Besides 10mm sockets, what seems to always disappear?

[Neb]

So far it looks like tape measures are out front with Sharpies.

Ben

 

[OldSchool]

It’s true about 10mm sockets. I had one disappear from my mechanics corner in the shop. I knew it was there…. but like a magician waving his wand - poof, it was gone. A coworker said it’s always the 10mm’s

Aside from them - files. They disappear.

For common tools that don’t come in sets I buy multiples… hammers, tape measures, screwdrivers, etc.
if the gremlins run off with one, I’ll have another.

 

[Peanut]

the bucket method

I restore mounting bolts to their original holes as subassemblies are removed and arrange parts like an exploded diagram. It is a calming practice to avoid the stress of reassembly.

Ben

I put bolts on too! But i use the bucket method for some jobs, like checking fences on the farm. I have a fence repair bucket separate from the rest of the tools in the shop. It has tools, staples, nails, insulators, everything for fencing. I used to walk the fences after storms or every month, which ever came first.

 

[Pearl]

Y'all are full of excuses!

 

[Tirediron]

My brother adheres to the bucket method and has all of the bucket organizers one could imagine. Works for him. I am too anal-retentave for that.

I restore mounting bolts to their original holes as subassemblies are removed and arrange parts like an exploded diagram. It is a calming practice to avoid the stress of reassembly.

Ben

i try to only use buckets for each job, And put the tools away when the job is done. I have one tool box that the tool go right back in right away and no one is allowed to touch.

 

[Tirediron]

Y'all are full of excuses!

they are only excuses if they aren't reasons, or the result of tool scavenging gnomes or the strap robbing fairies of the north part of the south. We havent even started to talk about the shop, and yard messing Trolls

 

[winds-of-change]

YIt's all about organization guys!!

And putting things back in their place when you are done. My Hubby is real bad about that and I tell him over and over if he would put it back where it belongs he will always be able to find it when he needs it. He spends a lot of time trying to remember where he used an item last.

For me it’s scissors, scotch tape, my cell phone.

 

[OldSchool]

Y'all are full of excuses!

You’re treading on thin water now. It’s not things are missed placed or can’t remember we put them.
There are inter-dimensional forces at work here.

 

[viking]

You guys actually have to PUT THE SOCKETS ON THOSE HOLDERS! A no blaming wives!! Y'all lose everything!! If I had a dollar for every time Hubby asked me where he put something or if I can find something I'd be rich!!

To which I say under my breath, "Okay mom.", even my 81 years on this planet don't account for any excuse.

 

[Caribou]

A friend of mine had a bunch of cans, buckets, and boxes to keep the various assemblies from his truck rebuild. I scraped together several nuts, bolts, and washers of different sizes. I put two or three in each container and just waited for the assembly process. Believe it or not, we’re still friends.

 

[zoomzoom]

Something else I found important.

At the end hard day, I'll have a beer or 12. Also a good time to put things away in the shop. You can put your tools away where they go but don't EVER decide to organize things. I've done this more than once and found that the next day I can't find a damn thing.

 

[UserNameTaken]

I have a pretty extensive shop (I restore Jeeps when I'm not piddling around online). One thing I do is use rolling tray carts. No tools are ever set down or left on a vehicle (exception is dash removal, then they go in the foot well). If I take a tool out of a roll away or cabinet it stays on the cart until the job's done, or the end of the day, when everything is cleaned and returned to it's place.

For stuff like house repair I use buckets or dedicated tool boxes. I like the "Homer" boxes at Home Depot. Have about six. I use one for a trauma case in my Jeep. The plumbing box and bucket has all the common tools for plumbers. I have two gun boxes, one is on the gun bench at home the other a big cleaning box. Same with painting tools, a roller bucket, a box with brushes, tape, and the various do-dads.

I've had very few tools walk off or get lost over the years. Not counting #10 sockets...

 

[Weedygarden]

It’s true about 10mm sockets. I had one disappear from my mechanics corner in the shop. I knew it was there…. but like a magician waving his wand - poof, it was gone. A coworker said it’s always the 10mm’s

Aside from them - files. They disappear.

For common tools that don’t come in sets I buy multiples… hammers, tape measures, screwdrivers, etc.
if the gremlins run off with one, I’ll have another.

When I replaced the angled tire iron for changing car tires with a 4-way tire iron, I spray painted the correct end bright yellow. It was not a big deal to figure out which one to use, but I just wanted to be able to find the correct one without stripping off the corners on the nuts. I find that spray painting things helps me with a few things.

