Damn small parts!

When I sweep up my shop floor I always check the big aluminum dust pan I use for prizes before I dump it in trash bucket. I also have some big rare earth magnets. You can drag those around on the bottom of the aluminum dust pan to separate the steel pieces from other stuff or stick them in a plastic sack before dragging the floor for parts. I have a mill, a lathe and a drill press in that part of the shop and fine metal cuttings get everywhere even though I try to keep cuttings vacuumed up as I go
That brings up another method of parts recovery. Stick part of an old nylon down the vacuum nozzle and stick it in those hidden spots. Then you can pull it out and check for prizes.
I occasionally find a long lost something.
 
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When I sweep up my shop floor I always check the big aluminum dust pan I use for prizes before I dump it in trash bucket. I also have some big rare earth magnets. I stick them in a plastic sack before dragging the floor for parts I have a mill, a lathe and a drill press in that part of the shop and fine metal cutting get everywhere even though I try to keep cuttings vacuumed up as I go
That brigs up another method of part recovery. Stick part of an old nylon down the vacuum nozzle and sick it in those hidden spots. Then you can pull it out and check for prizes.
I occasionally find a long lost something.

I am the only one that cleans up in my rooms. All dust pans and vacuum canisters get checked before dumping!
 
Got my shipment from Gunparts today. I ordered 2 of the same thing, a bolt plunger for my 686. Received 2 bolt plungers. One is about 1/8" longer than the other. Think I'll try the shorter one first.
 
Well, it was the shorter one. Of course I lost it right away. So then it was shorten the other one and try it. Then shorten and try. Then shorten and try. Third time was the charm. It's hard to see this to type as the air is still a deep navy.
 
Well, it was the shorter one. Of course I lost it right away. So then it was shorten the other one and try it. Then shorten and try. Then shorten and try. Third time was the charm. It's hard to see this to type as the air is still a deep navy.

Lost the new one? Did you try the bag trick?
 
Lost the new one? Did you try the bag trick?

Never got to it. Put them both on the bench, turned around and it was gone. No idea where it went or how it left. Luckily, I was able to get the longer one modified to work, so things are good. Still not sure why the 2 different lengths, but no matter.
 
... " I got TWO more on the way ..."
ATTABOY ! ... by ordering a spare spare that will just about insure you will never loose the spare ... If you had ordered just one .... that's a invitation to loosing it !

If my Dad ever needed a replacement part ... he always bought TWO ... he believed in having a back-up on hand .
I asked him about his buy two parts habit and he said " go look in the trunk of your car ... you see that tire ... it's a spare ... you should always have a spare on hand ... never know when you will need it ."
Gary
 
Magnets are great for finding parts, but sometimes putting small gun parts in a magnetic tray will magnetize them. This can cause function issues in some guns where the parts stick to each other instead of sliding on each other like they are supposed to. Need to be careful.

Rosewood
 
I took the Colt M4 armorer's course. You hand to do complete disassembly/reassembly multiple times over the course of 3 days. Every so often you'd hear someone curse and the instructor would walk over with a spare parts kit of springs and pins.
 
Only thing worse than small gun parts is....................

when I drop a small hook on the kitchen floor when tying fly's or putting new leaders on my fishing gear.

If I don't find it, I have to go get the broom out, since , I don't want the dogs finding it, the hard way !!

The wife would kill me.
 
RE: small parts

Rule 1 - they love to fly, they love to hide. They are made with alien technology and can render themselves invisible.

Rule 2 - Two is ONE; One is NONE

I, like many others, use and recommend the bag method.

Went to change out the grips on a Beretta Tomcat. No big job, just swappin' out some stinkin' grips ! I learned (too late, obviously, since I'm telling this story here) there is a minuscule detent ball and a small spring for the safety held in place by the left grip panel. You already know the rest of that story.

Was switching out some magazine followers and base plates that are color coded (since a lot of Glock mags of various calibers at least look very much alike); Of course, (those who know Glock mags will understand) one 'exploded' when the F&*%$! base pad was removed and the 'foot' of that assembly that holds the base in place when assembled made a break for it. Hear it bounce off the wall but can't locate it - no big deal - I'm switching them out anyway, though I try to save all my old 'stock' parts when doing such jobs. TWO YEARS LATER I'm replacing the carpet in that room and (don't ask me how - I just know it's that 'alien' thing) I pull up a carpet edge doing the demo and there it is - UNDER the carpet two or three inches from the edge. Cue "Twilight Zone" theme music . . .
 
TWO YEARS LATER I'm replacing the carpet in that room and (don't ask me how - I just know it's that 'alien' thing) I pull up a carpet edge doing the demo and there it is - UNDER the carpet two or three inches from the edge. Cue "Twilight Zone" theme music . . .

Thanks for the tip. Now I know where to look. Wouldn't have ever considered looking under the carpet.

Rosewood
 
I too, also find things when moving stuff. Lord know what is behind my book cases!!

Now that you mention that.

My stepdad had his workshop with an old wooden shelf that looked like it came from a convenience store. He decided to get rid of it and when we pulled it out we found a complete skeleton of a cat with dried skin. Guess it had been there for many moons to be in that condition.

Rosewood
 
The sound I dread is that "boing" when a small spring escapes and then followed by a very faint "tink" when it lands somewhere completely off the map in the area you are working. I was disassembling a little Schmeisser .25 ACP that had a very weak loaded round indicator. Sure enough common sense said "better put that in a bag", but I soldiered on and "Boing" it escaped my finger tip and rattled off into the netherland. My coil spring collection did not quite provide what I was looking for, I looked around and ended up buying two sets of coil spring from Brownells, one in ultra small to small, another in medium to large. I used less than 1/2" on the repair and have yards of spring in one foot segments....Anybody need a coil spring? My buddy told me he always used Bic Lighter springs for nearly everything including the trigger springs on Ruger 22's.
 
The sound I dread is that "boing" when a small spring escapes and then followed by a very faint "tink" when it lands somewhere completely off the map in the area you are working. I was disassembling a little Schmeisser .25 ACP that had a very weak loaded round indicator. Sure enough common sense said "better put that in a bag", but I soldiered on and "Boing" it escaped my finger tip and rattled off into the netherland. My coil spring collection did not quite provide what I was looking for, I looked around and ended up buying two sets of coil spring from Brownells, one in ultra small to small, another in medium to large. I used less than 1/2" on the repair and have yards of spring in one foot segments....Anybody need a coil spring? My buddy told me he always used Bic Lighter springs for nearly everything including the trigger springs on Ruger 22's.

The Bic statement reminded me of fixing a fuel pressure switch for our aircraft. We took a bad switch apart and figured out the spring for the pressure plate was bad. The spring was the size of one from a retractable ball point pen. Cut it to length and reinstalled it. To a bit of adjustment and viola it worked. Submitted it to NavAir for approval. Their response was the switch only cost $700 so was considered consumable not to be repairable (repairable parts cost $2000+),
 

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