Fastener Supply

[chris parkin]

Afternoon all,

 

Having only had a garage for about a year, I'm slowly building up a nice collection of junk (no love, I'm not throwing that away! It might come in handy!). One thing I have fallen short on a few times now is my collection of machine screws. I did manage to get my hands on a jam jar full of them from when I cleared out my Granddad's house which have scraped me through what I need so far but I think now is the time to get some lint bins on the wall with a healthy collection in.

 

Question is, where is the best place to source? I've had a quick look around at the usual places (screwfix/toolstation etc.) with limited success, a fastener supplier that sells to the public would be ideal.

 

Cheers

Chris

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

Have you tried Hilti.

 

https://www.hilti.co.uk/search?text=machine%20screws

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Namrick are a good and trusted name in the industry. (There are plenty more, but they seem happy with small orders etc)

[carbon-nv]

I'd second Dave's suggestion

 

Namrick have always despatched very quickly and are happy to fulfil small orders

[Deanspoors]

eBay, perfect for smaller orders, plus often free delivery and you can get almost anything you need on there. I've bought all my fasteners off there. 

[chris parkin]

eBay, perfect for smaller orders, plus often free delivery and you can get almost anything you need on there. I've bought all my fasteners off there. 

I did have a quick nosey, although I was looking for the multipacks, maybe I need to just create a list of what I need and chip away.

 

thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Places like Hilti are great if you're stocking up and know exactly what you need, but the minimum order quantities can catch you out. Things like bolt grade etc can also be a little more buried on the page. They're more geared for the trade supply side of things. Though very handy if you need ti nip in somewhere and pick supplies up in a hurry.

 

In that vein, don't overlook local suppliers, there's probably not as many now as there used to be, but most areas with a light engineering base tend to have a fastening supply outlet in the area. They can often be significantly cheaper than buying on line, and most are helpful if you're not 100% sure what to ask for, but can take a sample of what you need in, or  "one of these, but 60mm long" type of thing. Just don't go at peak times!!

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

eBay, perfect for smaller orders, plus often free delivery and you can get almost anything you need on there. I've bought all my fasteners off there. 

 

I use Ebay all the time for many fasteners, BUT it's one of those things where, if you have to ask, I almost wouldn't recommend!

 

The problem is, in amongst the bargains and the decent stuff, there's lots of over priced product, both good and bad. Plus there's an awful lot of cheap and very nasty fasteners around, made out of what a friend of mine likes to call "Monkey Metal". Fasteners from some of these places, used in safety critical areas could be a genuine risk to life and limb.

 

Some of the  value multi-packs can be the worst for this, when bought from less reputable sources.

[AdamR]

I've used http://www.nutandboltman.com in the past, delivery is quite pricey but as soon as you've bought a tenner's worth of kit it works out great value.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

This place has been recommended in the past,

https://www.orbitalfasteners.co.uk/

As has this place,

http://www.westfieldfasteners.co.uk/

Note on the last one, while stainless bolts and fastenings have their place, you have to really know your bolt specs when it comes to strength, for use in safety critical areas, like suspension, steering and braking. So normally I wouldn't recommend stainless for those areas.

[dombanks]

I ordered a massive load from orbital fasteners... about £60 and have FAR too many.... I found their prices to be much cheaper than ebay hence me having too many.

 

https://www.orbitalfasteners.co.uk/en/categories/socket-allen-cap-screws-din-912-bs4168-iso-4762

[Ben30R]

I work at a fastner place haven't been here long but seem to do most things and source anything fastner related.

http://www.i-fast.co.uk/copy-of-contact

[chris parkin]

Wow, some great suggestions, thanks guys. This is one of those things that if you're in the know, your money can go along way.

I'd only ever use stainless bolts in places I don't want corrosion, in terms of tensile strength they are no match for carbon steel.

[DamperMan]

Another bit of advise... Put some oil on stainless threads when doing them up. It prevents cold welding/ gulling of the threads. Stainless is funny stuff!

Also if a stainless bolt passes through a mild steel item... It creates a corrosion cell.. Basically the steel will rust more where the bolt passes and often stick together. It's a common issue where stainless crush tubes in suspension bushes have a steel bolt through. Again the best solution is a dollop of grease

[chris parkin]

Another bit of advise... Put some oil on stainless threads when doing them up. It prevents cold welding/ gulling of the threads. Stainless is funny stuff!

Also if a stainless bolt passes through a mild steel item... It creates a corrosion cell.. Basically the steel will rust more where the bolt passes and often stick together. It's a common issue where stainless crush tubes in suspension bushes have a steel bolt through. Again the best solution is a dollop of grease

I had a clio 197 and literally spent hours trying to remove a pin from the caliper due to a mild steel retaining sleeve in an aly bore. A tear was running down my face as I took the angle grinder to the burred over pin on my shiny brembo calipers!