Author Topic: Anyone else have a black hole in their garage? (Read 3579 times)

Scott S · « **on:** August 02, 2019, 06:32:48 PM »

I can drop a washer/nut/bolt and hear it go plinking away....only to never be seen again. I lost a CB550 wrist pin clip that went into another dimension.
There may be a worm hole, too. Sometimes, hardware or tools go missing for...minutes, days, weeks, months...only to reappear later.

This black hole isn't contained to the garage, either. Once, I wanted to vacuum out my G10 van. I kept it parked on the edge of the driveway. I cranked it up, backed it up maybe 15 feet, pulled it in straight. Cleaned out Ol' Creepy and then.....Where the #$%* are my keys??!!
That was years ago and I still haven't found them. Yes, I checked the shop vac. That one cost me $125 for new keys, tumblers, ignition switch.

Anyone else have a Black Hole in their garage? You haven't seen a set of '86 Chevy keys, have you?

bear · « **Reply #1 on:** August 02, 2019, 07:12:21 PM »

Quote from: Scott S on August 02, 2019, 06:32:48 PM

Anyone else have a Black Hole in their garage?

Nope, my garage is the Black Hole.

jgger · « **Reply #2 on:** August 02, 2019, 07:47:23 PM »

I think my garage is the other end of the black hole..........every time I turn around the wifie has another pile of crap we can't live without piled on top of the previous 30 or 40 treasure piles. If I took the roof off it could rain for a week and the floor would be perfectly dry.

I'll look for your keys Scott.👍🤔

Don R · « **Reply #3 on:** August 02, 2019, 09:14:08 PM »

I was on my way to work, walked out the door had my keys and took along the trash. I dropped the trash in the barrel and walked to the truck. No keys. I dumped the entire trash can and searched every inch of the yard. I was late to work and then didn't have my truck which I went back for after getting a spare key. Never did find them.
Another set however went through my coveralls inside pocket access and are presently in the concrete floor of the retirement home I was building. So yes, but my black hole is portable.

HondaMan · « **Reply #4 on:** August 02, 2019, 09:31:56 PM »

There's one on I-25, south of Hampden, here in the Denver Metro area. I went thru there one day one my 750 and when I got home my keys that were in the bike's ignition were gone.
Jgger: if you find a small round keyring set with 3 Honda keys, a little brass dual-tumbler lock key and a Krauser saddlebag key in your garage, I'll rebuild your engine for you, for postage...

jgger · « **Reply #5 on:** August 02, 2019, 09:50:05 PM »

Honda man that sounds like a very good deal............only problem is I will have to find the engine too!

flatlander · « **Reply #6 on:** August 02, 2019, 11:34:17 PM »

there's not only a wandering black hole that can pop up in different corners. the entire floor also seems to exert an exceptionally strong amount of gravitational pull.

jlh3rd · « **Reply #7 on:** August 03, 2019, 04:53:01 AM »

yep.....I come back from a bike show this spring, back my truck into the driveway, unload the bike, come back to move the truck......can't find my keys......I didn't go anywhere's else at the house.....never found them......i've watched nuts and bolts hit the ground, never to be found again........glad i'm not alone...

WhyNot2 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 03, 2019, 05:02:38 AM »

Been there, done that. U. S. , Germany, Korea, Iraq......different countries have them holes too.

These holes seem to follow you.

Currently have holes in the garage, shed, and now the patio.

Even the pool deck.

rb550four · « **Reply #9 on:** August 03, 2019, 01:14:32 PM »

Keys. It got so bad around here with keys that I took the tumblers out of the front door. I could open it with almost any other key unless I lost them too , in that case any small screwdriver would do.
I've cut off more padlocks locks from my truck then I care to count too, went for the old school locker padlocks ,but if you have a few of them, the combination seems to escape me. Finally went to a padlock where you can set a 4 digit number of your choosing, that worked because they are all the same .
Pulled the switch apart on the truck didn't need keys to start it , that wasn't fool proof though. On more than one rainy day the doors electric locks left me soaked in a parking lot.... drilled out the upper rivet on the fly window, shakes in the wind a little but haven't been locked out for years.
The throttle return spring mount on the 500/550 that sets inbetween #2 and #3 carbs make no sound when they roll off the bench, seem to be gone forever, lost 2 of them that way, anyone here find them?

Don R · « **Reply #10 on:** August 04, 2019, 08:16:29 AM »

And the tiny screw that holds the pad cover on an F0 rear disc brake. It dropped the distance of the caliper to the floor and was never seen again. How is that possible? Even after a magnetic sweep of the area it didn't appear.

EDIT, it's OK because now I've lost the pad cover anyway.

