The Panic, Over lost tools???? share your stories.

[Brownsfan]

Well the other day i was working on a Honda CRV and i had the hood up and was using my Streamlight stinger Circa early 90's, that i inherited from my dad. Well after i pulled it out of the shop i noticed my light wasn't in my tool cart so i ran out there as the customer was getting in the car and asked if i could look under the hood, he let me and my flashlight wasn't there. I was so pissed off that i lost that thing i didn't work for 20ish minutes. I was about to call my snap on dealer and tell him to get me a new stinger DS LED, then i walked into the break room and one of the other techs had taken it and hid it there to mess with me. I learned two things, watch my tools with other techs and i went out and bought a bright green Icon Rogue 2 Flashlight, so i can't miss it when i check under the hood before i pull a car out.

Was doing a communications project in a prison in Florida we had to keep an eye on our tools because the guard would come around about every half an hour and do a tool count well one of my crew lost a 6" awl the guard went nuts and put the prison in lock down until the tool was found it took about an hour to locate the awl and we almost lost the contract because of that but we learned a very good lesson about keeping track of our tools

Same thing happened when I was working for an av/communications company. We were installing some projectors and smart boards in a prison classroom. One of the guys couldn't find some wire cutters. When they came by to do the count is when he realized it was gone. We found them sitting on a drop ceiling tile where he was doing the cable drop. The guards were not happy but relieved when we found them. That is the last thing they would want to worry about. Could you imagine what the 6in awl in your story could have done. Even the wire cutters could have been very dangerous in a jail.

 

[91bronc300]

Years ago,late 80's, doing a a/c startup, in a penthouse apt. of a rental hi rise. This apt. had to belong to an old snowbird, the furniture was like out of the set from 'I Dream Of Jeanie'. Going between the roof, and the air handler in the apt. That night, we had a severe windstorm. Noticed in the morning, that my Fluke 27 was missing. Went back to the job, could only remember using it on the roof. Wasn't there. attributing it to the wind storm, figgered it somehow got blown off the roof. Bought another 27, @ $350ish.
Went back to the same place, same job, same time, a year later. Went to kitchen sink to wash my paws........... there was my old meter, on the window sill.

So did that meter follow you back home after its yearlong vacation?

 

[shockwave]

I usually like to put all my tools back when I am done with a job so I know if it walked away or someone had sticky fingers but always bummed when u know that u lost a ratchet etc

 

[Cjreyes0101]

Once lost my favorite 1/4 dr ratchet while working on my interior. Drove me crazy for about 6 months until I found it in my dashboard...

 

[kiatech]

Lost my 10inch knipex cobras last friday, Im still pissed.

 

[heepr]

The timing on this thread is painfully perfect. Today I went to pull a part to grab a dipstick for my GF's wagoneer 5.3 swap. I grabbed the dipstick itself but thought it might help to have a tube as well, in case the one I found was any different than the one that came with the 4l60 I swapped in. In usual junkyard fashion the whole area around the one nut I needed to loosen was a grease fest. I took a breather to wipe my hands clean, got distracted, and ended up leaving a whole wrench roll sitting on the radiator of the vehicle.

I realized my error driving home and had to suffer through that teeth gritting realization. Fortunately they were mostly cheap wrenches but they were the first metric wrenches I ever owned, so they had a little sentimental value. The antique canvas wrench roll itself was probably the nicest part. The bright side, if there is one, is someone probably had an equally nice surprise as my bad one. There was a lot of foot traffic there so I knew there was no point going back.

 

[metaldad]

So did that meter follow you back home after its yearlong vacation?

no, i left it.

 

[91bronc300]

no, i left it.

You WHAT!?

You think they were tempting you?

 

[Andersonfarms]

my very first snap on tool, a green hard handle 80 3/8in drive ratchet that the girlfriend gave me, I flipped sh t for two hours before i found it under a manual. looked all over our 60x100 shop, garbage cans, tool boxes, our pit where we put garbage, my house. it was bad, dad was helping me look for it and everything

 

[metaldad]

You WHAT!?

You think they were tempting you?

of course i grabbed it.
like i tapped, it was what seemed to be a seldom used apartment.
the foam in the chairs (i just had to check the 'futuristic' furniture) was so dry rotted it crumbled.

