magnets can save you
What’s up with this title?? Dropping something small and not finding it again is probably as close to a universal experience as possible
Only few will understand what’s up with this title…
skill issue
if it drops anywhere within 20ft of a low platform with as little as an inch gap beneath it, thats where it went. and you have to use a broom stick or similar to reach it
skill issue
Never seen again… Until you step on it barefoot.
I had never seen a comment that is as painful as your comment😢.
spoiler
This is why I always kept my cat around when I was working on stuff. He’d track the dropped screws for me. Of course he’d also occasionally jump onto the table and fuck up whatever I was working on but there’s pros and cons to anything.
Newton’s fourth law of motion states: “A small screw in an observed state will never dissappear.” So, just keep your eye on it when you drop it and you’ll be fine.
If you watch it then it will always continue to roll or bounce until it lands somewhere inaccessible.
Pro tip: When you drop a small thing quickly look down. Takes practice because you have to do it so fast, has to be a reflex.
You’ll often catch it on the bounce, and in any case, your ears are also pointed the right way.
I use a yoga mat as silly as it sounds. I place it under my feet. When things drop on the yoga mat, which is neon green colored, three things:
- Yoga mats have no bounce in them.
- Tiny ridges on it prevent screws from rolling around into oblivion.
- High contrast with the screw - I instantly see the screw.
Alternate option, get on the floor and look across where it probably is.
That’s how I usually find it.
Apparently if you are smart or clean regularly, you can just like… go buy some pantyhose for a dollar, and put a leg over the vacuum tube and just suck all the shit into it, typically including any screws. If you don’t clean regularly, you’ll be disgusted, but you’ll probably find the dumb screw.
As a bonus if you really wanna be lazy, you can put the hoes in the tube somewhere upstream of the main intake, so you can vacuum as normal and still catch the thing you lost.
Quickly look down, but don’t look around, keep your vision still. Then the bouncing crew’s movement will be easier to catch and you’ll at least be able to get a sense of direction. It’s been working really well for me and makes me feel like a super hero when I can find the dropped screw
As an ex computer tech, this is the way.
Have carpet, can’t confirm.
then its like ‘eh…3 screws is good enough’
Who needs all of the screws for their brake calipers anyways?
lay a flashlight on the ground aimed to where the thing fell, look for a shadow
“Holy shit I really need to vacuum this room.”
one of my buddies dropped his sauren vape (is that how its spelled?) and it quite literally got grabbed by the nicotine elves and was never seen again. even after moving therefore nothing that could be blocking its sight he still didnt find it
sauren vape (is that how its spelled?)
Sauron, the Dark Lord?
The Saruman Vape
I made the mistake of having those color chips on my epoxy garage floor. Looks nice. Can’t see anything. Perfect camouflage for small dropped parts.
I dropped a fry 2 months ago and I still can’t find the damn thing. People joke about alternate dimensions but I’m starting to think it’s real.
My cat keeps playing with a cable tie. I see him playing with it, then 30 seconds later it’s gone and I don’t see it again for about 3 weeks and then suddenly he’s playing with it again.
He appears to be able to extract things from the alternate dimension.
Dropped a fry, as in the potato based food?
That’s the one
I got one of those powerful rare earth magnets, so my lost screw percentage is way down, from 99% lost to only about 95% lost now!
I have two, one on a telescoping stick and one on a chain
They are never on me when I need them
And once you get up to fetch it, the screw makes a run for it.
I got a magnetic dish which has been a game changer for fallen and potentially lost bits and pieces.
Yup! I’ve even found needles dropped in shag carpet, and I found a small metal screw dropped in the grass once.
*until it returns at ð exact moment your shoe is about to land on ð spot it vanished from specifically to attempt to assassinate you þrough ð soul of your foot.