PSA: A $3 magnet on a string versus a full hour of fishing for a bearing

Had a customer bring in a vintage road bike with a loose headset bearing that had vanished into the frame. I spent about an hour with a pick and a flashlight, no luck. My buddy in the next bay tossed me a cheap telescoping magnet he got at Harbor Freight. Had that bearing out in maybe 30 seconds. The difference was not having to guess where it was hiding. Anyone have a better trick for retrieving small parts from frame tubes?

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3 Comments

julia_smith6mo ago

Love when the simplest tool makes you feel like an idiot for overcomplicating things. Happens to me every time I try to fix something around the house.

1

lisa_hart266mo ago

Ugh, the amount of times I've gone looking for a fancy gadget only to realize a butter knife would have worked is EMBARRASSING.

4

adam_nguyen76mo ago

My kitchen drawer is basically a graveyard for single-use tools I bought on impulse. The avocado slicer still has the tag on it because a spoon works better. Maybe we're all just suckers for good packaging.

3