 

[humpdawg]

Lost my 10inch knipex cobras last friday, Im still pissed.

that *****! I would be lost without mine.
The only tool I lost that I really valued was a Snap On 1/4" drive 6" extension from 1959. That extension had soul! I have no idea where it came from, maybe it was in my second car when I got it.
Why I didn't quickly purchase a new extension and keep the old one at home baffles me.
That old extension mysteriously vanished. I remember working in a F250, it fell out of my shirt pocket, it hit the shop floor, but it was nowhere to be found.
I quickly got out to retrieve it but it was gone. Like a ghost. Spooky stuff.

 

[Zeke]

VW exhaust clamps take a 9mm wrench. I have a nice vintage set of SK metrics except the 9. It rode off sitting in the return of the rear roll pan or valance. I'm sure of it. I've fretted about that since 1973.

 

[srmofo]

My most recent scare occurred after I closed up a door panel on ford focus (replacing the door handle IIRC). I was straightening up my tool cart for the next job and I noticed my streamlight stinger was gone. I quickly ran up front and grabbed the keys to the focus and went out to it, Opened the door and gave it a shake. I could hear it rattling around inside, lol. Got the panel back off and there it was shining away right at the door handle. There was a bar inside the made a perfect shelf for the light and when I set it there I said to myself, "dont forget it".

 

[Zeke]

Famous last words

"Don't forget it"

 

[FLRover]

There's more SO screw drivers under the bonnets of British cars I've worked on than I care to think about. In fact I gave up and bought a new set of Matco/Witte drivers today.

My favorite lost tool story is how I have 2 sets of needle nose pliers. I helped a childhood friend get hired at our shop and he's starting out without many tools. So I loaned him my SO pliers one day and at the end of the day I needed them and he swore up and down they were in my box. He's a war vet and pretty out there from his expirences (I.e. Mental health issues) so I wasn't going to rough him up over pliers that I hated anyway. I go to Lowes and buy the Knipex pliers I've always wanted and when I go to get my sissors out of my screw driver drawer to open the clam shell guess what was next to them? My SO pliers.

 

[RedFordTruck]

Wish I had pics of it but probably 15-20 years ago my dad lost a 12'' Adjustable Wrench off the tractor while bushhogging. He said he looked all over for it but could never find it.

He found it this past summer completely rusted. Said he was glad the mystery was over

 

[06 DIESEL]

I have left a HF magnetic work light under a truck we were working on one night. The owner found it when he got home, in the dark, and wondered why his truck had under glow.

Worse than that one was were were working on swapping a transmission on a friends diesel truck. Had the truck on the lift, putting the transmission bolts into a magnetic pan on the lift arm. When we were pulling the trans someone/something hit the magnetic pan and it fell off the lift, hitting the ground and all of the bolts went flying. We finally found the last one sitting in the lip of the garage door one bay over, after looking for I bet an hour or better, moving boxes, vehicles, everything in the area. Went to open the door and my fingers touched it. If it was not for that I still do not know if we would have ever found it.

I bet over the course of my life I have spent days looking for tools that fell and you heard the metal thump instead of the concrete sound.

 

[06 DIESEL]

I have left a HF magnetic work light under a truck we were working on one night. The owner found it when he got home, in the dark, and wondered why his truck had under glow.

Worse than that one was were were working on swapping a transmission on a friends diesel truck. Had the truck on the lift, putting the transmission bolts into a magnetic pan on the lift arm. When we were pulling the trans someone/something hit the magnetic pan and it fell off the lift, hitting the ground and all of the bolts went flying. We finally found the last one sitting in the lip of the garage door one bay over, after looking for I bet an hour or better, moving boxes, vehicles, everything in the area. Went to open the door and my fingers touched it. If it was not for that I still do not know if we would have ever found it.

I bet over the course of my life I have spent days looking for tools that fell and you heard the metal thump instead of the concrete sound.

 

[fringeofinsanity]

When I was younger and would borrow a tool in the shop, I was taught early if I need to borrow it 3 times, I should buy my own. I don't loan much, but when I do, I make it clear when I expect it back and make a note. If they come to ask to borrow again, I have no reservations of stating how many times they borrowed. Is it offensive, maybe, do I care, no. I'd expect someone to do the same.

