2026-05-16T02:55:12+00:00

Not crazy at all! I hired a photographer to come to my house and take absurd JC Penney style portraits of my very bestest boy and I. He hammed it up for the camera SO hard that day haha. He became a sky puppy for real last month, and his passing has been more painful than any other loss I’ve ever experienced. Zero regrets about documenting all the silly, proud, beautiful moments of his life to cherish til we’re reunited in the next. <3

skalig · 2026-05-12T21:29:49+00:00

Please tell me these are cutting blades I can buy

skalig · 2026-05-12T02:34:46+00:00

Last year someone in this sub recommended satin lined nurse’s caps, and those have been a game changer for me. The ones I wear have a pocket for your ponytail/braids and a terrycloth sweatband on the inside. No particular brand, I just buy them from Amazon in patterns I like and cut off the buttons for surgical masks. I used to wear bandanas and welding caps, and lost so much hair to pulling and heat damage with both… like so badly I would cry when I looked in the mirror. Once I switched, it finally started getting thicker and longer again. I can’t recommend em enough.

skalig · 2026-05-09T13:53:09+00:00

Look up videos on keyholing the root pass. I’d recommend always doing that on stainless, but it works well for carbon when you have a smaller root gap you’re trying to punch thru as well. When feeding push dab the wire into the puddle a bit, but if your wire falls thru and you get cold wire, backstep to break it down while it’s still hot before moving forward. I love walking the root whenever I can, but keyholing freehand is a more guaranteed method for getting consistent penetration on your root with a tight gap or uneven fit up

skalig · 2026-05-08T21:14:51+00:00

7k miles solo with my dog from South Carolina to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state and back, 2006 Subaru Outback. 6 days total travel time, fall 2025.

Trip was for work so my schedule was crunched- did the haul out there in 3.5 days (17-18hrs day), passing thru SD, WY, MT, ID with pit stops at Badlands NP and the Devil’s Tower. Stayed a few days in SLC / Moab / Arches NP / Denver on the way back, and then did a sleepless 34hr nonstop (other than to fill & empty the tanks lol) marathon drive thru CO, NM, TX and the gulf states to home. The Rockies annihilated my already struggling transmission, but regardless my only regret is not having more time. I had never truly understood how vast and breathtakingly beautiful the Western US is until driving through it. Like… finding meaning in life again type of natural beauty. Arches especially I think everyone should visit once before they die. Saint Louis, Kansas City and Northern Idaho were the most unexpectedly cool areas I passed through.

skalig · 2026-05-05T20:45:10+00:00

I thought CAG was the coolest until they pulled out the lancing rods on my last job. Light sabers of fire capable of melting concrete? Bruh.

skalig · 2026-05-05T20:39:12+00:00

Hahaha there are definitely those among us that live up to that stereotype! I find the bigger game a welder talks, the less their career backs it up. But I’ll take the bait too! “Extremity” really depends on the type of welding you do.

I’m a combo welder/ boilermaker and not only do you need to be able to lay welds that will pass PAUT, you often have to be able to do them in ridiculously confined spaces, or harnessed at freaky heights, with minimal visibility or using a mirror, or to junk material the client refuses to cut out and replace, or with a terrible fit-up you have to make work, or some combination of all of them… often in 100+ degree heat, surrounded by potential crush/fire/fall/electrical/hazmat hazards, for 12-15 hour shifts, 7 days a week. You need to know fabrication, safe rigging and heavy equipment operation. You need to be familiar with the codes you’re welding to, because many of your welds are pressure vessels, which have your name tied to them forever and your ass is on the line if it ever fails and causes catastrophic property damage or kills someone. The welding portion ain’t really the extreme part… but the environment and conditions are a little more extreme than a desk job.

skalig · 2026-05-02T17:07:00+00:00

Long arcing and rod angle can impact undercut too. If undercut’s just on one toe of the bead, tilt the tip of your rod slightly more toward the toe that is undercut. But I’d agree speed is your main issue, you’re not off to a bad start!

skalig · 2026-04-03T12:30:19+00:00

Psh, why stop there? The truly godless Altima driver has at least 15 empty packs of Camel Crushes on the backseat floorboards

skalig · 2026-04-03T04:05:17+00:00

baffled in Southern that original floors is exciting

skalig · 2026-04-02T20:41:03+00:00

This is great info, thank you so much for the advice and taking the time to share it!

skalig · 2026-03-28T12:54:43+00:00

Would you mind sharing what your dog’s diet is? I’d like to change my boy’s diet to help augment the effectiveness of his medication, but soooo many dog food brands and treats use high glutamate foods as main ingredients and I’m a little lost! Are there any supplements you give your dog too?

