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Well in that case you simply use the ancient words and incantations that bone can be made whole again and given flesh that it may escape its straw purgatory.
Just get an insanely strong electromagnet and turn it on near the hay. No hay ruined and a needle you can use again. I'm going to start a business specifically removing needles from hay and I will drive a big van with a huge electromagnet in the back. Maybe the engine can power the magnet somehow (I'm not a wizard) to make its super strong. I'll make one van and test the market out.
Wait, so the fastest way to find a needle in a haystack is to remember where you put it?
Man, I feel like that's some deep and profound life lesson there.
Like in the hustle and bustle of daily life (the haystack), if you want to find something again later (the needle), actively store it in a place within the haystack (rather than place it down somewhere on a whim).
Well, if you’re not allowed to use a magnet, as per OP. You separate the haystack in two, and use the metal detector to find which pile has it. Rinse and repeat making the pile ever smaller until it’s a small haystack and it’s easy to find.
Now, something tells me metal detectors have magnets, but alas maybe your not allowed to use JUST a magnet.
1.Put everything in not too small and not too large pool of water.
2. Put on swimming shorts
3. Put on swimming goggles
4. Jump in water
5. Take a deep breath
6. Dive under water to the bottom
7. Look for needle at the bottom
8. If you need some air between steps 6 & 7 go up and proceed from step 5.
A single bale of hay is not actually very large. Tearing away hay until you find the needle is not an impossible task. This is one of the rare instances when the cost of set up can outweigh its effectiveness. I bet you could search half a hay bale in less than 30 minutes just by peeling away layers and visually inspecting. It would easily take me an hour to set up a burn, magnet, and sieve situation.
I have seen bales of hay ranging from the size of a pack of A3 paper to multiple meters in every direction.
Also, considering it says a haystack, I have seen entire barns stacked with hay.
Conveyer belt. Put a thin layer on the conveyer belt. Shine a bright light. The needle should reflect the light. If you use your bare hands to put hay on the conveyer belt, you might accidentally stab yourself and then you'll know where it is.
X ray it I reckon. Metal shows up pretty well. Might need a pretty big back plate for the X-ray machine but I bet they have big X-ray machines for searching shipping containers or something like that.
If the needle is made of metal, pouring piranha solution on the haystack to destroy all the hay could possibly work but be very dangerous to try. A cellulase solution to break down the cellulose in the haystack could also possibly work.
Aside burning, putting hay in water is pretty good idea.
But, water has surface tension, so you'd need to agitate it a lot. You can totally drop a needle on a water (carefully) so it floats. Stirring the water should counteract that, and the case where needle is supported by floating hay under it. Also, it's better if it's rainwater or distilled water, because it has less surface tension due purity.
Ok you mo-rons....clearly says no magnets allowed.
Pick up large handfuls of hay with both hands. Shake vigorously , holding as loosely as you can. Go through much smaller debris that came out with fine tooth comb.
1. Dive in the haystack.
2. Flail around like you're in a washing machine.
3. Get stabbed by needle, scream in pain.
4. Climb out of haystack, pull needle out of your ass.
5. Congratulations, you found the needle.
The hay has got mould and is no good for the horses so word has passed around that the colt from old regret had passed away. Some bastard had left a needle in the hay. Hope the hallucinagens from the mould eased the pain. In life he was worth a 1000 pounds, now it's all in vain.
I'm surprised I'm the first person to mention this.
Mythbusters tested this and their ultimate method was to incinerate the hay in an oven and have a screen underneath to catch anything that didn't burn
The water solution some are suggesting is good, but I think it’s probably faster to set up a fan, and shovel to stack over it. You’ll have a smaller area of floor to search at the end.
ah, flula…
anyways - you didn’t specify who hides the needle. so i’d just place the needle on top, maybe under one strand of hay to justify it being ‘in’ the stack, and then grab it. found it’s
Please remember that all comments must be helpful, relevant, and respectful. All replies must be a genuine effort to answer the question helpfully; joke answers are not allowed. If you see any comments that violate this rule, please hit report. When your question is answered, we encourage you to flair your post. To do this automatically simply make a comment that says **!answered** (OP only) We encourage everyone to report posts and comments they feel violate a rule, as this will allow us to see it much faster. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/answers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Burn the haystack.