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 04, 2019, 03:10:15 PM »

somewhere under my workbench is at least one of every carb part

Don R · « **Reply #12 on:** August 04, 2019, 04:30:51 PM »

My old racecar partner rebuilt a lot of quadrajets. (A Mr. Goodwrench guy) He had a metal pan made with 1" sides so at least nothing could roll away. Parts shooting across the shop was another story. They went into the black hole.

BigJimG · « **Reply #13 on:** August 05, 2019, 08:52:33 AM »

The latest is the cable adjuster from the top of my XR75 carb. Have no idea where it went. Luckily, I think they are available from Jets-r-us.

ken65 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 05, 2019, 04:32:06 PM »

Wish I only had a black hole instead of a parallel universe.

BomberMann650 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 07, 2019, 04:36:09 PM »

One of these days someone will capture and domesticate the feral garage gnome

spotty · « **Reply #16 on:** August 07, 2019, 04:53:57 PM »

not only do i have the mythical black hole manifesting itself in my under house dungeon, it has a dirt floor into which smaller parts immediately bury themselves, and if you do find the flying circlip it will be covered in the finest australian red dirt and dust, this especially applies to anything you have freshly cleaned and regreased
or if i'm in the carport ( which does have a proper floor) the sloping floor will ensure whatever you dropped rolls off down the driveway faster than my knackered old legs can chase it. this includes such things as sockets, bolts and even a vmax engine strapped to a skateboard....i did chase that one until i realised if i caught it i had no chance of actually stopping it so imagine my relief when it hit a bump in the driveway and did a couple of side over side rolls and came to a stop......

BomberMann650 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 11, 2019, 08:14:44 AM »

Vmax engine

Skateboard

Damnit now I want to stuff a v4 in a sport ATV and full send it

Don R · « **Reply #18 on:** August 11, 2019, 11:54:32 AM »

A Cop I knew cut off his ignition key and pushed it into the switch. He then used the knob to start it and locked the car at the doors.

HondaMan · « **Reply #19 on:** August 25, 2019, 01:25:58 PM »

Has anyone found my keys yet?

I have a perfectly good ignition switch, locked in the ON position, with no key...it's one of those switches that doesn't have the key's number on it (hmm...might be an EMGO? Maybe I don't want to use it again after all...).

74cb750 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 25, 2019, 06:54:16 PM »

Quote from: jgger on August 02, 2019, 07:47:23 PM

I think my garage is the other end of the black hole..........every time I turn around the wifie has another pile of crap we can't live without piled on top of the previous 30 or 40 treasure piles. If I took the roof off it could rain for a week and the floor would be perfectly dry.

I'll look for your keys Scott.👍🤔

ha hA GOOD one

74cb750 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 25, 2019, 07:00:13 PM »

I have the keys for all 50 motorcycles in my yard/garage and strawberry patch in a container. They have not fallen into the black hole yet. Thank God.

The credit cards and license on the other hand seem to always fall into the black hole at a time when I'm in a hurry to get to an appointment.

PeWe · « **Reply #22 on:** August 26, 2019, 04:29:07 AM »

If engine is open I hate to miss washers, nuts and other small things that might have fallen inside.
I blew a K6 head once with orifices left inside. I heard how one flew around in the garage as a pinball game ball. I could repeat the sound in my mind and found it on the floor between som oil bottles that acted as stoppers.

I was rather stressed for 10 minutes so I ordered a set of orifices direct when found for OK price. Feels silly to not be able to finalize a build due to missing small parts.

HondaMan · « **Reply #23 on:** August 26, 2019, 05:52:57 PM »

Quote from: PeWe on August 26, 2019, 04:29:07 AM

Feels silly to not be able to finalize a build due to missing small parts.

Boy, do I ever know THAT feeling!

Fezzler · « **Reply #24 on:** August 26, 2019, 08:21:36 PM »

Oh yea. And, have searched for glasses that were perched on my head too.

(Someone here gave me a good tip to put large sheet(s) of cardboard under a build. Keeps floor clean and side benefit it prevents dropped parts from bouncing too far.)

PeWe · « **Reply #25 on:** August 26, 2019, 11:41:33 PM »

Quote from: HondaMan on August 26, 2019, 05:52:57 PM

Quote from: PeWe on August 26, 2019, 04:29:07 AM
Feels silly to not be able to finalize a build due to missing small parts.

Boy, do I ever know THAT feeling!

I'm sure you have stacked up with parts when finding them for a good price before you really need them

spotty · « **Reply #26 on:** August 27, 2019, 02:09:42 AM »

Or if he's like the rest of us, stock up on parts you have no earthly need of but just in case.....