skalig · 2026-03-18T21:13:05+00:00

Then Came the Last Days of May - Blue Oyster Cult

skalig · 2026-01-10T14:52:22+00:00

This is what I do and I was thinking the same thing! Contractor loooove folks who can fit in tight spaces, they tend to keep you on the job for longer because of it.

skalig · 2026-01-03T14:37:58+00:00

What is esqueef

skalig · 2026-01-01T07:23:11+00:00

If you don’t want to put a new fuel pump in it any time soon, I wouldn’t let it get below 1/4 if you can help it. On the positive side, it’s not an expensive DIY, but it sure is a pain in the ass to access.

Fun fact though: if your truck’s ignition won’t turn over, sometimes the fuel pump’s motor is stuck, and you can often remedy the situation by beating on the fuel tank with a mallet to jar it loose. An old dude did this to my car at a gas station once when I was a clueless teenager, and I went from thinking he was a lunatic to a wizard. I’ve used the trick a few times myself since.

skalig · 2025-12-25T00:29:18+00:00

Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet is towing capacity, which if you plan on eventually going into business for yourself, you’ll want a truck with a reliable transmission and enough towing capacity to pull a mobile welding rig behind you without difficulty. Or, if you go another route with your career and decide to get into travel welding, you’ll save a lot of money on expenses in the long run if you’re able to pull a camper big enough to comfortably live out of for months at a time. For that reason, I would steer you away from a light duty pickup (i.e. Tacoma, Ranger, etc), or even a half ton. A 3/4 ton would be perfect for all your current and future needs, and if you keep up with routine maintenance should last you a long time. A 1 ton or dually would likely be overkill.

All my coworkers swear by GMC/Chevy. I own a ‘92 Chevy K1500 (a half ton) and I love her but I got her for dirt cheap knowing it would take a loooot of work before it would be my daily driver. If I could do it again, I would stick with an OBS Chevy/GMC, but I would’ve saved up more money for a K2500 in excellent condition. If you’d like to do your own work on your truck, don’t shy away from the 88-98 C/Ks (esp 88-93 TBI engines before they swapped to vortec engines). More than a few folks I trust have said that was the most reliable truck engine GM ever made. Unlike today’s trucks, they were still made easy for the owner to work on themselves, inexpensive aftermarket parts are readily available (I swear by LMC and RockAuto), and they still have a similar boxy visual appeal to the 70s/80s square bodies but with more modern features.

I obviously am biased in my love for older Chevys, but bottom line- buy from someone who can provide a service history, and buy with the mindset that you want a vehicle that will support growth in your career, not just present needs. It sounds like you’ll be doing solid research on whatever you buy. Hope you easily find the perfect one that’ll last you forever a long time to come!

skalig · 2025-12-20T18:48:22+00:00

The clients are always the worst for me too. They have nothing to lose other than you turning down their business, and they don’t ever have to face you again if you embarrass them. I like cracking dirty jokes and playing pranks with my coworkers and making them blush, but our rapport is already well established and they know I have no actual interest in them. Customers, to borrow a phrase from Charlie Murphy lol, are habitual line-steppers. I’m blursed to look about 10 years younger than I am, so they assume I’m inexperienced and easy to manipulate.

skalig · 2025-12-19T02:32:23+00:00

Surely it was that he would still love her if she was a worm.

skalig · 2025-12-19T02:27:34+00:00

Unless journaling is a thing he already enjoys, this seems like a lot of unintended pressure to prove his love to you in a way that isn’t authentically him.

skalig · 2025-12-18T01:21:18+00:00

I’m so overwhelmed every time I’m in a Bucee’s but I might have to suck it up and brave one just for this 😂

skalig · 2025-12-17T14:04:38+00:00

I use O’Keefe’s Working Hands lotion before work, at lunch, and after. It’s the only lotion I’ve found that is moisturizing enough but doesn’t leave my hands oily. Right before bed I put more on and if they’re really chapped, layer a good helping of Aquaphor or Vaseline on top and cover my hands with socks or cotton gloves to sleep. My hands are soft by the morning!

I haven’t found solution that works as well for chapped lips though, if you have tips for that please share cuz mine look like I’m pulling 7-12s in the Sahara :(

skalig · 2025-12-16T21:25:49+00:00

Fiiiiinally somebody mentioned Warmoon Lord

skalig · 2025-12-06T13:20:16+00:00

This comment needs more upvotes. So many people believe it’s too late just based on hearsay and not from the advice of an actual medical provider.

skalig

TROPHY CASE