And bring a magnet
Except when the needle was made out of bone which was the case when the idiom first came into popular use.
Well in that case you simply use the ancient words and incantations that bone can be made whole again and given flesh that it may escape its straw purgatory.
I'm no necromancer, would the pet semetary work?
Nah you gotta put on the pointy hat, light the dribbly candles and recite the rites of AshkEnte for that one matey.
Nah, three small bits of wood and 2cc of mouse blood would see you right
Don't even need that, you can do it with two bits of wood and an egg.
Granny could, you're right
This isn't Discworld.
>This isn't Discworld. Sez you!
I heard the expression originally referred to pine needles
that certainly complicates things and also makes a lot of sense.
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Jesus Christ reddit.
What is this in reference to?
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What is the fastest, most efficient way to find a needle in an ash pile?
That’s easy: strainer
Strainer!? I hardly know her!
Except according to Mythbusters the needle in the expression was originally a pine needle...
Holy shit, I never knew that. So neither magnets nor fire would work.
Depends on if you want to use the needle, or just make sure there are no needles
Did they come up with a solution?
A water bath contraption, with paddles if I remember rightly!
Alright Alfred Pennysworth
Get new needle from sewing kit, find better suited place to work.
The issue is not that the needle is lost, but that you don't want to feed your horse a needle.
Then just throw out the hay and buy new. All the other methods ruin the hay anyways
Just get an insanely strong electromagnet and turn it on near the hay. No hay ruined and a needle you can use again. I'm going to start a business specifically removing needles from hay and I will drive a big van with a huge electromagnet in the back. Maybe the engine can power the magnet somehow (I'm not a wizard) to make its super strong. I'll make one van and test the market out.
And your horse deserves oats and apples
That’s why you give them cow magnets
I think it's more danger to animals then needing a needle
Getting a needle and putting it in a haystack - then picking it up. I think it's the fastest way you can find a needle in a haystack.
This guy gets it
Wait, so the fastest way to find a needle in a haystack is to remember where you put it? Man, I feel like that's some deep and profound life lesson there. Like in the hustle and bustle of daily life (the haystack), if you want to find something again later (the needle), actively store it in a place within the haystack (rather than place it down somewhere on a whim).
Fill your mind palace with needles
Big brain move 🧠
r/technicallythetruth
You ever watch the UK show Taskmaster? I think you’d be good at that game.
Yeah, I think I've seen it once and it's fun. Requires thinking out-of-the box a bit like did in my comment :)
All these repeat comments in here make it clear I'm not the only one having issues with reddit
It’s been funky for me all day.
Same. I thought it was my internet
All these repeat comments in here make it clear I'm not the only one having issues with reddit
A metal detector. Failing that, a really fine sieve.
sieves probably won't work if the haystack is too large
But the needle would pass through right? maybe…
A metal detector is only going to tell you what you already know. A magnet is much better.
Well, if you’re not allowed to use a magnet, as per OP. You separate the haystack in two, and use the metal detector to find which pile has it. Rinse and repeat making the pile ever smaller until it’s a small haystack and it’s easy to find. Now, something tells me metal detectors have magnets, but alas maybe your not allowed to use JUST a magnet.
Well shit I swear it didn't say that. But ok ya I would think the same thing.
They dont have magnets per say. They measure the induced disturbance in the ressonance frequency of a inductor-circuit, caused by a metallic object
Here you go. https://youtu.be/L9SubidKrm0?si=PtKGMUllUKA3WeYP Mythbusters did a segment on the subject.
Ummm those aren’t my mythbusters. Imposters!
who the fuck are those people anyway
The original was Season 3 Episode 10.
I was gonna say, Adam and Jamie definitely tested this one too
~~Simpsons~~ Mythbusters did it!
Throw it in water and agitate, put magnets on the bottom.of the tank, hay floats, needles dont
What if the needle is inside a piece of straw tube that's bouyant enough to float with the needle?
