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Black hole

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Ian S C04/01/2013 13:03:51
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7468 forum posts
230 photos

Thats all right, the other week they nicked my clip board, and did'nt give it back until I finished the job that was on a sketch, on the back of an envelope, attached to the clip board, I think they have enough bits now to build something quite impressive. Last week they even took one of the Model Engineer mags, perhaps I should get them a subscription, so that they leave mine alone. Ian S C

colin hawes04/01/2013 13:30:27
570 forum posts
18 photos

Having lost many small parts at the parting -off stage over the years and having to part off some tiny ball ended handles that were particularly difficult to make , I cleaned all around my lathe, surrounded it with card board walls and used a small cardboard box to catch the first one. I can't possibly lose this one! The little handle went into the box, jumped out again, landed on the flat belt, and must have joined the satellites because it didn't seem to land anywhere. The gremlins find a way whenever they wish!! Colin

Speedy Builder504/01/2013 18:30:56
2878 forum posts
248 photos

Years ago, I was replacing the rear brake linings on a Morris 1100. Took the drum off and the ball bearings dropped out of their cage. Fitted new linings etc and could not find the last ball - looked everywhere and had to conclude it had not been there in the first place. The car went ok, no undue wheel bearing noise. About a week later, I found the ball in the 'tread' of my work boots that I had worn all week! Hey ho, fitted the last ball and kept the car for another 8 years.

Steamshy04/01/2013 19:08:43
38 forum posts
2 photos

I work in my shed which has a concrete floor and corrugated walls, Course the corrugations have gaps between the shed walls and floor so I know where my bits go too, Unfortunately its grass outside the shed so have no hope of finding anything. so dont bother, once its dropped its gorn forever if its not found in 30 seconds

Andy

dave greenham04/01/2013 20:09:17
100 forum posts

Hi guys

I think my black hole is in a corner. The reason I say this is because we have a saying. If its not on the floor, the m we've lost it. As for the gremlins. They wait until I put something down and turn round before they nick it, when I turn back, it's gone. I have found stuff the odd time in the seal of the washing m/c I think they hide stuff there to make me think I going mad ( mind you, they ain't far wrong sometimes when I try to read some plans )

happy new year all of you.

p.S. I have heard they store things in Doctor who's Tardis. So they could be anywhere.

trevor mitson04/01/2013 20:30:12
11 forum posts

If anyone finds my carkeys in their black hole whill they return them please ASP smiley

6196204/01/2013 21:57:56
65 forum posts
1 photos

There's a gremlin in my workshop for sure. Spanners, drills, materials disappear never to be seen again. I think it has some connection with my son who loves to repair bicycles and motor bikes. He's a student and I also think he has some connection to the black hole that keeps emptying my walletcheeky

Eddie

David Colwill04/01/2013 22:11:38
782 forum posts
40 photos

Well I can't see why you're all complaining. Your gremlins only take small stuff, mine must have a hi ab as the bench and one of the lathes seem to have gone missing.....

Springbok04/01/2013 23:46:41
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879 forum posts
34 photos

I think Hawkins sent a black hole to my workshop years ago, my floor is concrete painted in a red floor sealant, and even when I brush the floor nothing ever appears. swarf yes dust yes the odd cat poo yes but never the missing item. Question Is there some great repository out there that collects them. Also can we get Steven when he sends that awfull tenor out to come back with everything.

Tongue in cheek
Bob

Springbok05/01/2013 06:43:58
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879 forum posts
34 photos

Second thoughts just send the bits back and leave him

Gordon W05/01/2013 10:08:38
2011 forum posts

I've tried to get my wife to read this thread. Last week a tractor cylinder head disapeared from the workshop, it was found later on the dining room table. I think the gremlins thought the w/shop to cold. BTW a torch laid on the floor shows up an amazing amount of stuff, even tiny bits.

fizzy05/01/2013 12:20:36
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1860 forum posts
121 photos

In an attempt to thwart the tool stealing gremlins I try to have at least 4 of every item! My entire floor is a black hole but I honestly work by this rule - when you bend down to look for that which will never be found, always surface with two things you find down there. And there are always at least two!

Halton Tank05/01/2013 13:07:37
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98 forum posts
56 photos

I don't always lose things to the gremlins, sometimes I drop things and find them when I look under the bench, but I got fight with the spiders to get them back !

