ray613•2d ago

That tip about trimming with the grain saved my hide today

Old drafter named Pete at a shop in Portland told me last month to always trim my mylar sheets with the grain instead of against it. I rolled my eyes but tried it on a tricky blueprint repair this morning and the edges came out perfect with zero shredding. Has anyone else had a random piece of advice like that turn out to be a game changer?

2 comments

2 Comments

ward.diana1d ago

Trim with the grain" - that sounds like something my old shop teacher would say when I was just trying to get the dang paper cut straight. I gotta admit though, I tried it on a stubborn roll of tracing paper last week and suddenly it wasn't fighting me every inch of the way. Old Pete probably has a thousand tips like that hidden up his sleeve. Bet he also knows the secret to making coffee that doesn't taste like burnt rubber in the break room.

martinez.paul1d ago

Can't say I've cracked the coffee code myself, but I'm pretty sure Old Pete's secret involves a splash of motor oil and a prayer. I tried trimming with the grain on a roll of printer paper and still ended up with a cut that looked like a toddler with safety scissors did it. At this point I'm convinced paper has a personal vendetta against me and just wants to make my life harder.