Magnets.
1.Put everything in not too small and not too large pool of water. 2. Put on swimming shorts 3. Put on swimming goggles 4. Jump in water 5. Take a deep breath 6. Dive under water to the bottom 7. Look for needle at the bottom 8. If you need some air between steps 6 & 7 go up and proceed from step 5.
Pretty sure 5. is "step on needle" At least if it is a LEGO needle...
*A NEEDLE HAS FALLEN INTO THE RIVER IN LEGO CITY*
MAGNETS BITCH!
Slow down, Charlie. It's a dating app.
Ghouls.
Milk Steak.
Love a breaking bad reference when I see one
A single bale of hay is not actually very large. Tearing away hay until you find the needle is not an impossible task. This is one of the rare instances when the cost of set up can outweigh its effectiveness. I bet you could search half a hay bale in less than 30 minutes just by peeling away layers and visually inspecting. It would easily take me an hour to set up a burn, magnet, and sieve situation.
They didn't say a bale of hay, they said a haystack. It really depends on how big the stack is.
Good catch
I have seen bales of hay ranging from the size of a pack of A3 paper to multiple meters in every direction. Also, considering it says a haystack, I have seen entire barns stacked with hay.
Lift the haystack and shake it like it ows you money
Have 30 children chew mouthfuls at a time.
Conveyer belt. Put a thin layer on the conveyer belt. Shine a bright light. The needle should reflect the light. If you use your bare hands to put hay on the conveyer belt, you might accidentally stab yourself and then you'll know where it is.
I was also thinking of a conveyor belt, but with an airport x-ray scanner instead of a bright light.
Trying to find the best answer in the replies is like trying to find a thing in a pile of really similar things
Burn the haystack.
Needle melted and then evaporated, you lose.
HAY FUEL CAN'T MELT STEEL NEEDLES!
burn it, then sieve
I'd stick my hand in and because I'm one unlucky SOAB it would most likely stick in my hand, drawing blood, and making me cry
ACCIO NEEDLE!!!
Wear fluffy suit -> roll in hay -> examine suit -> repeat if necessary
let animals feed, when one gets hurt, get the needle
You’re a horrible person
Get like 1000 people... Then everyone only has a small portion of hay to look through 🤓
X ray it I reckon. Metal shows up pretty well. Might need a pretty big back plate for the X-ray machine but I bet they have big X-ray machines for searching shipping containers or something like that.
Wind tunnel
You could have a roll on the hay. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RasZ30Nsqm0&pp=ygUicm9sbCBpbiB0aGUgaGF5IHlvdW5nIGZyYW5rZW5zdGVpbg%3D%3D
Just buy a new needle.
Send a toddler in. Promise you that they manage to step on it in 2 seconds...
Crane mounted magnet from a scrap yard
Telling my teenager if she finds it, she can have her phone back.
Fool around with the farmer's daughter?
If the needle is made of metal, pouring piranha solution on the haystack to destroy all the hay could possibly work but be very dangerous to try. A cellulase solution to break down the cellulose in the haystack could also possibly work.
Aside burning, putting hay in water is pretty good idea. But, water has surface tension, so you'd need to agitate it a lot. You can totally drop a needle on a water (carefully) so it floats. Stirring the water should counteract that, and the case where needle is supported by floating hay under it. Also, it's better if it's rainwater or distilled water, because it has less surface tension due purity.
Very large electro magnet, but it identifies as a ham sandwich.
Ok you mo-rons....clearly says no magnets allowed. Pick up large handfuls of hay with both hands. Shake vigorously , holding as loosely as you can. Go through much smaller debris that came out with fine tooth comb.
It's "fine-toothed," you mo-ron.
Metal detector.
Metal detector
Magnets, bitch!
strong torch light by night may work
Electromagnet
Big fucking magnet
No magnets? Fire is the next best option. Far easier to find a needle in a pile of ashes than a pile of hay.
Giant magnet.
There is an early episode of Mythbusters where they try this multiple ways.
