Speaking of small parts bouncing and hiding,...
I entered into ship modeling through a not so local combat warship club.
Between battles the ships would need their hulls patched and the skippers would also
take the time to rebuild or repair something that wasn't performing in the previous sortie.
One of the guys took advantage of the 'tween sortie break to tear down his motors.
I don't recall the reasoning for the tear down, but there was a slight panic at the bench when
one of his brush springs bounced off the table and into the pasture grass. People were combing the
lawn and it wasn't to be found. Someone brought over a large magnetic base bowl and
swept the area surrounding the bench and came up with nothing. After everyone had a go at
finding the spring, I asked the skipper, "Can I assume that you can't run the boat with out that spring?"
He confirmed that, and I then asked, "So if you lose the other spring that won't matter either?"
The skipper said one spring or none, the motor can't be used if he didn't have both springs.
I asked where the first spring bounced, and he pointed to the corner of the table.
I took the second spring and told the blokes there, "Everyone keep your eye on this second spring."
I picked up the second spring, bounced it off the corner of the table and said, "Go find your brother!".
Every one watched the spring bounce, and then drop off the table and into the lawn. "Check there", I said.
The bloke with the magnetic bowl swept the spot of the second spring landing and lo and behold when
he turned over the magnet both springs were stuck to the bottom of his bowl.
When there is nothing to lose.... just saying.