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I was just cutting apart a brand new die set and one flew off into my desk top. Of course it is covered with creative tools, papers etc. I moved everything off piece by piece but no little leaf die was to be found. Have you ever had a die take flight and found it? This makes me sad, I do not like incomplete sets of anything. Maybe I will find it when I least expect it. Marcia
Do you have a super magnet, like from a stamp positioner? You could use that to 'sweep' your space. And it could have flown surprisingly far from where you think it went. Ask me how I know ...
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
Argh, this kind of thing keeps me up at night. I haven't lost a die yet, but have lost several tiny stamps from a set and it still drives me crazy years later. Just make sure you check the wastebasket thoroughly before emptying it...even if it seems too far away to have landed there. Good luck.
This made me decide to cut any new die set apart inside of a deep box, so anything that flies off lands in the box. Just thinking about you losing a leaf die from you new set makes me sad.
I have a telescoping magnetic wand and that has helped me many times to find the small dies that fly away when I'm cutting them apart. I had one of these wands for years when I cross stitched and dropped needles and then got one for my craft room too.
I recently lost and "e" from an alphabet die set and what can you spell without "e"? I kept looking and looked until I found it. There really is no other way, even though it feels like a time-stealer. Good luck on your search!
How frustrating! I'm by no means assuming everyone is a praying person but I have to share my story of a lost clear stamp. I searched for a half hour, then sat down at my stamp desk chair in defeat. I closed my eyes and said, "Well, God. I can't find it and I'd really like to. Please help me find it. Please let me see it when I open my eyes. Thank you for answering my prayer, God." I gave a big sigh, opened my eyes and looked down to the right as I did so - and there was my stamp! It was stuck to the corner of my score board, which was underneath my desk in a dark corner propped against some shelves. That answer to prayer gave me goosebumps!
Keep searching and the tip to use a magnet is a great one. I hope you find the die!
I lost a die once and found it over a year later. This was of course after many, many cleanings and vacuumings... One day after cleaning again, it appeared on the floor. I’m still not sure where it hid all of that time.
__________________ Debra the Debrameister Nagigator Mingler Gallery My Blog: Yellow and Blue SU Creative Crew Design Team Member-May-August 2011
Someone here on SCS had mentioned they use a shop bowl (like from the hardware store, metal bowl with a magnet underneath the bottom, magnetizes the whole bowl) next to their die cutting machine so when they are not using a die but will be later, they put it in the bowl for safe keeping. I thought that was a great idea, but no such bowl at my local hardware store. They did however have a set of four extra strong magnets. I have a metal bowl at home I figured I could use, so got the magnets. Those suckers are so dang strong I can't pull them apart, and bend dies if they come in contact. So they sit in the bottom of the bowl in their packaging. They do the job and when I need to find an escapee, they work for that too.
Love the telescoping magnet wand though!
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
Adding to my post above, the metal bowl to keep dies put while in the middle of a project works great. Remembering to use said bowl ...
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
Don't throw out the trash. Really. I have no idea why but they can migrate there. Start a new bag.
If there is anything else on the table that is magnetic check both sides of that.
Also look at the bottoms of anything sitting on the table. Even if it is not magnetic. Baskets holding things etc. I am guessing you emptied your pen cup etc.
It may have stuck to the bottom of your shoe and you carried it out of the room. Check them and where they are and you walked. Shake out the clothes you were wearing and check the floor where you were standing when you took them off.
Well ladies I have tried all your suggestions. Check shoes, clothes, floor and my desk hasn't been this clean since I put it here. I looked over into and under everything here and no little leaf die. I will just have to resign myself to it may show up when I least expect it or it's just gone. The upside I do have a nice clean workspace now but no leaf :( I will be sure to let you all know if it ever turns up.
I would Really like to buy a telescoping magnet want, but it appears they are mostly made in China on Amazon. Does anyone know a source for Made In USA?
Oh darn Marcia! I am sorry to hear that! It did not disappear so you will find it. Try walking in bare feet. Maybe you will step on it....that would be typical for me....
My awol lostie was a small alphabet die 's'. It was gone for weeks & weeks. I had completely given up the search and "let it go".
But then one day, it was just right over there where it didn't belong at all, due no doubt to an amazing bounce off the floor or whatever! Happy surprises can happen.
Marcia, have you found it yet? I was just now reading this thread and thinking maybe it fell into a cuff on a sleeve, or a pocket, or stuck to knit pants, or some other such situation. How small was/is that little leaf? It will surely turn up!
__________________ Shea Fan Club Member Glitter and Bonbons When all else fails....have a cupcake.
As I was cleaning my alpha stamps in the sink, a while back, a slippery little R went right down the drain! SO ANNOYING! I have now learned to clean in a bowl. On the counter.
It is interesting how we do find things when we least expect it. Thinking of my jade pendant lost many years ago. We really thought we'd find it when we moved...nope. Gone.Forever. Sad.
Happens to me all the time. Still haven’t found the next-to-smallest circle from my Hero Arts set of circle dies which flew off my die cut machine, along with e circle it cut, to gosh knows where!
This has happened to me so many times. I am sorry :(. My advice is to contact the company directly and ask if they might have an extra they could send. I’ve done this for a customer before as I keep a couple of extra sets of our products for just in case moments like this.
