Ever set something down.....

[Mike M.]

.....and you cannot find it? Two weeks ago I bought one of those "5 in 1" putty knives to help with removing old caulking on my house. Big handle, 3" wide blade....I had to get some razor blades from the basement, so I set the tool down on the back deck, got the blades, came back outside and the tool was gone. Hmm, maybe I set in on the kitchen table or maybe I took it in the basement and set it on the work bench. No and no. It didn't fall between the boards on the back deck either because the handle's too big.

Well, maybe I did this or that with it. No and no again. Man, I've looked everywhere, retraced my steps about 5 times, looked under this and that and that tool is GONE! Had to go and buy another one.

I still can't find it!

 

[P Town]

How many caulk guns, and tape measures do you have to own to be able to find one when you need it?

Occasionally, I have resorted to buying the most deluxe, and expensive version of a simple tool that I typically misplace, thinking that I'll be more mindful of it, but that did not work.

 

[1SHOT1HIT]

I'd never have made it back to the store.

On the rare occasion that I do lose something, it becomes my mission in life to figure it out, and I can't stop until its found.

It would literally drive me crazy not being able to find it.
Good luck.

 

[Floyd Eye]

It probably ran off with my step down bits.

 

[hdracer]

I do it all the time.
As I get older my CRS gets worse.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I've always been pretty nutty about everything having its own 'place' in the house. People think I'm OCD because I'm often rearranging things when they get out of order, but I pretty much never lose anything, either.

 

[1SHOT1HIT]

I've always been pretty nutty about everything having its own 'place' in the house. People think I'm OCD because I'm often rearranging things when they get out of order, but I pretty much never lose anything, either.

I'm the same way, I pride myself on never losing anything and get pissed when people touch or move my stuff.

We probably are mildly OCD!

 

[Thick McRunfast]

Never done that. I lose stuff when I put it away.

I can remember the last time I used my channel locks and that's where they should be. If they aren't there they could be anywhere in the world.

 

[hypapanuse]

Have done this a million times. But the best was when I was at Home Depot. I needed some plywood cut on their panel saw. I left them oversize so I could square them up on my equipment. I was helping their guy layout the panels with one of their brand new 25' tape measures they had laying there. I collected my panels, payed for them, loaded them in my truck. When I got in and sat down, something sorta poked me in the side. I had put their tape on my belt as I always do when woodworking. I sat there for a minute and thought about walking back in the store and handing it to the person at the desk. How embarrassing would that be. I decided to just leave well enough along and just drove off. Still bothers me to this day as I was always an honest person. Now I'm just a common shoplifter. Oh, the pain!

;-/ Paul

 

[nojj]

After I rebuilt my shop and sorted/organized, I have probably a dozen tapes, 6 circ saws
(how do you misplace a power saw, I somehow manage it)
bits, nail sets.... you name it.

Would up with enough redundant stuff to hand my son
a decent tool set for his new house.

 

[Mike M.]

Guess I'm not alone then! It's just...weird. From the back deck thru the kitchen to the basement and back and that tool disappeared. I mean, I was using it and it vanished!!

I even thought..."well maybe I thought I set it on the deck but set it on the decks railing and it fell to the ground." I looked around the entire perimeter of that deck and found nothing.

I've misplaced many an item before but have found it quickly. This one beats me.

 

[RED J]

What the OP described, I call "the evaporation effect", losing something in your immediate work zone. Unbelievably frustrating. Half a dozen tapes, caulk guns, utility knives, sure, I buy them on sale just to increase my chances of finding one. And, now that I have the time I never did to get my own stuff outside my truck organized, no doubt I'm going to find tons of stuff I misplaced long ago.

 

[1958Bassman]

.....and you cannot find it? Two weeks ago I bought one of those "5 in 1" putty knives to help with removing old caulking on my house. Big handle, 3" wide blade....I had to get some razor blades from the basement, so I set the tool down on the back deck, got the blades, came back outside and the tool was gone. Hmm, maybe I set in on the kitchen table or maybe I took it in the basement and set it on the work bench. No and no. It didn't fall between the boards on the back deck either because the handle's too big.

Well, maybe I did this or that with it. No and no again. Man, I've looked everywhere, retraced my steps about 5 times, looked under this and that and that tool is GONE! Had to go and buy another one.

I still can't find it!

Buy another one. You won't even have to get all the way into the house before you find the original one.

Where wouldn't you normally keep it? Look there.

 

[Mike M.]

Buy another one. You won't even have to get all the way into the house before you find the original one.

Where wouldn't you normally keep it? Look there.

Did all the above and still no trace.

But you're right about one day finding it where I normally wouldn't put such a thing. Like the next time I clean the refridgerator out!

 

[IAmACrocodile]

But you're right about one day finding it where I normally wouldn't put such a thing. Like the next time I clean the refridgerator out!

I can definitely see that happening!
Semi-serious point - if it's shiny and you left it outside, a really big bird might have picked it up and flown off with it.

 

[1SHOT1HIT]

if it's shiny and you left it outside, a really big bird might have picked it up and flown off with it.

Was JUST gonna say that!

Sounds far fetched, but it 'could' happen.

My guess is that you never left it on the deck.

It's probably in some random place that you put it down to do something else.
Eliminate the deck.
Eliminate the transitional period of the walk from place to place.

Only search the places you actually stopped, and did something. search them good.
Especially up high out of sight.

 

[P Town]

I've always been pretty nutty about everything having its own 'place' in the house. People think I'm OCD because I'm often rearranging things when they get out of order, but I pretty much never lose anything, either.

People like you irritate the you know what out of me.

Have you seen my phone lately?

 

[electracoyote]

Boy do I hate it when that happens. I get OCD real quick. I have literally turned rooms upside down for an item I could have sworn I just saw moments ago.

 

[basscooker]

check your back pocket. does the area around the deck have shrubs? could be suspended within and never made it to the ground. raccoons will steal stuff, too. how close are the neighbors? you mentioned the fridge, did you look in there? is there a chance that you got the handle/blade dirty and you're looking right at it, thinking it still looks new and are just looking through it? all of these things are from my arsenal of idiot moves. i always check the fridge when something goes missing, and ya know it's a little embarrassing how often i find stuff there.

 

[delta7fred]

Life!