Def's wrenches- a story of loss and triumph that only MTO members will get!

[Grant Lamontagne]

This is a bit of a lengthy story so buckle in.

In fact, it isn't a long story, but I'm going to embellish a lot and give a lot of back story that really isn't relevant....

Several years ago a friend of mine bought a couple of wrench sets on sale at Canadian Tire- one standard, one metric.  They have ratcheting box ends that flex to reach into awkward to get to spots.  He decided he didn't actually need them and was going to return them, but made the mistake of telling me about them.   Instead I bought them from him, saving them from having to go back to the store.

I use them a lot for all kinds of things, from assembling furniture to working on the trailer.  I hauled them around for a while in the awkward plastic carriers they originally came in, but eventually got annoyed with the plastic holders and bought a nice burlap wrench roll.  The roll is designed for a much larger wrenches, but I just fold over the excess, and it's no big deal.

A couple of weeks ago I was putting together furniture when I arrived here in Ottawa and using the 7/16ths wrench to assemble the bed.  When it was all done, I went to put the wrenches away, and guess what horror I encountered.

AN EMPTY SLOT!   

There was no sign of the 7/16ths wrench anywhere around.  I was handing them to Megan as I was done with them to make sure that nothing got lost, and I had to try really hard not to annoyed with her, because you can't just buy one wrench, and what the heck was I going to do with all of extra wrenches if I got a new set?

And, being the 7/16ths, it isn't one I could really go without.   

Numerous attempts to find the wrench failed, which was odd, because there was no other furniture in that room besides the bed (at least at that point) and I'd torn the bed apart (at least as much as I could without a 7/16ths wrench  ) several times looking for it.

Anyways, it has been bothering me for the past few weeks and I have been trying to figure out what I was going to do about it.

Then this morning I decided to write a post here on the forum, explain the problem and see if anyone had any suggestions.  I decided to snap a picture of the leftover wrenches to include with the post when I realized that I'd just found the 7/16ths wrench, as you can see below, tucked into a pocket with another wrench!

Needless to say, I am pretty darned relieved now. 

Def

[magentus]

Just  and 

[zoidberg]

I am jelly of your flex head ratchet set.      

[Etherealicer]

Here I was, waiting for you to write... and then I realized I was holding it in my hand

Anyway, there is a simple solution:

[Etherealicer]

Shudder...

but it looks like you have a much more severe problem...

Show content

your wrenches appear to be out of order. There are not just two in one pocket, the larger one seems to be larger than the one in the pocket to the right

[yud]

Have you checked pockets and the room you adjacency to the bedroom?

Also have you looked for a replacement from like snap on or craftsmen?

[Whoey]

That's a wrenching story for sure...

[Grant Lamontagne]

Have you checked pockets and the room you adjacency to the bedroom?

Also have you looked for a replacement from like snap on or craftsmen?

Have you read the whole post? 

Specifically this bit?   

when I realized that I'd just found the 7/16ths wrench, as you can see below, tucked into a pocket with another wrench!

I wonder if I should buy a bunch of wrench sets and sell the individual ones to people who have lost single ones?

Def

[derekmac]

I may, or may not have done something similar before. 

[Sparkydave]

Glad you found it! I hate losing tools, normally i lose a 10mm one as it's one i use all thr time, need to find a better way of organizing my wrenches they just in the tray of my tool box

[yud]

Have you checked pockets and the room you adjacency to the bedroom?

Also have you looked for a replacement from like snap on or craftsmen?

Have you read the whole post? 

Specifically this bit?   

when I realized that I'd just found the 7/16ths wrench, as you can see below, tucked into a pocket with another wrench!

I wonder if I should buy a bunch of wrench sets and sell the individual ones to people who have lost single ones?

Def

 

I guess I was already thinking up solutions at that point.

[Grant Lamontagne]

No worries. The story above pretty much illustrates that I am quite familiar with bone head mistakes!

And Sparky, I find the wrench roll helps immensely as I can see instantly when one is missing, and I'm not usually far from where I was working at that point.

I just need to learn to look in the other slots....

Def

[Sazabi]

No different from me losing my glasses, just to finally realize I can see just fine... because I'm wearing them.  Yes, it had been a rough day that day.

I'm glad you found it, Grant, but get that tool roll organized.

[Grant Lamontagne]

If I wore glasses I guarantee that would happen to me almost daily....

Def

[yud]

I have lost the car keys in the ignition.  As in get in the car, put key in the ignition, do something else, forget where keys are.

[dks]

Summary: Grant lost a wrench and later found it in the same slot as another wrench.

Conclusion: During this journey of soul searching and selfdiscovery he realised that most things you are searching for, including true love, are usually very close to where you would expect to find them.

[Whoey]

If I wore glasses I guarantee that would happen to me almost daily....

Def

I think I've only ever left home once or twice without my glasses. I believe it's different if you short sighted vs long. Since I need mine only to see further I notice quicker than perhaps someone who only wears them for up close, but maybe not as much as someone who needs them for both.