I had the same issue of the shop bowls bending my dies. We just came out with a magnetic bowl, the Trinity Stamps Bartender. We had them made for us from a small husband and wife 3-d printing business. They are great for little pieces and it’s cute too (because that matters too right? LOL)
Marcia, I feel your pain! I've had pretty good luck with dies, but I have had some bad luck with stamps, especially the clear ones. I must have complete stamp sets and if I lose one stamp, I must purchase the entire set again. That means going on ebay, if Stampin' Up! is no longer offering the stamp set. I decided to keep a tally of how much money I've spent, in having to buy new stamp sets again, just because I lost one stamp (on the floor, of course). So far, I've spent $57.00. So, I totally understand. I hope you find that die. I know how frustrating it is. Good luck. :-)
I have a laptop table that I had rolled next to the bed, I was also using the label maker, which has a plug in, plus one of the Mighty Lites that plugs in.
One day, I couldn't find my glasses. What the heck? Sometimes I drop stuff in the bed rail, which sticks out way too far. After two days of searching high and low, I happened to look down and the ear piece to my glasses had landed perfectly between the cords close to the wall socket and since it was the same color as the cords, very hard to see, especially in my current state.
My latest loss is one of the small, circular magnets typically used in a Misti Stamp positioner. I had just removed it from the positioner and set it on my desk only to hear it "fly" from where I put it. I heard it make contact to another metal surface or, possibly, another magnet. However, I have looked everywhere (lamp bases, light poles, metal rulers, my other Misti magnets) to no avail. I cannot imagine where it is hiding.
Also, check the backs of your stamp positioner or any thing that has a built in magnetic surface. I’ve found dies stuck to the backs of my Misti and my scor board.
Been there, done that 🙄. Recently lost the letter “S” from an alphabet set. Did the same as you - picked up every scrap of paper, went through the garbage - nothing! That night, went to take my watch off. It has a magnetic clasp and you guessed it - there was the elusive “S” stuck to my watch band 😂😂😂.
I was just cutting apart a brand new die set and one flew off into my desktop. Of course it is covered with creative tools, papers etc. I moved everything off piece by piece but no little leaf die was to be found. Have you ever had a die take flight and found it? This makes me sad, I do not like incomplete sets of anything. Maybe I will find it when I least expect it.Marcia
Not only have I done this-- but I was so frustrated that I bought another die set-- andyoiu know I found that wee mushroom AFTER the new set arrived!! I have since bought a Brother Scan and Cut and now I don't even need the dies. ARGHH
I have a grabber and it has a magnet on the end so it is perfect for picking up not only scraps etc but the metal dies. I’m 83 so harder to get down to pick up things. It was very inexpensive think I got from Amazon. I absolutely know how frustrating it can be. Good luck!!
I had some of the neodymium magnets on my desk waiting to be put away when I had a small die fly off the desk. I taped the magnets to the bottom of a yardstick (I have LOTS of yardsticks- I take a free one anytime they're giving them away), and swept it around under the desk. I could actually hear the "click" when it captured the die. Now that's my version of the magnetic grabber. Anytime I drop a die, I run the stick around under the desk until I hear the click, and I've caught another runaway!
It's also cheaper than a grabber, I am Queen of the Cheapettes.
I lost a primary shape to a die set once while making Christmas cards and could not find it for the life of me; I put everything away as I went along in my search. That night I dreamt it was in my Misti; when I got up in the morning I pulled my Misti out... it wasn't IN the Misti but was stuck to the UNDERSIDE of my Misti. I hope you find your AWOL die piece... it's there, somewhere.
__________________ Rubber Stampin' Square Dancin' Round Dancin' Mary
If the room is carpeted try looking along the base board where the carpet meets. Being that small and the way dies walk it is always possible to be wedge in the crease. I am missing a tiny stamp now for 2 years and still have not found that little devil. wish you all the luck.
Also, do you have a lamp that is open in the top of the cover that it could have hopped in there. Yeah I even checked mine for the stamp I lost. Really dislike having anything not complete as well.
Argh, this kind of thing keeps me up at night. I haven't lost a die yet, but have lost several tiny stamps from a set and it still drives me crazy years later. Just make sure you check the wastebasket thoroughly before emptying it...even if it seems too far away to have landed there. Good luck.
Karen
I realized yesterday that I was missing three tiny stamps from a set - thought to look in the garbage sack by my work station - there they were wrapped up to dry in a paper towel. I think I just hurry too much too often!
Someone here on SCS had mentioned they use a shop bowl (like from the hardware store, metal bowl with a magnet underneath the bottom, magnetizes the whole bowl) next to their die cutting machine so when they are not using a die but will be later, they put it in the bowl for safe keeping. I thought that was a great idea, but no such bowl at my local hardware store.
Jeanie, you might be able to find something like that at a good-sized automotive supply, but if not, Harbor Freight carries them in two sizes, 4" and 6" -- https://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-magnetic-parts-tray-90566.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by harvestmoon
] I would Really like to buy a telescoping magnet want, but it appears they are mostly made in China on Amazon. Does anyone know a source for Made In USA?
I doubt you'll find anything like that made in the U.S. This is the one I use and it's amazing what it's come up with in my studio! https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-magnetic-pickup-tool-42288.html
__________________ Diana B
-We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all. ~John Hughes
QUOTE=AbbysGrammy;21988281]I was just cutting apart a brand new die set and one flew off into my desk top. Of course it is covered with creative tools, papers etc. I moved everything off piece by piece but no little leaf die was to be found. Have you ever had a die take flight and found it? This makes me sad, I do not like incomplete sets of anything. Maybe I will find it when I least expect it. Marcia [/QUOTE]
The magnet idea worked well when I spilled the 2000 brads I was gifted onto a hardwood floor while OCD me was sorting them by color and size. No matter how many times I've cleaned and moved the furniture, once in a while one of those little devils appear.
A few years ago, I lost a small flower die from a set. I searched my desk & the floor but could not find it, so I bought another set because I really wanted that flower die!
When I packed up my art studio to move, I found the die - it had landed under the desk & was laying against the wall molding.
GRRRRRR
I feel your pain
