Where the heck is that......?

[JeffG]

Nothing is more frustrating that working with small parts, springs and screws, except when you dump them all on the floor! I like to use a pottery or stainess bowl to put my parts in....after I toss in a cow magnet.  If it all goes off the table,  the magnet will hold the parts.  you can go one better and hot melt glue the magnet into the bowl. Cow magnets are slick little gizmos that vetrinarian and farmers feed cattle who might have injested metal parts, the magnet holds the metal in one place so the guts don't get too torn up.

The other trick I use for small parts is a wood block with fresh duct tape wound on it with the sticky OUT.  You have to place each part or screw, but they don't go anywhare.

[Glanceblamm]

Thanks for the great tips!...In some cases it can be even worse and the work area needs to be somewhat confined and decluttered. Case Example, I was taking apart an older somewhat sticky Stevens model 24 over & under in the not to distance past for cleaning. I knocked out the pins from the reciever to drop the trigger housing and pull the parts in the action when I Had springs and other parts hit the walls & ceiling as the reciever pins were retaining the innards
My first thought was...why those cheap bas***** as the innards of most Savages that I had worked on were contained within their own housing.

Fortunantely I was able to find everything but how was I to get this all back together with those short reciever pins that have a lot of tension on them?
I ended up getting the appropriate (reciever pin diameter size) wooded dowel from a craft store and threaded it on through the reciever securing my cleaned parts. I then cut off the dowel flush with the reciever and used the metal pins to knock out the wooden dowels and life was good again.