Given that my sight hasn't changed or gotten worse I could probably go for laser and get rid of them, but then I'd lose that bit of intelligent looks that they give me... 

[Tomcat_81]

And there came that day, after weeks of literally crawling under each seat in the cars, each piece of furniture, asking every colleague and neighbour  if they knew about the whereabouts of my beloved Swisstool Spirit....
That day when my wife pulled it out of her purse 'cause she had used it for knitting when co-piloting in my car.

She got her own one since, of course complete with wrench and stuff.

No greater pleasure than re-tracing lost stuff ;-)

[Toolslinger]

And there came that day, after weeks of literally crawling under each seat in the cars, each piece of furniture, asking every colleague and neighbour  if they knew about the whereabouts of my beloved Swisstool Spirit....
That day when my wife pulled it out of her purse 'cause she had used it for knitting when co-piloting in my car.

She got her own one since, of course complete with wrench and stuff.

No greater pleasure than re-tracing lost stuff ;-)

I too lost a Vic Spirit in my car. The brown leather case blended in nicely in the bottom nook of the center console. I must have looked it over countless times trying to find it. In the meantime, I bought a spare.

Usually that's how I find things, by buying a replacement.

[NKlamerus]

Great story Grant!!

Where did you pick up the Burlap roll? Is the diagonal on the bottom right another row of pockets?!

Many moons ago before Multitool.org, i was on Garage Journal more often and still never bought a nice set of flex head wrenches, they look great!

[Tomcat_81]

And there came that day, after weeks of literally crawling under each seat in the cars, each piece of furniture, asking every colleague and neighbour  if they knew about the whereabouts of my beloved Swisstool Spirit....
That day when my wife pulled it out of her purse 'cause she had used it for knitting when co-piloting in my car.

She got her own one since, of course complete with wrench and stuff.

No greater pleasure than re-tracing lost stuff ;-)

I too lost a Vic Spirit in my car. The brown leather case blended in nicely in the bottom nook of the center console. I must have looked it over countless times trying to find it. In the meantime, I bought a spare.

Usually that's how I find things, by buying a replacement.

That's EXACTLY what I did! 

(Well, having 3 Spirits in our home ist't too bad)

[Grant Lamontagne]

Great story Grant!!

Where did you pick up the Burlap roll? Is the diagonal on the bottom right another row of pockets?!

Many moons ago before Multitool.org, i was on Garage Journal more often and still never bought a nice set of flex head wrenches, they look great!

I couldn't find one locally so I bought it on eBay.

The diagonal bit is actually just folded up since the roll is made for longer wrenches.  My plan was to get a seamstress friend of mine to hem it and cut it off along the fold but I never got around to it.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

By the way, this wouldn't have been nearly as upsetting had it been a socket as I always pick up sockets when I find them.  Chances are, if I lost a socket, I probably have a replacement loose in the bottom of a toolbox from where someone else lost one. 

I do the same with wrenches but people apparently don't lose them as often.

Def

[kirk13]

Summary: Grant lost a wrench and later found it in the same slot as another wrench.

Conclusion: During this journey of soul searching and selfdiscovery he realised that most things you are searching for, including true love, are usually very close to where you would expect to find them.

Way to kill a good story

I was waiting for the TVs movie

 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Summary: Grant lost a wrench and later found it in the same slot as another wrench.

Conclusion: During this journey of soul searching and selfdiscovery he realised that most things you are searching for, including true love, are usually very close to where you would expect to find them.

Way to kill a good story

I was waiting for the TVs movie

 

I was just thinking a story that succinct pretty much renders a forum pretty inert....

Def

[gregozedobe]

I have similar problems - in our household it is known as the "Did you have a 'boy' look or a 'girl' look for it ? " syndrome. 

When I can't see something I often ask Christine to have a look for me, and if she can often find it sitting in plain view (but obviously not where I expected it to be) - this is what we call a 'girl' (ie a proper, thorough) look without any assumptions, as distinct from my 'boy' (quick glance but only in the expected places) look.  I must have tunnel vision or something, as an object can sometimes be only 12-18" away from where I looked (the place I expected it to be) but I still didn't see it.

Of course every now and then the tables are turned, and I have to try to find something she can't see, and then it is a boy trying to have a proper 'girl' look.  Surprisingly enough I can often find it, so in the end both parties are usually happy.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Wrench meme I saw on FB that I thought was timely.

Def

[David]

Your wrench dilemma gave me a good chuckle boss.    Having done those type of things in the past.   

[Alan K.]

I thought I had lost my really good, brass, tire pressure gauge three or four years ago.  I just found it yesterday.

It was in the front pocket of the backpack that I keep all of my air tools and compressor accessories in.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Your wrench dilemma gave me a good chuckle boss.    Having done those type of things in the past.   

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Megan is of course blaming me, despite the fact that it was her that would have stuffed it in the wrong slot.  After all, how would she know that the one wrench not in the roll belonged in the one space that was open?

Def