You should see the collection of headlights I"ve bought ' just in case '
When I got the zzr off Terry the first thing Mrs spotty asked was if I was going to change the headlight and indicators for something that didn't work properly....she knows me so well
And then she wouldn't believe I was going to leave it stock ( til she's not looking anyway)

PeWe · « **Reply #27 on:** August 27, 2019, 04:26:26 AM »

Riding season is rather short here so waiting for a part for 2 weeks is wasted riding time

Fezzler · « **Reply #28 on:** August 27, 2019, 08:43:26 AM »

But it is a great, albeit petty, feeling when that junk you've been hanging on to for years is needed and thus providing you an "I told you so" moment to the folks who want that "junk" tossed. (Seeds of a hoarder?)

Quote from: spotty on August 27, 2019, 02:09:42 AM

Or if he's like the rest of us, stock up on parts you have no earthly need of but just in case.....

You should see the collection of headlights I"ve bought ' just in case '
When I got the zzr off Terry the first thing Mrs spotty asked was if I was going to change the headlight and indicators for something that didn't work properly....she knows me so well
And then she wouldn't believe I was going to leave it stock ( til she's not looking anyway)

sixthwisconsin · « **Reply #29 on:** September 12, 2019, 11:50:40 AM »

The black hole in my garage seems to emanate from all the little speckles I thought would look sooo...cool... when I painted the floor. Drop a screw or clip on that floor and it's gone for ever. I have spent HOURS crawling around, flashlight in hand, looking for unobtainium.

Don R · « **Reply #30 on:** September 12, 2019, 12:36:06 PM »

I looked for the cell phone that was playing the music I was listening to. I scare myself some times.

Scott S · « **Reply #31 on:** May 07, 2020, 05:10:05 AM »

A few weeks ago I was doing the top end on a 550. I had all 6 rubber pucks in my hand. As I walked around my bike lift/work table, I dropped one. I SAW it hit the floor jack that is used to raise and lower the lift.
Pulled out the jack, flipped it over, raised it, lowered it....no puck. Looked under the table, all around the garage....no puck. Luckily. I had some extras.

Yesterday, I took down the lift for storage (it stores on its side). Completely cleared and swept that area of the garage. Flipped the table up sideways. Rolled it against the wall for storage. Moved the jack and wheel chock.
No puck anywhere. It's just gone. Disappeared.

We've been doing some deep cleaning and have swept and vacuumed the garage. Cleaned the windows, removed cobwebs, thrown out junk. No puck. Or the wrist pin clip that went flying away 5 years ago.

Black hole, I tell ya.

Don R · « **Reply #32 on:** May 24, 2020, 03:40:38 PM »

On a similar note, I was cutting sheet metal off my rusty car with a 6" cut off wheel and there was a plastic bag with a few rags in the trunk. I didn't want to set them on fire so I tossed them toward a milk crate/chair nearby. Instead, it hit the full size drag race practice tree and it toppled over breaking 6 of the 8 staging bulbs and at least 4 of the sockets. A freaking bag of about 6 rags, can't weigh a pound.
Jeez.

Don R · « **Reply #33 on:** June 17, 2020, 03:44:02 PM »

OK, throttle return springs for the race car can come out of hiding now. I've bought and installed new ones.

jgger · « **Reply #34 on:** June 17, 2020, 07:08:21 PM »

Quote from: Don R on June 17, 2020, 03:44:02 PM

OK, throttle return springs for the race car can come out of hiding now. I've bought and installed new ones.

I usually trip on the "lost" parts while I am carrying the new ones in. Just seems to work that way!

Don R · « **Reply #35 on:** June 18, 2020, 08:45:33 PM »

I bought crank pulley spacers once and the next day I noticed the "lost" ones hanging in plain sight at eye level on the end of a cabinet.

PeWe · « **Reply #36 on:** June 18, 2020, 11:23:37 PM »

It works sometimes to drop another part to see where it goes and find the first one.
Often land closer than thought, under/behind a wheel a popular hiding place for small things.

ken65 · « **Reply #37 on:** June 19, 2020, 01:28:50 AM »

One of my problems aside from the black hole is after some beers, I'll put something away in a more better, safer spot so it wont get lost.
A great example was a VIN plate I removed off a project. It sat in a bag on a key rack in plain sight for a few years.
Worried it would suddenly disappear, I put it in a much safer spot.
After searching for 6 months i gave up looking. One day I needed some shrink wrap and there it was in the bag.
If you can work out how I put it there for safe keeping ,let me know.

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Author Topic: Anyone else have a black hole in their garage? (Read 3579 times)

ken65

ken65