I just did it. Laughing, it may have left a mark...

Of course I heard it land but no sign of it.

Sometimes a clear plastic tarp or bag is your friend.

I have a old sand blasting cabinet that has a multi vise mounted in it for parts that a spring can fly. Haven't lost or had to look for one since.

That's a great idea.
When I put together a lower parts kit or any thing else that has springs I do it in the guest bathroom with the floor vent, sink and tub drains covered. Small area, no carpet and well lit. Less places for them to hide.

Little story about a spring. Knew this "gunsmith" that was working on a gun. Dropped a spring and couldn't find it.
But, he had another one in the parts box. So he figures that if he drops the new spring it will bounce exactly like the one he
dropped and he will know where to look for them. Dropped the new
spring and it bounced. Result...both springs missing.

This was not one of those that are particularly hard to change, just took my eye off it for a second. Kinda like my baseball experience, been hit a few times in the head doing that as well.

I have found springs are carpet soluble. Never to be seen again.

LOL! I found a spring in my shop the other day. I had lost it years ago.

A couple of years ago I spendt a good 30 minutes on my hands and knees looking for an ejector spring from a Winchester M70.

i have a big speaker magnet on a stick for sweeping for lost springs,detent ball bearings etc. about 50% recovery.
dropped primers just vaporize never to be found.

An old story on little springs - officer's basic course back in early '80s. Had a field test phase that included basic soldier skills, including timed M16a1 disassembly/assembly. Setting was a rickety field table under some oaks at Camp Bullis. We had to do complete bolt disassembly including extractor and ejector. Got to the extractor, took it out, forgot to capture extractor spring - ping! Off it flies into the leaf litter on the ground - oh [bleep]. Luckily heard the spring hit the dry leaves and was able to narrow search area to a few inches. Found that little sucker and still got the rifle back together in time! NCO testing just shook his head and marked passed.

Yes, magnets are great for springs and dropped fishing hooks in the wife's carpet.

I'm thinking a Smith's cap that has lights, magnifier and magnet all-in-one... Kit version just uses a clip-on Mini-Maglite and a fly strip, comes with a loupe...

I've had mixed luck with speaker magnets. More than once swept with a magnet only to find the spring on my hands and knees with the big flashlight right where the magnet swept.

Now as to carpets dissolving springs, there is a way to get solid springs again. And it involves rapidly rotating magnetic fields and atmospheric disturbances - a vacuum cleaner. The spring will materialize and will be one of those clinks you hear. Now if you start with a new bag...

And of course I lost a spring today, heard it hit the metal shelf in front of me, but never found it.....

Found a spring in my chip try on the lathe... I lost it several years earlier..
Spent a few hrs cleaning and crawling the floor....

lost a hammer strut pin for a 1911 on a perfectly clean bench top. had to order a new one. it came. opened the drawer to get the punch, there it was. a week waiting for the new one. still have no memory of putting it in the drawer. maybe magnetic for a second.

The best way to find a lost small part is to buy another one.

works every time, and almost always the day the replacement arrives.

Place a piece of ladies panty hose over the end of the vacuum hose secure with a rubber band and the missing part/spring will be captured there.Has worked in my shop many many times.

I've got a big magnet on a stick from Tractor Supply that works very well for most things. However I do have a large magazine follower that either desolved into a hardwood floor or found a worm hole in the space time continuum. It's been gone now for 3 years, so I keep looking for it to reappear any day. Getting it replaced through Para Ordinance was and adventure in inself, but that is another unhappy thread.

When working with springs that are at least partially exposed, loop a piece of thread on the spring. A bright color makes the spring easier to find and slows them down a little too. A clean shop is a pain in the rear until a small part takes off at 500 fps.

Sometimes I place a shop towel over the top of what I'm working on to capture the springs and plungers. Saved my bacon many times.