$20 a week for fasteners!
- Thread starter Thumper68
- Start date
, tons of fastener but not the right one
Don't forget the washers, lock washers, t-nuts, carriage bolts, wing nuts
I'll gather the washers and a few lock nuts but the other stuff I don't use. A little bit hard to see (camera works like **** with poor lighting) but what I picked up today. I might have to sort some stuff out depending how much room is in the bins for these. Just under a pound of bolts and some nuts.
ishiboo
Well-known member
I do something similar, though not weekly, and I think it's a great idea.
Fleet Farm regularly has sales on Grade 2 by the pound. When they do, I pick up about $20-30 of grade 2 and 10-15 bucks worth of grade 3.
Bruce Amacker
Well-known member
I have two stacks of those divided trays in the slide out cabinets for fasteners and electrical terminals, they were getting low recently and I filled them up. Even after price shopping it still cost over two grand to fill them! And I don't do retail work, it's just a hobby shop. Luckily that will last a couple of years.
Strouty
Well-known member
Looks like Nutts should put $20 a week towards a camera from this century. 
rieferman
Well-known member
Ever since a nice, small-time hardware store opened up about a 3 minute drive from my place, AND beats fastener pricing on all other local options (including big box stores) by about 20%, my strategy has changed a little bit.
For one thing... I have just naturally accumulated a nice collection at this point, so I usually can cover ad hoc needs with my existing stock (even if I have to be creative).
Then, when project is on the horizon, or when an ad hoc need isn't met by my current stock, I zip over to my local store and buy enough to complete that project, plus a nice safety extra amount. Usually that entails going to box count, or bigger box count. Over the course of time, it mitigates the instances when I need to run out for an ad hoc need the next time.
Lastly, I've gotten in the habit of using similar fasteners for as many projects as possible. For example, while 3/8" carriage bolts are overkill for much of what I do, I always have a supply of them around over the years, so I've just gotten used to sticking with that. It's more efficient in my case to keep various lengths of 3/8" bolts, and big boxes of the nuts/washers.
For one thing... I have just naturally accumulated a nice collection at this point, so I usually can cover ad hoc needs with my existing stock (even if I have to be creative).
Then, when project is on the horizon, or when an ad hoc need isn't met by my current stock, I zip over to my local store and buy enough to complete that project, plus a nice safety extra amount. Usually that entails going to box count, or bigger box count. Over the course of time, it mitigates the instances when I need to run out for an ad hoc need the next time.
Lastly, I've gotten in the habit of using similar fasteners for as many projects as possible. For example, while 3/8" carriage bolts are overkill for much of what I do, I always have a supply of them around over the years, so I've just gotten used to sticking with that. It's more efficient in my case to keep various lengths of 3/8" bolts, and big boxes of the nuts/washers.
Ramper
Well-known member
I have purchase LOTS of hardware from farm auctions. When I get them they are stored in bogs, boxes, jars, containers, etc.
I give my son the thread detective and a couple of sorting bins and he sorts them for me. I hope he does not post how much he hates that job when he is older (10 now).
I have been working HARD on getting all that hardware sorted and organized. I still need to stop today for a grade 8 3/8 x 3 1/2 bolt.
I give my son the thread detective and a couple of sorting bins and he sorts them for me. I hope he does not post how much he hates that job when he is older (10 now).
I have been working HARD on getting all that hardware sorted and organized. I still need to stop today for a grade 8 3/8 x 3 1/2 bolt.
Looks like Nutts should put $20 a week towards a camera from this century.
ha ha ha I know it's a pos camera and I'd rather use the wife's but I have to sneak that one out to the garage, besides, mine has the better SD card in it. I know it's just a matter of swapping them out but I don't want to screw up here pictures/leave mine in her camera.
I picked up more fasteners today when I picked my truck up from the Rhino Lining shop. I'm going to weed out more Grade 2 when I go back to town again tomorrow.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
When I was race prepping my buggy in January and February I was making daily trips to ACE Hardware for grade 8 bolt packs (bolt, washer, nuts). Depending on sizes, these were costing $2-$3 per bolt pack. Needless to say, this was getting old and I was tired of not having what I needed after hours. The owner of the race team I'm on has a giant Lista bolt bin in the race shop that is always fully stocked........you NEVER have to leave the shop for hardware.
I said screw it, and decided to pick up a bolt bin no matter what it cost. To my surprise, I was able to get a 40 slot steel bin stocked with grade 8 fine hardware in 1/4"-1/2" for $236 out the door. It included various lengths of bolts, washers, lock washers, and nuts. All made in USA, including the bolt bin. I also added a box of nylocks in each size, since I use those in abundance on my buggy. I went from paying $5 for 3 bolts to paying $5 for a whole box.
In the end, the bolt bin has been some of the best money I have spent. It keeps me working and not shopping. My codriver helps me prep and he lives 30min away, so our time together is more productive when we don't have interruptions. We don't reuse hardware for safety reasons, so we're more likely to grab new stuff and not cut corners when we have it on hand.
Another example is I remounted a jack on my parents travel trailer. It was 107 outside, I was working on black asphalt, and sweating my *** off. Instead of having to leave to go get hardware for 20min, I walked over to my bolt bin and grabbed 2 different size bolt packs and finished the job. That hardware alone would've been $6 or more.
I said screw it, and decided to pick up a bolt bin no matter what it cost. To my surprise, I was able to get a 40 slot steel bin stocked with grade 8 fine hardware in 1/4"-1/2" for $236 out the door. It included various lengths of bolts, washers, lock washers, and nuts. All made in USA, including the bolt bin. I also added a box of nylocks in each size, since I use those in abundance on my buggy. I went from paying $5 for 3 bolts to paying $5 for a whole box.
