Look in the trash can.

I can find any tool in the garage, so long as I put it away in the illogical place Dad picked out back during the Carter administration. If I put it in a spot that makes sense, I might just as well buy a new one, because I'll never think to look for it there.

I lost my 22 ounce waffle faced framing hammer. It had sentimental value as I used to pay for much of my university education and was always a part of my backup plan. Last time I used it I was installing some duct work. My now ex wife had some friends over. I found one womans husband in the garage. The next time i went looking for my hammer it was gone. I spent years being pissed at him, but thankful I never said anything. Years. and one wife later , I found it on the top of the furnace

My 32oz ball-peen took a vacation to my dad's house for several months. He had come over to work on a project with me and the hammer ended up in his tool bag. Great hammer, I was inconsolable the entire time it was missing.

Kids, before I had kids I had tools. Look for cute kid lurking around you’ll have your lead.

Lost a hammer once. Found it in the yard with my lawn mower.

Every tool I've lost was borrowed right before it became "lost", perhaps I've been too loose with my lending requirements...

Thankfully going to either of my daughters homes will result in finding the lost tool...

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Every tool I've lost was borrowed right before it became "lost"

Yep. While he was still living with us, my then-teenaged stepson had a bad habit of borrowing my tools (without permission), taking them to his dad's house to bolt on whatever flashy new Jeep accessory his Daddy just bought him, and then leaving them there. His bio dad has a nice collection of my tools by now.

After trying to no avail to convince him to stop doing it, and having to replace about a half dozen hand tools and countless sockets, I started having to hide all my best hand tools. He ended up with access to a crappy old rusty crescent wrench, a half-missing socket set, and some cheap Chinese screwdrivers.

But not before he also broke damn near an entire drill bit set trying to drill out a bolt he broke off on his car. His technique was to spin the drill up to full speed, and lean on the drill with his body weight while pressing down with all his strength, until the bit snapped. Then install the next biggest drill bit, rinse and repeat. Started with the smallest drill bit in the 20+ piece set, and snapped each of them as he worked his way up to the largest drill bit that wasn't wider than the bolt. Never did get the bolt out before he ran out of bits.

Ain't kids great?

(The now-ex-wife got mad at me when I got home, saw what he was doing in the midst of a pile of snapped drill bits, and went off on him.)

I thought I lost a cordless drill/driver with batter pack. Waited a month for it to reappear and it never did. Ordered a new one but never opened the box, hoping to trick the lost and found gods and for the old one to reappear. Never did. Open the new box and a few days later I found the old one.

I have to say having two is not the worst thing. It was handy when I needed to make pilot holes before screws.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
I have to say having two is not the worst thing. It was handy when I needed to make pilot holes before screws.

Quick change bit adapters are cheaper, and just as easy.

Went ahead and ordered a new one (Estwing E3-16S).

Did something for the first time.
Contacted Wal-Mart Customer Care at 800-925-6278 before placing the order requesting a price match with Amazon which was $3 to $4 lower. Approved the request for an adjusted price and gave me a corresponding price match reference number. Placed the order. Called Wal-Mart back again as instructed with both my order number and price match number. Got an email almost immediately with a revised order total after talking with the representative. Despite the computer voice saying there would be long wait times on both calls, I was able to talk to someone within 90 seconds each time. Not being a Prime member I get MUCH faster shipping from Wal-Mart.

Maybe it was just this hammer's time.

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
Maybe it was just this hammer's time.

LOL I see what you did there!

How do you lose a hammer? Easy, you let your wife borrow it to take to work. It was never seen again.

I saw my wife using one of my hammers just the other day. She left it on the kitchen counter when she was done with it. I haven't moved it either. Its a good place to keep it.

I may have found yours. Long ago. I used to go highway hunting. Driving was boring so I would look for tools. Found a bunch, too. Hammers are easy to spot because they're big. Its the flat wrenches that are a pain. But worth the walk back to get them.

Well I'll tell you one way...
I lost a hammer once, but had some "help" loosing it. I bought it from sears about 1970 specifically because no one else on the crew had one like it, so no mistaking who's it was at a glance. A few years later we were remodeling an office complex, moving some walls around etc. The office was still operational and manned with a few employees. I left at quitting time and drove maybe half a mile when I remembered I left it laying on top of a wall we were framing up. I drove straight back and it was gone, none of the employees had seen it Bought another just like it and still have that one. I hate a thief.

By the way, I keep a loaner hammer, its a POS so I don't mind loaning it. Maybe because it is a POS that I wouldn't miss but it always comes back home!

And... How do you gain a hammer?

At some point I gained a hammer, not mine. No idea how or when but I seem to remember seeing it at one of the daughters houses so I asked Daughter #1. She says no, it is Daughter #2s. OK. So I ask Daughter #2. Daughter 2 says no, its daughter #1s. So I wait until they are both here and present the hammer and ask them to sort it out... they proceed to discuss face to face until they get mad arguing about it being the others hammer and neither will take the damn thing home.

Guess I have a second loaner hammer now...

I know where it is! Next to my 20 oz Estwing that’s been missing for 10 years.

Not a hammer. I lost a full size True Temper #1 shovel over the winter. I actually had my hand out to reach for it where it was supposed to be before I realized it wasn't there. Looked everywhere, even drove over all 50 acres. No shovel.