A Big Sandpit

Why add sand?

Oh sorry you didn't mention anything about adding sand.

No you are not alone. Small parts are gravitationally pulled to the darkest corners and most hidden places.

I'm not sure how adding a picture of your idea is off topic. No worries, I'm getting those a lot lately. I think I've picked up a stalker.

I once saw a mechanic who sat down cross-legged on the floor to overhaul & rebuild a carburetor. When my dad asked him why, he said that nothing fell very far, or had enough speed to roll away, if he did it that way. I think that he took a push broom to the area before sitting down; resting on something like a mover's blanket might work even better.

Sounds kind of uncomfortable. My best method, when working on things with little parts, is to lay out a piece of black poly plastic sheet, and work in the middle. Things don't bounce off it, and if I drop something, it's easy to spot.

Unfortunately, I usually feel that this step isn't needed, so I end up on my hands and knees, crawling around looking for the little screw or washer that just bounced away.

Working (railway) trackside is the pits (especially in the dark). Even your spanners disappear in the ballast not to be seen until the next time the undercutter comes through (if then).

Sockets? Shiny ones, black ones, painted ones even high vis paint the ballast monster gets them all.

Best that I don't mention the small plastic bottle of tank rivets that I picked up.......Yep. Plastic bottle collapsed.

On hearing the commotion a mate swept 'em up in a dustpan, cranky, upset, livid, annoyed. No. I could have had his baby.

Really cheered me up. The Bastard.

Life is good.

Cheers,

Mark N.

This is why a sand pit won't work for me.

I've got a little helper too. She helps me distribute my tools all over the yard.

The kind of pit I'd like to see would be able to sort and re-package the dropped items.

The scenario I have in mind (which has happen to me twice in the last 30 years - and that's 2 times too often) is spilling the wire idents from the compartmented tray. Bits of colour-coded plastics tubing, about 1.5mm OD by 2mm long, numbered 0,1 ... 9. About 200 of each. All mixed up. .

P.S. 10mm? That's huge! Lucky they weren't M2!

I know your pain. I have a plastic tray that contains my wire connection crimper and a whole row of small compartments full of assorted terminals. I spill the whole thing about every third time I go to use it. Mixed up terminals all over the place, and it takes about a half hour to get them all back in the little compartments. Good times, good times.

I was doing a repair job for a customer on a pentograph, and he bought along his kids.

They were very interested in the hover craft in the workshop, so after the repair was complete, I put them in the hovercraft and bought it to life, it blew all my bootlace terminals all over the workshop, what can I say, Mmmmm maybe BUGGER.

Cheers

Joe

That'll teach you to do witchcraft

Yeah Right, didnt mean Witchcraft, as you understand, but why reply to this this when you are already a Guru? It is lowering your QA or GA as a percentage.

Anyway I like your reply, you seem to be a smart guy, what I did was Sooooo dumb, i ever gave it a thought until, it all went up in the air.

But saying that I may have lost about 1000 terminals, but the cost was still low considering the charges to the customer.

Best Regards

Joe

Hey Joe, Nar, I was just fooling around - as I do.

I saw "pentagraph" - knew you meant pantograph, mind went to 'pentagram' (then Buffy, well Willow actually ........) yep ....... and 'cause OBO might get bit a bit twitchy () if I posted the particular pic of Willow that came to mind - I just said "witchcraft"

So there you go, guided tour of my 'thought processes'

_{Which never include "QA or GA as a percentage".}

How about a pill box with the separate lids for each day.

Lost mother and son!

I took them on a photographic trip to the Ravenglass & Eskdale railway in Cumbria. I wanted to chase one train the whole length of the line, racing in front then stopping to take the photograph. So to stop them complaining about my driving I hit on the idea of putting them on a train for a return trip up and down the line, telling mother to get off the train at the same station they got on at. About 6PM I'm in panic mode, no sign of them at Eskdale Green halt. Fortunately a train pulled in and the driver radioed every main station and loco on the line. They were found at the terminus at Boot! Mother hadn't noticed the station had grown 3 extra platforms and a tearoom.

I don't think a sand pit would have helped.

You are most definitely not alone! And I've noticed that the size of the dropped object does not matter. The difficulty in finding the bugger is directly proportional to the importance of the thing to whatever I am working on. I usually find it soon after I run to the store for a replacement.

But of all the things I've lost, I miss my sanity the most.

All workshop cabinets should be designed with a board along the bottom (no underneath space ). They should also have closed cupboard doors to prevent the important object from leaping into a shelf above floor level. Finally, important parts should come in the package attached to a thin string which is to be wound around your finger and severed only upon placement in the desired thread. Lastly, could the shop be outfitted with a powerful magnet labeled and designated for the "important parts" to hurtle towards on the moment that they become free or lost. Ultimately, would manufacturers cease and desist from producing important and irreplaceable parts which are not interchangeable with other debris under my cupboards.

Hey!! I'm nearly 65!! You forgot to mention "dribble"!!!!

Ah yes, those small elusive parts!

The older I get, the more I drop.

The more I drop, the more I can not find!

Seriously though, you are not alone.

I have a few cookie sheets in my work room. From 10" square to 24" X 36", very shallow, about 3/4" deep.

Wifey thinks it was a great idea (actually it was her idea), really cuts down on my cussing!

Yeh.

Maybe a swimming pool would be better. MT of course.

The importance : Loss ratio, is the one that really gets you.

The land of Biros, single socks, small screws, bolts, ball bearings, needles stuff 'n smally bits 'n pieces. Must be a big and busy place..

Ah, well, just keep practicing until we get it right.

Cheers men.

Mark N.