Lost (misplaced) a tool

[Mike McCrea]

I know I used my treasured 1.5” hard roller on the selvage edges of E-glass tape on the most recent rebuild. That little tool is multi-functional handy; for compressing fabric under peel ply especially, but also for thin foam pads and neoprene, tape and label bubbles, etc. Anything adhered that can benefit from some hard roller compression.

Where the heck did I put in? It isn’t in its proper place with the other FRP tools; I know because I looked thrice. I was tempted to go no avail look in the FRP tool box quarce (frice, fourice, quadrice, take your pick).

Then I looked in every other likely place. Several times. And then in unlikely places. It wasn’t in the refrigerator, but there was a beer there. I cleaned and reorganized the entire shop bench, end to end. Nope. The bench looks great though.

On a mission I reorganized several boxes of outfitting, the box of fabrics, the boxes of outfitting parts. I repeatedly, intently stood and scanned every hook and peg on the shop wall. I pulled out the big guns and asked my sons to help look. Nope.

OK, I know a guaranteed way to make that handy little roller reappear. I ordered another one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GVGTX2V/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The only question is whether the old one turns up before or after the new one is delivered.

My money is before. I’m gonna go search again.

What have you maddeningly lost in the shop, and where did it turn up?

 

[memaquay]

Everything, at least three times. I just buy new stuff.

 

[Cheeseandbeans]

I hate that. I must have spent three hours looking for rod holders before my last trip. Not a tool, but same idea. Put it somewhere where I would know where they were and poof- they’re gone. I did find them on my last attempt before ordering new ones and they were on a shelf and someone (wife) had put something on top of them.

I have found missing tools in a pile of sawdust or shavings when sweeping up the floor or worse yet sucked up something small in a shop vac. Then I get to go digging to find it was a bent screw or some useless item.

 

[Odyssey]

What have you maddeningly lost in the shop, and where did it turn up?

Often in other people's shop/garage/basement with their stuff.

 

[Alan Gage]

Everything, at least three times. I just buy new stuff.

Yes, me too. And then when I finally clean everything up once every 4 years I find myself wondering why the heck I have 16 tape measures, 8 tin snips, and 1,875 razorblade knives.

Alan

 

[Basically Bob]

A couple of years ago, I lost my little Buck 55 folding knife. I was in misery for a couple of weeks and finally broke down and bought a Buck 341 folder. A few days later my Grandson found the “55”.

I’m getting the itch to lose another knife.

 

[Erica]

I lose knives all the time. I have four Mora knives and know where only one is. I just keep buying them. I do not buy expensive knives, even though I love them.

I don't have a shop with tools, but I recently lost 15 pounds of brown rice. Brad finally found it in an almost empty rubbermain storage bin in the shed. I have no idea how it got there. Maybe the cats did it.

In the past I lost a fruit tree in a 25 gallon pot. I finally found it in the pond. Apparently the wind??? A favorite pair of earrings showed up in the bottom of a full size backingpacking pack four years after I lost them. They must have stowed-away on many trips during that time.

But in general, I can lose something within 10 seconds of setting it down.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Rant: Camping stuff ought to always be ORANGE. But it's too often black. I have lost my black Dromedary more than once and had to paddle five miles back to get it at the end of the portage ( I did not realize it was missing till we set up camp in Wabakimi), Those are expensive enough not to leave behind!
Lessee I have lost a pole to a tent in the Everglades and have no idea why I missed it.
My wedding ring missing for a few years turned up in a leaf pile..

I have since festooned my dromedary with orange surveyor tape.. I ought to festoon more but it would melt on the cooking pots.

 

[sweeper]

What day is it?
I spend time almost daily looking for something I put down.

The other day I was trying to sharpen a Forstner Bit and I'll be dipped if I could find my small DMT Diamond sticks. I looked almost everywhere.
I ordered another set.
My wife asked what I was looking for.
'What do I get if I find them?'
Fifteen minutes later I found them on a low shelf.

I need another set in the barn anyway. If they're handy and I don't have to walk to get them there is less chance of being distracted by something else looking for them.

 

[lowangle al]

I'm pretty sure that I made enough money looking for my hammer at work to buy at least one wood canvas canoe.

As far as knives go I think I lost only one over the years. I did loose two favorite knives after loaning them out. After noticing that people will borrow your knife, cut what they need to and then set it on the ground I have instated a no loaning of the knive poilcy. When people ask to borrow one I just say, "I'm sorry, but I have a policy not loan my knife out." I will offer to do the cutting for them though.

 

[Woodpuppy]

Rant: Camping stuff ought to always be ORANGE. But it's too often black. I have lost my black Dromedary more than once and had to paddle five miles back to get it at the end of the portage ( I did not realize it was missing till we set up camp in Wabakimi), Those are expensive enough not to leave behind!
Lessee I have lost a pole to a tent in the Everglades and have no idea why I missed it.
My wedding ring missing for a few years turned up in a leaf pile..

