WHY ARE MY TOOLS ALWAYS MISSING?

I agree, for me it's usually the project-halting tool that I have to have to finish. I always "just remember seeing it." And find them just after I manage to complete the project without it, or after I go buy another one. If I ever meet the tool monster I'm going to give him a swift kick in the poop deck, if ya' know what I mean!!!

I once dropped a really old screwdriver that I used for adjusting the carb on a particular car. It was my Great Grandpa's driver. I looked all over for it and never found it. Almost a decade later I had to pull the K after ripping the control-arm pins out of it and I found the screwdriver in a hole (in the K). The screwdriver still had my blood on it too.

I lose tools when I need a third hand and toss a tool someplace logical (at the time). Fender troughs, the plenum, the top of headlights, etc all hide tools (especially if you look right at them). It's the same phenomenon as looking all over for your sunglasses when they're sitting on your forehead the whole time.

yes, but why is the rum always gone??

You know how you always lose random socks and undies in the washer/dryer? Well everyone knows that those are stolen by the Underpants Gnomes but not many people have ever heard about their cousins, the Garage Gnomes. These canny little buggers are infamous for the abilities to sneak into your work area and steal various tools and parts while you are sitting there! If you ever hope to get your tools or parts back you must catch a gnome in the act of thievery. But good luck, because it is nigh impossible!

I have foam pads in each drawer of my toolbox, with cutouts for the tools. I just marked the areas and burned a hole with a soldering iron. Now if a tool is missing, I know right away and look for it. Haven't lost one yet since I started doing that. Also, wrap some brightly colored tape (I like green) around your ratchet handle so you can locate it if you set it down in the engine compartment. When I worked for a garage years ago I found quite a few tools under people's hoods.

Try being an aircraft mechanic for 11 years. You will get to be a fanatic about keeping track of everything. Tools left inside airplanes have a way of causing problems that are potentially dangerous to other people and to your livelihood.

I hear that. I got my start in the USAF as an F-4E crew chief.

They're called Tool Gnomes. They come by when you're not looking and steal your tools. I had the same problem for awhile, then came the Screw, Bolt, and Nut Gnomes.

I never found my pair of needle nose pliers that I lost 11 years ago. Those damn things sprouted legs and walked away. I've been fortunate that I've never lost anything else. I've gotten into the habit of putting them back into the drawer as soon as I finish using them, so I don't lose them. It's always the tool you need at that very moment that disappears.

Garage Gremlins. The same creatures that nudge your arm so the wrench slips off the nut and you smash your knuckles on the alternator.

NikwoaC said:

Garage Gremlins. The same creatures that nudge your arm so the wrench slips off the nut and you smash your knuckles on the alternator.

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You tell me where their garage is. I'll fix their rosey red little wagons...