Sorry for the crappy title, not sure what to call this.
I find myself in need of various M4 screws, but I only need 1 of this, and 2 of that, and 3 of this other and so on. McMaster Carr sells in lots of 100, which is waaaaay more than I need.
Do we have bins of different screws/bolts somewhere available to buy/for donation? Like how Electronics has the endless drawers of components, for when you need just a single capacitor without having to go buy a whole bag of them.
If we don’t, anyone have any suggestions for places to shop other than Home Depot? They have some, but not quite all the variations I need.
I bought a few assortments from Amazon when building a 3-d printer that someday I will finish. M3 and M4. The assortments were cheaper than buying individual lengths. Here is one such product: iexcell 100 Pcs M4 x 8/10/12/14/16 Alloy Steel 12.9 Grade Hex Socket Head Cap Screws Bolts Assortment Kit, Black Oxide Finish: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
VCC has quite a few available they are about 0.15 cents each. Check the wiki for VCC Inventory.
I always use Ace Hardware when I need a small quantity. They always have a great selection available by the piece.
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Elliott’s is too dangerous. I go in for a 25 cent bolt and come out with a bathroom makeover.
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Which Ace do you go to? Every time I go to my neighborhood Ace (Coit / Belt Line) the bin or peg with the one thing I need is empty. Like the oddball coin cell battery my car key needed. Plenty of 2032’s but the one I needed was just an empty peg.
Look in the metal drawers located behind the HAAS CNC Milling Machine in the Machine Shop area. There you will find a large assortment of both SAE and Metric hardware. Grab what you need, save some for others.
In the past, I’ve used Wylie Automotive in Wylie, TX for metric (an Ace store?) and Tractor Supply Company (TSC) in Wylie, McKinney, or Princeton (depending on where I’m headed that day) for larger 'Merican sizes.
TSC has hex, carriage, Grade 5 and Grade 8 bolts/washers/lock washers as well as wood screws in a variety of diameters (1/4"+) and lengths (1"+). Prices are by the pound, not the piece, so it is much more affordable than Home Depot.
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Metric is almost non existent in the machine shop stash. Lots of SAE.