In the end, the bolt bin has been some of the best money I have spent. It keeps me working and not shopping. My codriver helps me prep and he lives 30min away, so our time together is more productive when we don't have interruptions. We don't reuse hardware for safety reasons, so we're more likely to grab new stuff and not cut corners when we have it on hand.
Another example is I remounted a jack on my parents travel trailer. It was 107 outside, I was working on black asphalt, and sweating my *** off. Instead of having to leave to go get hardware for 20min, I walked over to my bolt bin and grabbed 2 different size bolt packs and finished the job. That hardware alone would've been $6 or more.
Last edited:
BearsFan315
Well-known member
can you have TOO many Fasteners ?!?
I like the novel concept of budget buying, say $20 a week
I like the novel concept of budget buying, say $20 a week
Steevo
Well-known member
Between Ace Hardware and Tacoma Screw, I bet I spend over $20 a month on fasteners just to meet the immediate needs of projects. That is above and beyond what I pull from my stash in my file drawers.
I'm sold! Any links or recos?
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
Copperstate Bolt and Nut is where I got it. Their website won't let me link directly to their products. If they have one in your state, check them out. I didn't pay tax because I gave them my business resale certificate.
nadogail
Well-known member
I do not buy grade 2 bolts.
I use K Surplus in National City as my primary fastener supplier, they sell by the pound.
In my little hobby shop, I use only a few fasteners At a time.
My bolt bins were a gift from a former employer after he changed from Mechanics Choice to Bowman. Those free bins would been too expensive to even consider buying.
"Please and Thank You" have gotten me a lot of nice things over the years.
I use K Surplus in National City as my primary fastener supplier, they sell by the pound.
In my little hobby shop, I use only a few fasteners At a time.
My bolt bins were a gift from a former employer after he changed from Mechanics Choice to Bowman. Those free bins would been too expensive to even consider buying.
"Please and Thank You" have gotten me a lot of nice things over the years.
It pisses me off when l have to stop and go to town to buy fasteners. When l buy them l always buy extra - at least a handful. Here TSC sells them by the pound. It has saved many many trips into town
This is exactly why I decided to add some fastener storage when I refurbed the garage. A 15 mile round trip to town for a couple of nuts & bolts is ridiculous, especially when gas was $3.50+/gallon.
Bought another 4 pounds of 1/4-5/16" stuff today.
vette-kid
Well-known member
I have a hard time trying to store hardware in a2 car garage that has to fit 2 cars in it. I have a bin, but out is running low on useful stiff and somehow the trend to mix[emoji35] nothing pisses me off Notre than running to ace 5 times and then fishing what you just bought the next day.
EarlyBroncoGuy
King Of The World
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2013
- Messages
- 922
I confess I'm a bit of a hardware nerd, having just the right size/thread/grade/length/head type/material/finish is important to almost anything I'm working on.
I hate it when I'm working on something and have to use almost every tool in my toolbox to remove a part because the last guy that worked on just threw in whatever type of fastener he had lying around.
I've cut down and added threads to bolts to get just the right size and thread engagement for a particular application. My hardware storage is a huge used blueprint drawer case, each drawer has plastic bins, separated by type and size.
A lot of my restoration projects get bolted back together with stainless hardware in most non-critical applications because I hate spending so much time, energy, and money tearing something apart, cleaning, sandblasting, powdercoating, painting, or plating, getting it all put back together and running only to have normal (zinc, black oxide, cadmium plated, etc) nuts, bolts, and screws rust after just a few months and ruin the appearance.
I hate it when I'm working on something and have to use almost every tool in my toolbox to remove a part because the last guy that worked on just threw in whatever type of fastener he had lying around.
I've cut down and added threads to bolts to get just the right size and thread engagement for a particular application. My hardware storage is a huge used blueprint drawer case, each drawer has plastic bins, separated by type and size.
A lot of my restoration projects get bolted back together with stainless hardware in most non-critical applications because I hate spending so much time, energy, and money tearing something apart, cleaning, sandblasting, powdercoating, painting, or plating, getting it all put back together and running only to have normal (zinc, black oxide, cadmium plated, etc) nuts, bolts, and screws rust after just a few months and ruin the appearance.
Strouty
Well-known member
What I find is the more I have the more I take. Since my organized storage system isn't, I tend to put what doesn't get used in a misc bin when I am done. This is what leads to a big mess for me.
I have that exact same system and hate it with a passion, that is one of the main reasons that I started buying stuff in bulk and putting it in its place as soon as I get to the shop.
It has helped in other ways too, now when I get to the shop and bring in the supplies/parts I have gotten in the habit of putting everything away where it should be even if I'm going to be using it right away. Yes it is an extra step but then if I can't get right to something 1) I don't have a mess and 2) I know right where to look for the part/supply when I do need it.
One other thing that I have started to do is instead of grabbing a handful of fasteners I only grab what I know I'm going to need then there is no parts left over to put away or toss in the mixed bucket to put away later.
Wanna Ride
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2010
- Messages
- 2,790
In my small area, we have a Tractor Supply, a Rural King and a Farm & Fleet that all offer this. Really good way to quickly build a good surplus of hardware.
Does Home Depot still have the bins of fasteners? I needed some bolts/nuts last week and couldn't find the bins. All I saw was a limited selection of bagged fasteners. I didn't have time to go searching for an employee.
My local mom and pop Do-It hardware is better stocked on fasteners than that.
My local mom and pop Do-It hardware is better stocked on fasteners than that.
admranger
Well-known member
For those that are scavenging fasteners from the trash, be sure that the company hasn't just tossed a bunch of suspect/counterfeit fasteners...