 

[Garage5.9]

Lost a SO 3/8's drive 14mm impact socket in a frame rail of a friends s10 while removing the cross member to pull the trans. I could literally feel the socket with my finger but couldn't get it out short of cutting a hole in the frame which i wasn't about to do

 

[KPSquared]

Lost a SO 3/8's drive 14mm impact socket in a frame rail of a friends s10 while removing the cross member to pull the trans. I could literally feel the socket with my finger but couldn't get it out short of cutting a hole in the frame which i wasn't about to do

Magnet?

 

[spoolgarage]

I lost a snap on offset ratchet the other day. Spent hours looking for it. I was sooooo bummed.

 

[Kevin54]

I can't sy I have ever really "lost" any tools, but I have misplaced them and found them later. I thought I lost my new claw hammer one day when I was working on the roof. I took a break for lunch, went to get back at it and couldn't find my claw hammer. I searched all over and figured I left it on the roof. I found it when I grabbed the extension ladder and the hammer came down and hit me in the head. I saw stars for quite a while. I had a real bad habit of always hanging my hammer by the claw on the ladder. That broke that habit.

 

[krivasgarage]

Still waiting for my favorite 10mm 1/4" drive six point short socket to turn up. When I start to lose tools, it's time to clean up the workbench, lol.

 

[gsmornot]

I can't think of any tools I misplaced but I had a work truck broke into and "lost" a bunch. They took everything I didn't have with me in my bag. Bad part is it was in the employee lot of the business I was doing the work for and to get to the lot you had to pass a guard. It had to be one of the employees. Most of the tools were Klein or Bell System and the test gear was Fluke. The boss was not happy but what can you do?

 

[TDWendt]

Was doing some lower dash work on a Toyota Avalon the,week after Christmas put my Snapon green stubby Phillips in the glove box(it was out and happen to be a handy tool holder) finished reinstalled glove box and shipped the vehicle. Realized where I left it when putting everything away, had service writer call customer and inform them of the screwdriver in the glovebox. Haven't heard from them/ seen Em since.
They were repeat customers so I'd figured I would see the car again.

Oh we'll I'll but a replacement someday

 

[ijroorda]

When I start to lose tools, it's time to clean up the workbench, lol.

This is my policy. When I am working on a project, I always have a "running inventory" in my head of which tools I have used and where I put them down. Once it fails me and I can't find a tool, I figure it's time to start putting tools away until the missing one shows up - usually only takes a minute or two.

 

[coop]

I find a lot of mechanic misplaced tools on the road shoulder while cycling. I find loads of other stuff too, but much of it is destroyed.

 

[2mJps]

For the last 9 years i have been working on my stuff at my dads farm. Most of my tools are in a trailer and some in his barn/shop so i have to rotate stuff from barn to trailer as i need it very nerve racking trying to keep track of stuff.

 

[91bronc300]

Added cotter pin puller to the list today

 

[ffemtdisp]

I lost my Father's Stanley hammer 40+ years ago. I was 4, and "helping" Dad work on our chicken coop outside. He wasn't too upset about it, but I always meant to get a metal detector after we tore it down years later and try to find it.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

Back before everyone had cell phones: One day, I took every air tool I owned and a hand full of smaller hand tools up inside a truck frame for a job working on the machinery body on it. Operator of the unit was waiting for the repair - sitting in the cab napping. I laid all the air tools on the machinery body frame as I climbed out at the end of the job intending to grab everything from outside the unit once I got standing upright agian. The driver saw me climb out and asked If I was done, I made the mistake of saying "yes". It was 3PM and he wanted to go home (fight DC traffic). He started the truck and drove outta the shop totally ignoring me yelling at him to stop. I was a bit freaked out that everything would fall off that truck and be scattered along the Beltway. I called his boss and explained it all to him. He apologized that his guy jumped the gun and said he'd look into it on his end. The drive took all my stuff 40 miles into Virginia with him to thier yard. His boss found it all and had him run it back to me in his car that night - everything was waiting for me in a box at the shop door the next morning

 

[91bronc300]

Well, just lost my 'tester' cord. You know, a 115 volt cord with the end cut off and stripped to make bare leads. Looked all over 3 times for the damn thing. Had to make a new one. Man, I hate when stuff disappears.