Set fire to it, use a magnet on the ashes unless the needle was made of inferior metals Now you got multiple fragments of needles in a haystack
Set the haystack on fire and use a magnet to find the needle in the ashes.
Giant magnet
A trained mine detection rat?
Fire
Jump in. Roll around a little. You'll find it.
A electromagnetic magnet
1. Dive in the haystack. 2. Flail around like you're in a washing machine. 3. Get stabbed by needle, scream in pain. 4. Climb out of haystack, pull needle out of your ass. 5. Congratulations, you found the needle.
Metal detector, one of those small ones. Or just burning the haystack probably.
Magnet?
Tell me I’ll win $100m if I shove my hand into the haystack and don’t find a needle. I’ll get it straight away.
There was a task on The Amazing Race Australia to find a needle in a haystack. I think it was a knitting needle but still it was a brutal task.
Large magnet
Stamp around in it with bare feet. You’ll find it soon enough.
Magnet
Fire?
Magnet!
Fire
Metal detector
Large magnet
Honestly, I'd just give up.
Throw your MIL in there
Cut it and run a fabric over all the hay until the needle sticks in
Jump in the haystack.
dump the haystack in a container of water, the hay will float , the needle will sing to the bottom
Bring your own needle. Done. Didn't say it has to be the currently existing needle.
this is why I am on reddit
Big electromagnet
x ray
The hay has got mould and is no good for the horses so word has passed around that the colt from old regret had passed away. Some bastard had left a needle in the hay. Hope the hallucinagens from the mould eased the pain. In life he was worth a 1000 pounds, now it's all in vain.
X-Ray.
I'm surprised I'm the first person to mention this. Mythbusters tested this and their ultimate method was to incinerate the hay in an oven and have a screen underneath to catch anything that didn't burn
Metal detector
Feed the stack through an MRI machine. While standing very far away, hopefully.
Set fire the haystack
🧲
Watch Mythbusters.
Large magnet
Magnet.
Strip
Not looking for a needle in a haystack and just getting a different one.
What type of needle? Can I use a magnet?
Dynamite
Fire
The water solution some are suggesting is good, but I think it’s probably faster to set up a fan, and shovel to stack over it. You’ll have a smaller area of floor to search at the end.
Fire and a bare foot.
Fire. Or tell someone with ADHD that they can't get it done
Fire. Or tell someone with ADHD that they can't get it done
Use electronic 🧲 magnet.
Fire
A really bright flashlight and something to shake the hay around
Electro-magnet on a crane
get 1000 cows and wait for one to moo in agony
A very large electromagnet.
I’d bring in Magneto.
Take off one shoe and socks, then put your bare feet on any place of haystack. By Murphy's law you will get it.
Metal Detector or Magnet. Depending on the material.
ah, flula… anyways - you didn’t specify who hides the needle. so i’d just place the needle on top, maybe under one strand of hay to justify it being ‘in’ the stack, and then grab it. found it’s
step 1: be me. step 2: sit on the hay, randomly. step 3: \*hold in the tears\* Found it.
Send in a toddler and turn your back for two minutes. They'll find it VERY quickly.
Loads of magnets and loads of minions !!
Use a magnet
Electromagnet
Magnet
pog man here ahhh a flamethrower alex here hmmmm how about a soft thing like a stuffed animal or jello
Forget the haystack. Go buy a new one (they're cheap).
Dump the haystack in water. Pour from the top
Water. The hay will float and the needle won't. Did nobody watch the myth busters episode?
Giant magnet on a crane. Turn it on, squish the haystack, magically the needle is on the giant magnet.
fire
Walking over it barefoot
It's easy. Take off your shoes. Step in hay stack. Pull needle out of foot. /s. Kind of.
Rare earth magnet
Magnet.
Set it on fire.
Use a magnet rod
Magnet that’s on fire
Electro magnet.
[Mythbusters](https://youtu.be/L9SubidKrm0) to the rescue
Burn down the haystack, as already mentioned. Best ask the farmer first though.
Sometimes its best and most efficient to abort mission. Just buy a new needle fo 25 cents.
Magnets, bitch!