This magnet suggestion can still be a challenge if you do not remove the fork properly. With the so called "loose ball bearings" you have to first set the bicycle upright to remove the top bearings in the head set. Then while holdiing the fork in place with your hand you need to flip the bike up side down to remove the bottom set of bearings. This keeps the bearings in the cups so you can retrieve them. If you remove the fork while the bike is still in the upright position, it will cause the bearings to drop out of the bottom cup and scatter them to the various black holes that seem to exist in all of our shops. But I guess you all knew this already.
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ USA