Maybe spray painting the 10mm socket a bright color would be helpful if a person is tossing it into the mix, or taking it off and on. Neon colors, bright yellow, yellow-green would help. I have spray painted each of the keys and padlocks the matching color because I have several padlocks and finding the right one can be a challenge sometimes. I do have a bin of spray paint so I can have several options for making up matching sets of keys and padlocks.

 

[Caribou]

I have a bucket boss. I used it mostly for a job that I did repeatedly and it mostly lived on my work bench. When. I was done with a tool it was just as easy to put it in its pocket as to lay it down, and much easier to find. It really paid for itself in time saved looking for tools.

https://www.amazon.com/Bucket-Boss-...20805943&sprefix=bucket+b,aps,558&sr=8-2&th=1

 

[Caribou]

When I replaced the angled tire iron for changing car tires with a 4-way tire iron, I spray painted the correct end bright yellow. It was not a big deal to figure out which one to use, but I just wanted to be able to find the correct one without stripping off the corners on the nuts. I find that spray painting things helps me with a few things.

Maybe spray painting the 10mm socket a bright color would be helpful if a person is tossing it into the mix, or taking it off and on. Neon colors, bright yellow, yellow-green would help. I have spray painted each of the keys and padlocks the matching color because I have several padlocks and finding the right one can be a challenge sometimes. I do have a bin of spray paint so I can have several options for making up matching sets of keys and padlocks.

I used to spray paint my tools, yellow on one side and orange on the other. This made them easy to find and when I was working with a crew there were no questions as to whether a tool was mine or someone else’s. Several others did the same except they usually only picked one color.

 

[old tex]

What disappears? It changes to whatever tool I'm looking for at the time. I'm constantly shocked at the tools I find while looking for a different one. Often it's something I gave up looking for years ago.

I bought a new tool chest (real nice) about a year ago & I'm slowly trying to put all my tools away. I found a tool that I didn't know I had (new in box) & my wife told me that she gave it to me something like 12 years ago. Who knew?

 

[Steve_In_29]

I used to spray paint my tools, yellow on one side and orange on the other. This made them easy to find and when I was working with a crew there were no questions as to whether a tool was mine or someone else’s. Several others did the same except they usually only picked one color.

While in the Marines and running a shop, I had my tool guy paint each box's tools with a different color.

Tool loss and theft dropped and we weren't finding one guy that had 3 or 4 of the same tool during inventory.

So since it worked, what did the division inspectors say...."dirty tools" and gigged me for it.

 

[zoomzoom]

While in the Marines and running a shop, I had my tool guy paint each box's tools with a different color.

Tool loss and theft dropped and we weren't finding one guy that had 3 or 4 of the same tool during inventory.

So since it worked, what did the division inspectors say...."dirty tools" and gigged me for it.

When I was in the Marines, we had to check out a tool set that was inventoried before we went to work on the aircraft and again when we were returned. If a tool was missing when we returned, the aircraft was grounded until that tool was found.

 

[Steve_In_29]

When I was in the Marines, we had to check out a tool set that was inventoried before we went to work on the aircraft and again when we were returned. If a tool was missing when we returned, the aircraft was grounded until that tool was found.

I was on ground side and people were issued a box as their own. With inventories quarterly.

 

[Steve_In_29]

 

[Cabin Fever]

This....

 

[montanabill]

tape measures...and those drive bits for the deck and drywall screws....I seem to have Phillips and torx mixed in everything and then can't find a driver after buying a dozen of them.

 

[Supervisor42]

tape measures...and those drive bits for the deck and drywall screws....I seem to have Phillips and torx mixed in everything and then can't find a driver after buying a dozen of them.

Besides 10mm sockets, what seems to always disappear?​

For the Mrs, it is scissors!!
We even have a special place for them, so they will NEVER get lost :

Every few weeks, we see this :

"Honey, where are the scissors?"
"No idea, I'll just pick up another pair".
Today, every drawer you open, has a pair of scissors in it.
...Front porch, and back porch too? Yep!

 

[Pearl]

They ran off with the socks that went missing from the dryer!!

 

[RJ2019]

The kids' shoes. But only on Monday mornings, and usually when we're already running late. Nothing quite like the Monday morning shoe crisis.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I'm always missing a 1/2" and 9/16" socket and end wrench. Every now and then I forget where I parked my tractor too.

 

[Pearl]

I'm always missing a 1/2" and 9/16" socket and end wrench. Every now and then I forget where I parked my tractor too.

That might need it's own thread!!

 

[Magpie]

Socks, ductape and missing a favourite spade this six months. Can't even blame anyone in case it was me!

 

[Magus]

My socks and underwear.
My ulcer pills.
Anything I need that was in my way the day before.