[Milsurplus] R1155: The Screw Gremlins Defeated!

[Bruce Gentry]

SO- I'm not the only one who has used a vacuum to find errant screws and 
balls?!  For working on phono cartridges and tonearm heads at a sound 
system botique, I quickly got a medium green colored very long apron 
from a medical supply to wear while seated at the bench. It saved so 
many flashlight searches.

      Bruce   KA2IVY

On 5/7/17 6:41 PM, David Stinson wrote:
> I post this to give hope and encouragement to
> my fellow Brothers of the Molten Solder.
> We all know of the dread Screw Gremlins who,
> among other vile treacheries, immediately make-off
> with any screw dropped from the bench during a repair.
> I removed the logging scale from the front of the R1155
> to clean behind it.  It is held in place by two miniscule
> screws- about 2mm by 3mm.  Pictured next to the "70" marking. They are 
> most tiny.
> https://goo.gl/photos/5XYgg4A3SeWAoBwe7
> I placed a towel under the area to catch any dropped screws before 
> removing the scale.  Of course, I dropped one.
> It struck something- perhaps my little finger, bounded
> at an angle, missed the towel completely and decended
> into the dark, mysterious, howling abyss of the barn
> floor under my bench.
>
> I don't know if many of you have spent any quality time
> with your nose on a dirty barn floor, going inch by
> hopeless inch searching, hoping to fend-off the Screw Gremlins this 
> time.  Doing it with 60-year-old
> joints adds a special something to the experence.
> I did not find it.
>
> And herein is the hope:  I discovered that Screw Gremlins
> are afraid of the sound of a big shop vacuum!
> Emptied the vac completely.
> Cleared the floor of "stuff" for 3-feet around the drop point and 
> vacuumed the area inch-by-inch,
> not missing places, never seeing the errent screw.  Then took the vac 
> out to a flat surface and a sheet of white plastic.  Poured about two
> tablespoons of gunk each time and started hand
> sifting.  On the third dump, "saint's be praised!"
> https://goo.gl/photos/wT2dg4LxSyHcf6nC7
>
> The moral of the story:  The Screw Gremlins can
> be beaten, and sometimes it's good if "you suck."
>
> 73 OM DE Dave AB5S
>
>
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