How to find a lost tool

Doesn't it always seem to be that the best way to find an old tool is to buy a new one? When I was gathering supplies for my return to sewing some months ago, I thought about the tracing wheel that I've had since junior high home ec. It has traveled with me since 1963 and I have NEVER used it since that class. So of course when I needed it, I couldn't find it. Often I've tossed things that I never use thinking I'll never need them again, and then sure enough, as soon as I do that, I find a need for it, and it becomes a good excuse to buy something new. So I bought a Dritz tracing paper and wheel kit.

Even though I barely remembered ever using a tracing wheel, this new one seemed kind of wobbly, like a cheap pizza cutting wheel I have. It was disappointing. So I bought an old tracing wheel off Ebay and it was MUCH less wobbly than the new one.

You know what happened next. Of course. Looking for something else, I found the old tracing wheel! It felt so weird actually holding it with purpose after more than 40 years! I tried it, and like the Ebay wheel, it was not wobbly at all.




The interesting thing is that it was also a Dritz and was made in the same shape as the new Dritz. What could be the difference? In this photo the new one is on the right in dark blue. Notice how much bigger the slot is for the metal wheel to wiggle around in. I wonder why they did that? They can't save THAT much money on the plastic saved, can they? Anyway, it feels like good getting the old one back and putting it to use again. Does anyone have a suggestion for a better tracing paper than Dritz?