Hardware

Most of my fastener purchases are for small screws. (2-56 down) They come in packages of 100. For larger sizes, 50 or 25 per package is more common. In any case, I purchase packages rather than singles whenever possible. Even occasionally find partial packages on eBay or the like.

When someone walks in and purchases 2 or 3 of something, the counterman has to bust open a package to meet that demand. Quite often they will simply deny that size. When they do admit to having it, they must charge almost enough for the entire package simply because once the package is broken (short) it cannot be sold. And the probability of another buyer showing up wanting the same fastener start at slim and get smaller. The simplist solution is to sell "full packages only". Of course, a regular bulk customer or a "friend" will show up and the counterman faces a quandry of "maybe just this time" . . . The counterman usually has several tasks that must be interupted to deal with a walk in. So he breaks another full package. All in all, a warehouse ends up as a giant bin of singles.

Conceded, I have dozens of sizes, some few specialty fasteners, stashed all over my shop. And cry whenever I think of the cost of them all. But, when I need a particular fastener, it's a matter of looking through such a supply rather than waiting a few days for one to ship in. And if the project is for a paying customer, I can make up the cost of a full package with often a single job. And the boost to my "reputation" for knowing exactly what is needed is priceless.

Then there is the matter of "grades". The big box stores carry the cheapest fastener they can find for many most sizes. They are often the same grade as older motorcycle fasteners, made of pressed toilet paper and glue. Not even epoxy, just model airplane glue. By purchasing Grade 5 or Grade 8 for most of my fasteners, they are often overkill but still cheaper per piece than going 5 miles to Home Depot or 10 miles to Lowe's.

I apologize for getting so wound up over the subject, I'm feeling salty today. And remembering 50 years back on a ship in the South Pacific that was a thousand miles from spare parts.

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I’m in Dave’s boat. My work installs so much stuff that comes with replacement hardware for every nut and bolt and washers that I literally had five gallon buckets of hardware. Four buckets at a time one for bolts, one for nuts, one for washers and lock washers,and one for cotter pins, c clips and anything else. When they got full I’d bring them home. My winters would consist of sorting out everything and putting them in nut and bolt bins. I’m stocked for life.
Although when I need a size I don’t have I do a order through McMaster Carr you cannot beat their service And I don’t mind having to stock the extras for a next time.
Their will be a next time!
 
Fastenal will only sell to commercial accounts .
Since the pandemic, you can't go in the store but you can call in the order and they will curb side deliver.
I found the bolts by the pound to be more expensive than just buying a box.
I bought some bolts at an Ace Hardware that had the mega hardware aisle,
I paid dearly but they just what I wanted.
Being able to walk in pick out the hardware, pay for it and leave is worth a fortune. Everyone wants to "order" it, shirt I can order it too.
 
A quick price check between bolt depot and mcmaster netted the same price within cents.
Looks like bolt depot would sell me one bolt!
I started a cart to see what would happen. Thinking it might be like the O ring and Seal websites...you put in the cart and it tells you there is a minimum of pieces on that item.
Not all items but it has to me....I have a great selection of metric as well as imperial sizes.
 
extropic said:
They don't accept online orders and that's a heck of a round trip from Sunnyvale (and most everywhere else). LOL
Click to expand...
You are correct. It is quite a trip. But the premier cooperative access blacksmith facility in California, Vista Forge, is just north of San Diego. Now, that's worth the trip! It's worth a visit just to see all the aisles with the open boxes and the hobbyists picking out onsies and twosies. One of them told me that their socket head cap screws are high quality unlike the junk on import toolholders, even though they are unmarked.
 
I live in an area where there are lots of real farms. Not huge agribusiness farms, but family farms. There is also a healthy level of small manufacturing/repair business nearby. We have at least 3 commercial fastener businesses within 25 miles that are not national chains (like Fastenal, which is here also, but has trouble competing against the locals), servicing those markets. I am spoiled!

For small quantities, I patronize two places. The local building supply is an Ace Hardware dealer, and has a pretty extensive fastener aisle. Like most places nowadays, this section is stocked and set up by a contractor. This is why so many of the places like this have identical displays. The store gets to choose how large the selection is, and it can be amazingly extensive. One True Value store in the nearest (15 miles) larger city has a huge selection, and is considered the "go-to" place for oddball fasteners.

The other place in town that has a good selection of nuts and bolts is the local NAPA Auto Parts store. Grade 5, 8, and metric. Not cheap, but not expensive, and very handy.

Since we have active farming, we have real farm stores. Not hobby farm stores, like Tractor Supply (although we have one of those, too) that cater to the suburban-type "farmer." They have real hardware inventories, and again, those are supplied by a vendor. Un-plated nuts and bolts are very inexpensive there, also in Grades 5 and 8, and an increasing stock of metric.

I have a rule of thumb for buying fasteners. If it is a nut, washer, or lock washer, and I need more than 10, I buy a box. If it is a bolt or screw, I consider if it is likely that I'll ever need more. Because I am a registered business, I qualify as a commercial customer at my favorite fastener source, Cascade Nut & Bolt, and they will sell me whatever quantity I want, and if I want 1 or 25 I can get that many. I often buy 20 or 25 if I need less than 10, just to keep them on hand. I have bolt bins, and keep them stocked when they run low. One nice thing about this is that they supply intermediate lengths, like 1-1/4", which are never stocked at retail stores.

I long ago discovered that it is less expensive to buy fasteners in bulk than to run around buying them one at a time. You just can't stock every length, but having a variety of thread sizes has saved my bacon over and over again. Once again, nuts, washers (USS, SAE, fender, etc.), and lock washers are something that is affordable to buy in bulk, and well worth the investment.
 
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