What Tools Have You Misplaced/Lost?

[garagelogician]

I do 99% of the work on my vehicles, but the wife's car needed some work done in a hurry so we took it to a shop. 2 months later I found a 10mm Snap-On socket in the belly pan while changing the oil. I don't own any Snap On sockets so I took it back to the shop that did the work and asked them if any of their techs had one go missing. The tech it belonged to came out and thanked me. Of course he had already replaced it, but he was glad to have it back as a spare.

 

[supersaiyan93]

My combination 8mm/10mm flare nut wrench. Part of a set, and the only one that fit the brake lines on my old Miata. Still pretty cheesed off about that. No idea where it disappeared to.

 

[Ed62]

A fellow I worked with had been a mechanic in a large shop, and came to work one morning to find someone had broke in and stole 10 tool boxes. The boss handed them each a piece of paper and said give me a list of what was in your tool box. 10 years later he was still looking for special little things that he knew he had bought and realized that was before the theft, and he forgot to include them in his list.

 

[Parrothead]

1/4 Husky screwdriver that was lost for over a year. It’s part of my maintenance set for my rental so not exactly irreplaceable. I found it on Friday in my tub full of painting supplies. I must have tossed it in there when I finished painting.

 

[-OSIS-]

That god dang 10mm. Everything. The wrench. The 1/4 10mm shallow/ deep and 3/8 10mm shallow/deep. The 10mm impact. All of them. It’s an hourly occurrence. XD

 

[-OSIS-]

I do 99% of the work on my vehicles, but the wife's car needed some work done in a hurry so we took it to a shop. 2 months later I found a 10mm Snap-On socket in the belly pan while changing the oil. I don't own any Snap On sockets so I took it back to the shop that did the work and asked them if any of their techs had one go missing. The tech it belonged to came out and thanked me. Of course he had already replaced it, but he was glad to have it back as a spare.

As a Master of very poorly behaved 10mm tools I can empathize with the owner. That was very nice of you to bring it back to him.

 

[cludwin]

This guy...
https://www.harryepstein.com/index.php/otter-bone-handle-tachenmesser.html

Lost the first one to the TSA, the second one to the desert and the 3rd one is in my pocket right now. for some reason I really love this knife. It's sharp as all get out, and holds an edge and just has a classic good look to it.

 

[cdods]

My framing square. Argggg. In the middle of a few carpentry projects and it's disappeared. I need it, but I know the moment I buy another one the first one will turn up, and it's not something you need two of.

 

[IndyGarage]

I left a brand new 12volt Bosch drill and driver on the edge of my truck bed. Driver fell into the bed when I drove off, drill must have fallen out - never saw it again.

I lost my 5/16 SK socket one time. Finishing up a job working on one of my appliances I dropped it on the floor, I looked for an hour and couldn't find it anywhere. I thought it must have rolled into some inaccessible space far away from where I was working.

5 years later I open up the appliance and there it was in the bottom of the case. The only way it could have gotten in there was to bounce through a hole in the bottom not much bigger in diameter than the socket itself - I couldn't repeat that trick it if I tried 1000 times.

 

[garagelogician]

I misplace a lot of things, most are things others have mentioned here. Every variation of 10mm (and 13mm) socket, wrench, etc...tape measures...screwdrivers...bits. Some never to be found again.

I also lost a nice Kershaw pocket knife that I got as a groomsman gift from my best friend. My wife's (now ex-wife) 6-yr old nephew found it at my in-laws house. I wanted to claim it, but my crazy ex wouldn't let me. I still hope she gets smoked by a bus someday, for this reason and so many others.

 

[dsimatt]

This is a very costly subject for me and I don't really want to know how many I've lost but it's a lot more then I like.

 

[jdoe213]

I found a wooden handled screwdriver in the middle of the road last year. I just threw it in the floor board. A couple of days later I cleaned the car out and no screw driver. I guess it was just meant to be on the ground somewhere and not in my toolbox.

 

[jdoe213]

I do 99% of the work on my vehicles, but the wife's car needed some work done in a hurry so we took it to a shop. 2 months later I found a 10mm Snap-On socket in the belly pan while changing the oil. I don't own any Snap On sockets so I took it back to the shop that did the work and asked them if any of their techs had one go missing. The tech it belonged to came out and thanked me. Of course he had already replaced it, but he was glad to have it back as a spare.

Good job on tracking down the tech. I find stuff all the time at work and I always try to give it back to it's rightful owner.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Lost a nice SK Wayne adjustable wrench when I was an RV mechanic. I think I left it on the trailer tongue near the battery box. Spent a half hour walking around the lot after we closed and never found it.

 

[GaryM909]

I haven't lost a lot of tools but one time I was in the garage changing the engine in my wifes car. My wife had to go out for a few hours so I had to watch my 3 year old son. He was riding around the garage on one of those plastic pedal tractors. After spending about an hour looking for tools that I had just finished using I caught him picking up the odd tool and putting it under the seat of his tractor. I didn't even think to look there. Next day when I was done I went to lock up the tool box I was using and the keys were gone. I finally found them about 6 months later in a pair of rubber boots I had under the steps in the garage.

 

[2001ZR2]

I have gotten much better about putting tools away correctly since I lost a cordless screwdriver when moving. I forgot to close the trailer door and it fell out. I turned around after a 1/10 of a mile but it was gone.

Now my sons lose my tools for me...

 

[davethorik]

As of about a month ago, I "rediscovered" a Proto 4lb dead blow that had mysteriously vanished in July or August of last year.

I didn’t trust some guys on the jobsite so I assumed they absconded with it. I had to move a pile of dirt we had dug up leveling a patio, guess what I found buried in the dirt pile?

Worst part is, I think I did it. Hello, early onset alzheimers

 

[Robinson1]

Had to leave a Leatherman WAVE inside of a block wall after I dropped it down through the cells on a jobsite. I played around with a magnet on a string for 15 minutes but it kept getting snagged and falling off.

I've left several handtools under houses and in attics. Usually not noticing until the next day or longer. My service area is so big it's not worth going back for hand tools. I just chalk it up as the expense of doing business.


Once drove close to 100 miles with a 4 foot level laying on my bumper. How that didn't fall off I'll never know.

All in all I think I've been pretty lucky. I5 years in business, never had anything stolen besides a receiver hitch. Could put every tool I've lost and left behind in a small tool bag with room to spare.