PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Dec 8, 2006 19:50:18 GMT -5
I've just spent the past half-hour on my knees. No, not praying, quite the opposite.
A long time ago on this Board I advocated making a plywood tray with a lip all round to work on. Then any bits you drop don't go on the floor.
But I was only doing a quick job, whipping the top off a camera to clean the viewfinder, and I didn't bother to get the tray out, and ... of course ... I dropped a small screw on the floor! Could I find it? Could I heck. I even tried my big magnet until I realised that the screw was brass. I suppose I could use the vacuum cleaner and then sort through the dust bag, through all the fluff and the dust and the dog hairs and ... but I don't fancy that somehow. I'll just have to go through my junk boxes to find a screw that fits.
Moral. Don't do as I do, do as I say!!
PeterW
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Post by Randy on Dec 8, 2006 23:06:36 GMT -5
I hate it when the screw goes into the carpet. Somewhere in my carpet there is enough screws and things to build a B-29. ;D
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Dec 9, 2006 1:15:05 GMT -5
Peter,
I cover my workbench with several layers of paper towels. If anything falls on it, it doesn't bounce onto the floor. As the paper gets soiled I peel off a layer to expose a clean sheet. When I have finished working for the day I cover everything with more toweling.
Put a piece ( 1 layer) of pantyhose over the nozzle of your vacuum cleaner. Tiny parts will not go into the dust bag and little screws and even fine springs will be easy to spot on the mesh.
Mickey ( aka Butterfingers )
Mickey
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Reiska
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Post by Reiska on Dec 9, 2006 12:52:33 GMT -5
Mickey You way to damp bouncing appears to be excellent. Soft paper or fabric is a solution. I often use broad adhesive sheets or tape to keep nuts and screws and springs in order for a later assembly. Some kind of pigeonholes are also usable. Peter My wife often says: Don't think, do as I say !! Still I have nothing to complain. That is done here by the chorus ;D
More about the suject www.complaintschoir.org/ |
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Dec 9, 2006 15:02:40 GMT -5
Reijo,
Your wife's words of wisdom are new to me. I hope you obey her.
I use little glass casters, of the kind that used to be placed under furniture legs, for small parts. I would hate to think that I deprived some poor pigeons of their homes. Egg cartons of transparent plastic are also useful.
That choir is wonderful. I can see that there is not very much difference between Finland and Canada. Unfortunately we don't have a superb choir willing to voice our complaints.
Mickey
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k38
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Post by k38 on Dec 9, 2006 16:22:59 GMT -5
I use a muffin tin with a dozen cups in it. If you need to find a part you can try one of those sticky lint rollers or a roll of masking tape rolled back on itself. One tip I can pass on from working on guns is that if you have to take apart something that will have a tendency to fly apart, put the camera inside of a large ziplock bag and do the work in there. You can even seal the bag and put a tiny hole in it for your screw driver. It's kind of like laproscopic camera surgery! The Ruger MKII .22 target pistol is famous for launching parts into low earth orbit.
Dwight
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Post by vintageslrs on Dec 9, 2006 22:42:14 GMT -5
Dwight Excellent suggestion..... and as far as the Ruger Mkll pistol......even just re-assembling it after field stripping ....can drive ya crazy....  Bob |
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k38
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Post by k38 on Dec 9, 2006 23:31:01 GMT -5
and as far as the Ruger Mkll pistol......even just re-assembling it after field stripping ....can drive ya crazy....
I still need the directions after owning one for over 20 years. I really prefer my Pardini SP It all comes apart with one captive hex bolt! You can't even use the bolt!!!!
I need to buy some of the "as is" cameras at KEH. They have a ton of them for very little. I imagine I could get a lot of tinkering done with no risk.
Dwight
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Post by barrington on Jan 18, 2007 14:34:24 GMT -5
Having been clumsy enough to have also dropped the odd screw,spring,nut etc in my time,I also constructed a nice big thing to work on.Namely,a 12x24 inch sheet of plywood,covered with some 3mm thick rubber matting (which I nicked from work) with some bits nailed around the edges to prevent loss.As careful as I am,I still lose the odd thing or two so its a good job I have a whole box of spares just in case!
Barrington
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Post by doubs43 on Jan 18, 2007 16:24:06 GMT -5
Peter, I just purchased a round 5 or 6 inch magnet on a handle that permits me to sweep the floor while standing. I'm still looking for a small ball bearing that I dropped on the floor awhile back. Or maybe it's somewhere on my somewhat cluttered table top. I don't dare use a magnet on that.
Walker
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Post by camerastoomany on Jun 8, 2007 3:24:37 GMT -5
This isn't the cheapest idea, but a length of double-sided tape at the back of the workbench is quite effective. There is an added benefit, in that small bits can be pressed on the tape in the order they are removed, hence facilitating easier re-assembly.
Geoff
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Post by Robert Ross on Mar 22, 2009 5:13:03 GMT -5
Hello
I tried a new twist on workbench tops..a soft rubber toolbox liner about 24" x 24" x 1/8". I lightly sprayed it white to show small parts. It works better than crawling on your hands and knees looking through carpet piling.
Robert
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Post by spyder2000 on Apr 16, 2009 10:22:27 GMT -5
We all drop small parts from time to time. On a hard surface such as a wood floor, lay a flashlight on the floor so the beam is parallel to the floor. Those small screws will stand out in relief and will be easy to see. Unfortunately these little things bounce on floors like that so you don't know where they will wind up. To extract them from carpet, try using the hand attachment for the vacuum. On the backside of the nozzle (between it and the hose), install one thickness of panty hose with enough slack to form a 'pouch' in the airflow. Then vacuum the area where you believe the part to be. It will get trapped in the panty hose instead of going into the dust bag. Now, *I've* never dropped anything and *never* had to use these methods. |
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Post by John Parry on Apr 17, 2009 19:25:29 GMT -5
Spyder2000
Your casual assumption that I have access to panty hose is both touching and naive - I wish!!
Regards - John
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Post by Rachel on Apr 19, 2009 9:53:25 GMT -5
Spyder2000 Your casual assumption that I have access to panty hose is both touching and naive - I wish!! Regards - John Go on John ... treat yourself. Buy a pair  |
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