Finding stuff after you move

Rick - I am blessed with a wife who was born organized. When we move, she personally packs and documents every box and has a contents diary for reference. 

There is a ghost of chance you might someday get my engine house, but my wife stays here - way too useful

Rob

 

Rick, be prepared your long

Rick, be prepared your long lost soldering iron will pop up out of nowhere right after the new one arrives from amazon.

Trust me ... I know what I am talking about

I still have unopened boxes

I still have unopened boxes from our move to Germany before we moved to Colorado before we moved back to Florida. So these boxes would have been packed in Ormond Beach, made a journey of a few thousand miles and are now sitting about 60 miles from where they were packed. I have rebought stuff so often you wouldn't believe and I'm still finding stuff I believed lost long ago. Your soldering iron will show up one of these days, I'm sure!

Rick you need to buy a new

Rick you need to buy a new one and your lost one will show up.

IF I had a hammer...

My mom always used to misplace/lose her household hammer. Infrequent use and long periods of time would pass before needing it again. Next time one was needed, it was nowhere to be found. Her solution, by another one.  After 40 years living on her own, she had acquired quite a selection. When we started cleaning out her home after she passed away (2008), I got all of the tools. She had eight hammers! Now I have twelve !!!    I used to work for the federal gov and moved several times. Still have things in boxes from some of the moves. I have four soldering irons. Sometimes you can't find/get a new tip, so you buy a new cheap one. My newest is a Weller wes51. I'm not moving again. (I won't have to pack for the next one. ) But I am getting more organized. Living alone in a 1000 sq ft bung with a full basement gives me 2000 sq ft to hide things. At least my man cave has all of my railroad and hobby supplies. It still does feel a bit like Christmas opening boxes from long ago. I have been stockpiling supplies and material for my new pike, and I'll admit, some things get misplaced.   I wonder if it is hereditary ???

Randy

Lost My Panels

When I dismantled my last layout back in 1995, I carefully packed the control panels from the layout with the intention of eventually salvaging the toggle switches, etc. from them to use in my next panel project.

It's 17 years later and I'm well into the construction of my new layout (finally!).  For the past month I've been searching for those panels.  I just know that I've looked in every storage box that I've still got (and there are plenty of them).  No joy.  I've even searched the likely boxes several times.

I threw in the towel last week and ordered new toggle switches and LEDs.

Rats!

K.R.A.F.T.

It would appear the all of us over 50 (well in my case over 60) are suffering from the same disease- : K.R.A.F.T       ( Kan’t Remember A Flaming Thing ). I too have lost items ,the most urgent, a set of non-powered  bogies for a GP7.

I have been through my boxes numerous times.  I KNOW, the minute I order, and receive the parts I will find them. Gremlins need eradicating; just don’t know to do it!  WELL Model Railroading is FUN.

I resemble that remark

I am looking for an undecorated RS 11 that I believe I lost somewhere between the hobby shop and home. I suspect it may have still been in a bag and accidently thrown away by my significant other, left in the parking lot of the hobby shop or some other strange occurrence.

The most unusual item was a box packed when we moved from our second apartment to our first house marked living room stuff. I took that same unopened box from that first house and moved it to our second house after it was in our attic for more than 10 years. I still can not recall what was in that box.

Memory is the third thing that goes.

Rob in Texas

What....? Who....? Where............?

Peter

tell us

what did you buy to replace the errant tool?

The soldering iron that I purchased

I purchased this soldering iron on line for $7.85 with no tax & free shipping.  I have a variable heat controller so that I can set the heat level for the job.  The iron will be here tomorrow (Wednesday 10/23).

(Image from Amazon.com)

A problem for years

Much like the hammer story in this thread I've been hiding stuff from myself for years.  My favorite example is caulking guns.  Over the years I can never remember where I left it from the last time I used it and since I never had "a place for everything and everything in it's place" I would just go out and buy another.

Fast forward to this past year when I had to pack to move from Georgia to Florida.  During the packing I found (7) - that's right, seven caulking guns!  I kept two and donated the others to charity.  Currently I know where one of the caulking guns is, but the other has disappeared!

I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to not being organized!

Gee Rick, I would have traded

Gee Rick, I would have traded you a hammer for a caulking gun..   

Randy

Damn, Rick..............

...............what IS it with caulking guns??  I can never find one 'till I buy a new one.  My other "disappearing tools" are tape measures and razor scrapers!!!!

P

Darn Right - Tape Measures

I bet I have bought 20+ 25' tapes over the years.  And I still have to hunt for hours when I need one.  I should have enough for at least 2 in every room + the garage + the shed.  The Lord must hate tape measures, but why????

Perhaps the power drill chuck key fairy

is branching out, now that so many drills use keyless chucks.

pqe

Tape measures

By the 40 footers and get them in bright yellow or with chrome on them, easier to find when dropped in the yard. they are also heavy enough you don't leave them on your belt when getting done with your project.

Rob

Hidden in front of your eyes

I bet you have looked at it at least three times already going through your boxes.  I was looking for my DCC controls after my move.  I went through all my boxes in the basement several times and it was sitting on the very top of one of the boxes out in the middle of the room.

Guys I don't have that

Guys I don't have that problem!  If you'll excuse me I have a RailRoad to run....Now where did I leave those keys???

Of all the things I've lost..........

................I miss my mind the most!!

Peter