It always keep a pen and my scribe in my pocket while working in the garage. I definately remember putting my scribe in my pocket after marking out an alluminium panel for cutting. Then...five minutes later I reach into my pocket for it again and think I'm going mad, cause it wasnt there. I have turned everything upside-down and inside-out. Searched the shed, engine bay, driveway...then started searching the house--but still nowhere to be found. This was on Tues and I still had not found it, so had resigned myself to the fact that I was mad and my cat must have ate it or summat...............

But I never saw this coming........




It turns out that my new rollcage is the perfect height for the magnetic end to catch on as I walk past.........

I did that with a snapon 1/4 drive ratchet and a 10mm socket. Never saw them again.
Steve

he he, and now you know where to store it...

I was rebuilding a bike years ago and 'lost' the brake pedal spring, turned the garage upside down, several times, eventually decided it must have fallen into the old unused half water filled pit. Spent ages digging out years of crap and junk that had been chucked down there, loads of springs, just not the one i wanted. Reluctantly, wet and filthy i gave up and made do with something that nearly fitted. Two years later we moved house and i found the spring, beautiful and shiny black, still hung up on a bit of welding wire where i must have put it prior to spraying the thing
Aint life a bitch at times






Originally posted by andrews_45
It always keep a pen and my scribe in my pocket while working in the garage. I definately remember putting my scribe in my pocket after marking out an alluminium panel for cutting. Then...five minutes later I reach into my pocket for it again and think I'm going mad, cause it wasnt there. I have turned everything upside-down and inside-out. Searched the shed, engine bay, driveway...then started searching the house--but still nowhere to be found. This was on Tues and I still had not found it, so had resigned myself to the fact that I was mad and my cat must have ate it or summat...............

But I never saw this coming........




It turns out that my new rollcage is the perfect height for the magnetic end to catch on as I walk past.........

Now that's strange, My 1/4" ratchet handle and 10mm double depth socket have gone walkies as well. Maybe they migrate in the winter

ATB Dan.

Murphy at it again

I spend about 15% of my workshop time looking for items that I had used 5 minutes before.

In fact for safety equipment like goggles and gloves I leave 3 pairs lying about so I am never tempted to just do without because I can't find the item I need.

I learnt the above when I was doing a lot of work at the drawing board and always kept many pencils, erasers and scale rules lying around the office.

Many years ago I lost my favourite 7/16 - 1/2" af Britool double ended ring spanner

I remembered bleeding my MINI front brakes with it but never saw it after that.

A year later Iwas getting the car ready for it's next MOT - I took the wheel off and there it was still on the bleed nipple

Mark

A while ago I lost my wheel brace - one of those extending ones to help you undo the tightest nuts. Thing is, I never take it away from home - it only ever travelled from the garage to the drive - but can I find it? No chance!

Bleedin' useful tool, too...

sometimes seeing things so often can make you blind to them.

been using earplugs when grinding lately as I could not remember where I put the ear protectors. Saw them last night, hanging up at the garage door!!!

you think all that is bad, i get it all day every day, whether its my favourite tape measure, pencil, drillbit etc. Or the 10mm spanner that you always run around looking for as the silicone on the worktop goes dry. Pisses me off no end, especially as theres no one to blame now!

The other day i went in a circle, i was trying to gather together a pencil, tape measure and a 5mm drill bit, searched for all 3 and as i found the third, the first had gone missing again

quote:

---

Originally posted by chris mason
i'd be more concerned about the rear camber, seems at bit excessive to me Chris

---

Yeah, always having this problem.

But I have just had an idea which could end all our woes forever...

How about glow in the dark tools?

That way, when you lose something (note when not if! ) you just have to turn off the lights and the mischivous item will simply light up!

What do you think? Should I start taking out patents now?

ed

My garage would look like a glow worm convention.
Very reassuring thread. I thought it was Alzheimers.

I've lost stuff like that, spent ages looking for it & found it stuck to the bottom of my boilersuit pocket on the end of my telescopic magnet.

What you need are some grandkids, they find everything, sometimes even before you lose it

My recent lost found.

about a month ago adjusted my alternator belt needed 6mm allen key adjusted all ok went for a quick lap of the estate to check ok.

must have left allen key in the engine bay somewhere anyway go arround the corner and out it bounces pull the car up to see if whatever has fallen off was important decided it must have been the allen key.

Spent 5 - 10 minutes looking for it no joy, thought it had gone for ever.

Walking back from the pub on news year eve after lots of beer and it beeing pitch black, what do I see lying gutter my favorite 6mm allen key . Well chuffed its going to be a good year.

regards

Agriv8

I have lost quite a few tools of my dads when working on my car,

I have a saab 96 which has a metal tray under the engine, to help with the air resistance and turbulence

however because of this any tool you drop gets stuck under there, most of the time u can reach around and get it, but every so often u just can't find it!

Was amusing when i took the engine out as i found them all again, execpt for one 14mm spanner, never did find that.....

, just found the 1/4" ratchet handle and socket, I went to make up some new brake line for the replacement axle , so opened up the flaring kit and sat in there was said tools.

I very nearly brought a replacement from halfords yesterday.

ATB Dan.

Thank god it's not just me, I must have wasted hours looking for tools Ive put down in stupid places.

I've done similar to Trodgor, but much worse. I wear an engagement ring (still do, though now hitched), and dropped it into the wife's fabia vrs engine bay one day! Could I find it? Could I 'eck! Then proceeded to drive home from Northampton (approx 15-20 miles) and took the car apart to find it wedged into some fins on the inside of the under tray! Was very nearly chopped up and killed for that one!