Flying Parts and Stones

I have several suggestions on this topic some of which I use and some
than I have considered using.

  1. First and most importantly is neatness!!! Keeping a clean bench
    and shop greatly reduces the time that you will spend looking for the
    many small pieces that we have to work with everyday. I travel around
    the country and have witnessed first hand the horrendous slop of many
    workshops. I am amazed that some jewelers often have to look for
    minutes to find the stone or the tool that they just set down, let
    alone one that went flying. I would argue the time it takes to be neat
    is far less than the time and aggravation you will spend looking for
    that stone.

  2. If you use a flash light always lay it on the floor. This will
    produce a very long and visible shadow of anything that is possible to
    see. Similarly if you lay your head on the floor you can scan the
    entire floor in just one look!!

  3. I have considered putting a plexiglass wall around the top of my
    bench. This might be a great option if your bench is not against a
    wall or if it is difficult to see behind your bench.

Between these top to suggestions I will tell you that it very rarely
takes me more than 3 minutes to find a piece or stone that I have
dropped. Good luck, Don Fernandes