Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

I do use paper towels over and over until they are too oily and soiled to be useful.

I have been known to buy tools I remembered not finding at home when I saw them on the store rack.
Yes I have brought them home only to find the those I could not find before.

Then there is the mysterious disappearing variac. I looked all over for it in December. No luck.
Mid January I looked all over the house again when Charlie came by for a visit on the way to Cabin Fever. 
Still.... No luck!

When Charlie lost his variac at Cabin Fever due to the effect of gravity on a 50 foot air manifold made of 2" schedule 40 pipe when the tables are no longer supporting it, I decided I had better order a new one...!

Still.... Stubborn as I can be and not quite believing I could actually lose something that large and that heavy, I just held off ordering another until after a few more searches. Last week I broke down and went on ebay to order and they are now half the money I spent 8-9 years ago so I ordered 2. One from each of 2 different vendors, both $70-72 delivered. I got an ebay shipping notice with tracking number from both vendors. This morning I got an apology from the one that should have been delivered yesterday saying he had sold his last unit before I bought mine. (odd since his ebay listing said he had them in stock, something like 2 left.

This morning I went back on ebay, told the errant seller I would gladly accept a refund.
I also searched again and found one for even less and I ordered one for $67 including postage!

By now you must know where this is going.
The reliable seller's variac arrived today.
I carried it into the Office of Steam, opened it, walked around the corner to put the box in a storage room and there it sat- my original variac sitting on the floor right next to a wood box I had opened to look for it!

So I now have 2 with #3 on the way.

Gil

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