I have since festooned my dromedary with orange surveyor tape.. I ought to festoon more but it would melt on the cooking pots.

1. Why do you have a camel?
2. How do you misplace one?
3. How does it fit in your canoe?!?

 

[PaddlingPika]

I'm a hoarder and although I'm told it is easy to de-clutter - just give or throw things away - I haven't mastered that concept, so I'm frequently looking for things. Sometimes in the process of looking for something I run across something else I forgot I had. Recently when sorting through some clutter on a desk, at the bottom of the pile I found a brand new Swiss army "tinker" knife, still in the box, that I didn't know I had. Don't remember when I bought it or why. Maybe I had temporarily misplaced the tinker that is usually in my thwart bag and ordered a new one then found the old one. Maybe I saw it on sale and bought it as a back-up or to save as a Christmas present for a niece or nephew.

 

[lowangle al]

The tinker is what I carry everyday. It's very handy with the accessories it has, I also use it for carving. If I had an extra I'd probably leave it in my glove box in case I forgot my other one.

 

[yknpdlr]

Interesting factoid.... It always seems that I find whatever missing item that I am searching for in the very last place that I look for it. Funny how that works.

 

[scoutergriz]

Rant: Camping stuff ought to always be ORANGE. But it's too often black. I have lost my black Dromedary more than once and had to paddle five miles back to get it at the end of the portage ( I did not realize it was missing till we set up camp in Wabakimi), Those are expensive enough not to leave behind!
Lessee I have lost a pole to a tent in the Everglades and have no idea why I missed it.
My wedding ring missing for a few years turned up in a leaf pile..

I have since festooned my dromedary with orange surveyor tape.. I ought to festoon more but it would melt on the cooking pots.

and that's why almost all my gear has strips of DOT reflective tape on it, I can even find it in the dark.... if I can find the flashlight...

 

[scoutergriz]

I'm pretty sure that I made enough money looking for my hammer at work to buy at least one wood canvas canoe.

As far as knives go I think I lost only one over the years. I did loose two favorite knives after loaning them out. After noticing that people will borrow your knife, cut what they need to and then set it on the ground I have instated a no loaning of the knive poilcy. When people ask to borrow one I just say, "I'm sorry, but I have a policy not loan my knife out." I will offer to do the cutting for them though.

I loaned out my favourite SA knife for someone to cut a piece of rope, it came back with the main blade gone, the tip of the small blade snapped off, and a missing scales FOUR DAYS later. Thankfully Victorinox has a no questions lifetime guarantee....

 

[stripperguy]

Interesting factoid.... It always seems that I find whatever missing item that I am searching for in the very last place that I look for it. Funny how that works.

I intentionally continue looking in two more places, AFTER I have found a missing item…that way I no longer find stuff in the last place I look!!

As far as purloined tools, I had a particularly shaped offset screwdriver, modified for staple pulling, show up after being awol for three years.

This only confirms my time warp theory, thankfully, that tool slipped into the future. Had it gone the other way, I would have found it before it was ever lost!!

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I don't have a shop or many tools, so I rarely lose what I don't have (other than my marbles). I just generally can't find anything in my cathedral of entropy masquerading as a house.

I did "lose" an expensive black carbon paddle while in a base camp after a day paddle. I mean, I just had the dang thing 30 minutes ago! Where the heck is it?

Then I heard a crunch as I was backing up my vehicle. Best I could figure is that I leaned the paddle against the back of the vehicle while I putzed around doing other things, that I forgot about it, that it slipped down to the ground behind my wheels, and that it was hard to see lying on the dark dirt.

Hence, my rule: Always keep your canoe stuff together on a portage or in camp and don't lay paddles flat on the ground.

But then . . . I always forget rules, too. It's all hopeless, really. Murphy wins.

 

[Woodpuppy]

Oh no! That Murphy’s a real sonuva….

I loaned out my favourite SA knife for someone to cut a piece of rope, it came back with the main blade gone, the tip of the small blade snapped off, and a missing scales FOUR DAYS later. Thankfully Victorinox has a no questions lifetime guarantee....

INCONCEIVABLE! I’ve got to where I just won’t loan things. People just… I don’t know what their problem is. Why do they think it’s OK to utterly trash something and then just give it back as if they don’t owe you a replacement? This is also why I don’t borrow things- when I break it, I either fix or replace it. Which means I could have just bought one for myself and skipped all the drama.

Oh you need to cut some rope? Well where’s YOUR knife? You’ll not be using mine. I tend to use Spyderco sprints which are either not replaceable, or only at significant secondary market auction prices. Imagine someone snapping my cruwear Military - think they’ll give me the +$300 to replace it? Yeah, me neither.

 

[sweeper]

I've taken to carrying a Gerber folding knife and a Helle after another loaned item came up missing. Now the Helle doesn't come out until the Gerber stops working.