Luigi

Stub Mandrel05/01/2013 19:33:14
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4318 forum posts
291 photos
1 articles

Worst thing that ever got in my workshop were pets. I had half a dozen gerbils exiled from the house by the asthmatics. They kept escaping by chewing thjrough various parts of the cage, but I had a large version of a longworth trap to recapture them effciently and safely overnight!

Many years ago we had a rabbit - it got in the small workshop I had in our previous house. It peed on a multi-way socket and I got a bad electric shock when I went to unplug something!

At least the dog and cats we have now are capable of being 'trained' to stay out - except one cat who always wants to come in but flees as soon as I spot her.

Neil

Clive Hartland05/01/2013 20:03:10
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2929 forum posts
41 photos

Some years ago I was being tutored on the finer details of taking apart and assembling a Compur shutter, suddenly a small spring erupted and flew past me and disappeared. End of job, no spares.

Some years later came the move of the firm to Milton Keynes and I emptied out my work trolley and lifted out a corrugated cardboard tray and as I did so out popped the lost spring ! So from 1977 to 1989 it had sat there unseen.

I went to the stores and retrieved the said shutter, relieved it had never been used as a spare or sold on, and carefully replaced the spring in its right position, the shutter worked fine.

I know one black Hole which was in the bilges of my sons ship, they pumped out hundreds of gallons of crud and oil and then went in and had a look around and found dozens of spanners and screwdrivers and sundry other equipment. Including crowbars that were used to turn the engine over and lots of nuts and bolts.

Clive

Stub Mandrel05/01/2013 20:26:55
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4318 forum posts
291 photos
1 articles

I helped change the head gasket on a BMC diesel in a narrowboat in sub-zero conditions. It was not nice retrieving dropped items from the ice-cold, brown, oily bilge

What was worst was starting it up and discovering the problem was actually a leak in the oil heater (a brass cylinder with water tubes a bit like like a small boiler working in reverse). Solving that was five minutes soldering with a blowtorch back at base.

Neil

Ed Duffner05/01/2013 20:58:34
863 forum posts
104 photos

It happens in the house too. I was attempting to add a lamp bracket to one of my German HO locos (Class S3) with a pair of tweezers and I suddenly heard the familiar "ping" and the part disappeared. I heard it bounce off two walls and was devoured by the carpet monster.

Jeff Dayman05/01/2013 21:23:59
2356 forum posts
47 photos

It could be that all the stuff that goes into these black holes travels through a wormhole and ends up on a planet in a galaxy many light years away.

One of these days we may hear that signals have been detected by a radio telescope coming from such a planet. After decoding, scientists may announce the message reads "stop sending all this bl^^dy junk!" or "we've already got a billion small springs and 2 billion 3 mm steel balls thanks!"

JD

Siddley05/01/2013 22:45:23
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150 forum posts
1 photos

The WW-2 perspective on them follows. It looks like the tribe became more numerous and jobs annoying RAF pilots became scarce, so they started picking on us as well...
( PRU = Photographic Recconaissance Unit = Very Dangerous Job )

This is the tale of the Gremlins
As told by the PRU
At Benson and Wick and St Eval-
And believe me, you slobs, it's true.

When you're seven miles up in the heavens,
(That's a hell of a lonely spot)
And it's fifty degrees below zero,
Which isn't exactly hot.

When you're frozen blue like your Spitfire,
And your scared a Mosquito pink.
When you're thousands of miles from nowhere,
And there's nothing below but the drink.

It's then that you'll see the Gremlins,
Green and gamboge and gold,
Male and female and neuter,
Gremlins both young and old.

It's no good trying to dodge them,
The lessons you learnt on the Link
Won't help you evade a Gremlin,
Though you boost and you dive and you jink.

White ones will wiggle your wing tips,
Male ones will muddle your maps,
Green ones will guzzle your glycol,
Females will flutter your flaps.

Pink ones will perch on your perspex,
And dance pirouettes on your prop,
There's a spherical middle-aged Gremlin,
Who'll spin on your stick like a top.

They'll freeze up your camera shutters,
They'll bite through your aileron wires,
They'll bend and they'll break and they'll batter,
They'll insert toasting forks into your tyres.

And that is the tale of the Gremlins,
As told by the PRU,
(P)retty (R)uddy (U)nlikely to many,
But a fact, none the less, to the few.

Springbok06/01/2013 06:58:54
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879 forum posts
34 photos

Sidley

My Father in law was a PRU and managed to live through it. Thankyou for that.
Bob

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