If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?

[Rusty Vandura]

I was changing the rear shock on my Mazda 3. The shocks and struts on a Mazda 3 have to be the easiest shocks and struts to change on any car in the history of cars. The bottom mounting bolt I managed to cross thread with my new impact driver. Rookie mistake, but an infuriating rookie mistake. So I try to use a file to clean up the threads on the bolt, but no joy. So I go storming off to the hardware store to look for a tap and die in what I assume will be some exotic size.

Winds up being M12 x 1.25, and they have a tap and die, but I have to get the man to come open the cabinet with the key. The fun starts here.

This store is well stocked, but the people who work there all have a chip on their shoulder, a need to demonstrate excessive competence. And you can't tell them anything.

The guy takes the tap and die out of the case and says he'll take them to the Cashier. "May I please have a look at them?" Oh, yeah. So he hands them to me and I compare the bolt to the tap. He says, "Let's go back and make sure of the size."

"Okay," I say, because I've just come from there and I know that they don't, but wuttevs.

We go back there and we find an M12 x 1.25 bolt, and he has to take my bolt and make the comparison for me because obviously, I don't know anything and then he says, "The threads are messed up on this bolt."

Wow, Captain Obvious, you deserve a promotion! You've got the tap and die in your other genius farking hand! Why did you think I was in the store?!

But rather than say any of those things or choke the man, I bought the tap and die and came home and put my car back together.

A little tork is a dangerous thing in rookie hands.

[ibRAD]

@rusty-vandura said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

A little tork is a dangerous thing in rookie hands

I've seen enough videos from cars and coffee to confirm.

[Shop-Teacher]

@rusty-vandura said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

A little tork is a dangerous thing in rookie hands.

Truth.

Good job not choking him.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@ibrad said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

A little tork is a dangerous thing in rookie hands

I've seen enough videos from cars and coffee to confirm.

+1.5 psi

[beefchips]

@rusty-vandura lol that sounds exactly like my neighborhood hardware store. They advertise themselves as "the helpful place" but TBH some days I'd rather go to home depot where I'm guaranteed not to be harassed by the sales folks

[pip bip]

@rusty-vandura I’d be sarcastic and point it out to captain obvious

[Urambo Tauro]

@rusty-vandura

[nickhasanexocet]

@rusty-vandura said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

"The threads are messed up on this bolt."

Man, that's a real genius.

I bought a tap and die set this week. Man, those are satisfying.

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@rusty-vandura
The Australian vernacular response to this sort of statement is "No shit, Sherlock."

[Qaaaaa]

@rusty-vandura You did it wrong man, you gotta start the bolt by hand then send it allllllll the way home with the ugga dugga.

Actually don't do that, I just broke off one of the two bolts holding my alternator to the bracket last night by that method. I'm just gonna go ahead and not worry about it, it was held in by only one bolt before so whatever

[Tripper]

@urambo-tauro Other favorite moment

[pickup_man]

@rusty-vandura I spent 8ish years working in two different hardware stores though high school and college, plus I'm an engineer. This is an extremely accurate representation of my attitude whenever I walk into a hardware store and someone asks if I need help.

Of course I'm too polite to say it, instead I usually go with "I'm good for now, thanks."

[Rusty Vandura]

@shop-teacher said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

A little tork is a dangerous thing in rookie hands.

Truth.

Good job not choking him.

Thank you. I give myself a point also for remedying the situation. It was the bolt that goes straight through the bushing on the bottom of the shock. There was some pressure from the shock and the bolt wasn't lined up and I needed to have a few more threads engaged before running the bolt in. I kind of knew it at the time, too. It ended well enough, though.

As it happens, and as I will post later, the Monroe shocks and struts I installed ride atrociously and will be coming right back out.

[Rusty Vandura]

@beefchips said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura lol that sounds exactly like my neighborhood hardware store. They advertise themselves as "the helpful place" but TBH some days I'd rather go to home depot where I'm guaranteed not to be harassed by the sales folks

In fairness, they put up with a lot of grief, but they do have a chip on their shoulders and it's an attitude that comes straight down from the owner. Still, well stocked generally and I was able to go in there and buy M12 die and tap and straighten out my farkup.

[Rusty Vandura]

@urambo-tauro said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura

That. Is. So. True. And in the case of the hardware store in question, I know the store better than they do, in many cases. In every case at Home Despot. In fact, I enjoy sometimes offering suggestions to other customers.

[Rusty Vandura]

@nickhasanexocet said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

"The threads are messed up on this bolt."

Man, that's a real genius.

I bought a tap and die set this week. Man, those are satisfying.

Knowing of them, and knowing how to use them. Truth.

[Rusty Vandura]

@silentbutnotreallydeadly said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura
The Australian vernacular response to this sort of statement is "No shit, Sherlock."

I am amazed at myself for rising above that in the moment. I didn't know I had it in me. I guess my mask hid my scowl.

[Rusty Vandura]

@qaaaaa said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura You did it wrong man, you gotta start the bolt by hand then send it allllllll the way home with the ugga dugga.

Actually don't do that, I just broke off one of the two bolts holding my alternator to the bracket last night by that method. I'm just gonna go ahead and not worry about it, it was held in by only one bolt before so whatever

The shock was pushing the bolt out of alignment and I didn't get enough threads engaged before I ran it in. Or tried to run it in... It's amazing how much ugga-duggas that little impact tool has.

[Rusty Vandura]

@tripper said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@urambo-tauro Other favorite moment

That actually made me LOL. I love that character.

[Rusty Vandura]

@pickup_man said in If I refrain from choking the man at the hardware store, have I done a good deed for the day?:

@rusty-vandura I spent 8ish years working in two different hardware stores though high school and college, plus I'm an engineer. This is an extremely accurate representation of my attitude whenever I walk into a hardware store and someone asks if I need help.

Of course I'm too polite to say it, instead I usually go with "I'm good for now, thanks."

And how they ask. I'm usually very polite with them and in the case of a Home Despot, they don't even pretend to know anything, but are happy enough to help me out. I appreciate that. I am grateful though that I was able to rise above it in the moment. Grateful and a bit surprised, if I'm honest.