lost nuts!

[lman]

A couple of days ago I thought I lost my favorite knife. I was feeding the horses and after throwing a bale of hay in their outside feeder at -5F, I took my glove off to get under my insulated overalls and pulled my knife out of my pants pocket to cut the strings. Since it was cold, I put the knife in my overalls pocket and moved out to get to the next job. I had walked along the river and was checking out an otter moving around the ice chunks and forgot about my knife. When I got inside, I couldn't find my knife and felt a hole in my pocket. I then headed back out and retraced my steps but couldn't find it. I thought maybe the horses trampled it into the snow and gave up.
When my wife got home, I was telling her about it and was checking out the hole. I then discovered that the pocket was in the middle of the lining. I eventually found the knife at the bottom of the leg stuck in the lining.
Nothing like walking around in 0 degree temperatures looking for something that I was carrying the whole time.

 

[EddieWalker]

I wonder how many times we lose things, and they are within arm reach the entire time?

 

[dstig1]

I always work on my tractor/implements out on the lawn. I can't remember the number of times I've dropped a nut/bolt/washer/etc. They drop into the grass - lost forever.

AND - most often its some OEM specific item - only replaceable at the dealership.

Finally got tired of the 60 mile round trip to the dealership.

Got a metal detector. Life is good.

Or perhaps one of those magnets on a stick for picking up nails? Those are super handy

 

[Williy]

The magnet that I use is about 6x4x2 in taped to the pve
pipe I just drag it on the area where I dropped nut or bolt
and I usually can here it hit the magnet. Have a hard time
with keys as the magnet will not pick them up.

I have 3 metal detectors if the magnet don't work

willy

 

[GeneSimm7]

I lost a nut once and searched forever with no luck and days later found it in the cuff of my trousers.

 

[newbury]

1. Keep magnets around. I like to keep small "doughnut" shaped magnets around and "magnet bars". The doughnut magnets I'll tie to a piece of monofilament, great for fishing out small parts with Iron in them. Or stick one on any piece of metal then just drop small nuts, bolts, etc. to stick to it.

Like I wrote.
For finding "lost" things my go-to's are neodymium ring magnets.
CMS used to have good sales on them.
Not for areas where small children can get to them because they can swallow them.
But real easy to use to drag for lost iron bearing materials like nuts and bolts.

 

[jaxs]

I was searching for words of condolence as I opened this tread. What a relief to find you were talking about your snow blower rather than your person.

 

[henerythe8th]

Yeah I used to drive my Dad nuts (speaking of lost nuts... ) growing up as per normal kid logic, when I finished with a tool, I'd drop it and walk away: done! Never put stuff back. That would drive him bonkers. As an adult, I put stuff back religiously and have very well organized tool boxes.

And with a well organized tool box you can tell what's missing when you clean up!

 

[CoyPatton]

A few years ago I was building a rolling ladder for a library. It was a kit that had all the metal parts, I just had to cut the wood and put it together. After getting it all together, I took it apart to stain and seal the wood. I carefully put all the metal parts on my workbench is little piles so I wouldn't lose anything.

When I put it back together, I was missing a black crown nut. I looked for two days to try and find it. My mind was thinking up the craziest things that could of happened to it. Finally, I gave up and bought a new one from Lowes and painted it to match the others. I had to do some filing on it to get it perfect, but when I was done, nobody would ever know that it wasn't the original nut.

After installing it at my clients house, I started another project. This time, I decided to use my magnetic bowls to hold everything in. When I picked up the magnetic bowl, I found that missing nut underneath it. My guess is that a cat bumped it off the bench and it hit the magnetic bowl on the way down, and stuck to it where I couldn't see it.

The entire time I was looking for it, it was just a foot away from me and I never thought to look there!!!!

Long ago, I bought a package of smaller zip closure bags (roughly without getting one and a tape measure they are 2”x 4”). Tgey work great for small parts to keep together, if need for larger parts you can use sandwich, quart or gallon bags—if won’t fit in a gallon bag, I figure I can see it. If I’m careful with the nags I can get several usages out of the same bag—sometimes I drop smaller bags of parts into a bigger bag if multiple projects in the same general area.

 

[Shady oak]

Reminds me of the guy who lost all the lug nuts for his car wheel while changing a flat outside an insane asylum! Luckily the guy on the other side of the fence had the solution!