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Hoarding Hardware

bonneyman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
8,754
Location
Desert SW
Two out of three times my hardware hoard prevents me from having to go to the store for a job. Well worth the cans! :thumbup:

Ha! Went to pump up my bicycle tires, and the valve lever on the end of the hose snapped off! dang it! Then remembered I had some spare pieces in my parts bin - got it fixed in about 20 minutes. :thumbup:
 
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honcho

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Joined
Feb 2, 2011
Messages
2,288
Location
Near Sodom & Gommorah (aka Wash. DC)
I try to keep only high value or high quality hardware around and, even then, when I need it I usually can't find it. It pains me to pitch usable hardware, but if it can't be found when needed, it's already worthless.

However, once in a while I can find what I need when I need it. My daughter needed a lugnut for her car and I actually had the correct one in my stash and knew where it was. A small victory!
 

Dieselhammer

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Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Messages
117
Location
Upstate New York
i have an amazing amount of chock full of nuts and cafe bustello coffee cans full of the same problem. I however did manage to keep some organization while i filled them and sorted them by type, or kept a can or two for a certain vehicle i parted out E.G. 1986 trans am, or 1994 kx125. If/when you do have to organize i recommend grabbing a 30 pack and setting a day aside lol.
 
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lardy1

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Joined
Mar 17, 2019
Messages
3,387
Location
Michigan
Well, it has come a long way. The two buckets on the lower left are still full and unsorted. Everything else is sorted. Not yet categorized conveniently yet, but sorted. The two buckets are still a lot of work but I'm getting there.


hoard2.jpg


And I don't blame anyone for not doing it. I'm retired. It keeps me in the shop and out of her way.
 

RTM

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Joined
May 13, 2019
Messages
13,058
Location
SF Bay Area
And I don't blame anyone for not doing it. I'm retired. It keeps me in the shop and out of her way.

And she keeps grabbing every extra fastener she can find, and tosses it in the buckets to make sure it stays that way?
 

Farmerjonathan

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
349
Location
Northwestern Indiana
When I started teaching, there was a Furrow's Lumberyard close by and I would buy their five gallon bucket of nut/bolt aisle sweeping. Any kid that didn't have a project had to sort. A couple buckets and the whole class would have their projects in!!

Bought some when my girls were little, was good times BS'ing with them and sorting. Probably should buy some more for the grandkids and I to do. Can be some valuable pieces down in those buckets. Gave like 20 or 25 bucks for a 5 gallon bucket.
 
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DadsTools

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Joined
Jul 27, 2017
Messages
1,852
My father used to work at a US Naval Yard as a mechanic (I won't mention which one!). When he passed, I inherited his fasteners, which I named the Fabulous Fastener Collection. OK...you've read about the crazy prices the government spends, like $100 hammers and such? Well, this is what they were. You don't find these at your local Ace or Home Depot. And stainless out the wazoo (think Navy aircraft). Took me months of spare time to sort them all. Was kind of cool because it was my dad's stuff. Used many of those plastic drawer organizers. If they wouldn't fit into one drawer, I'd just keep filling the next successive drawers.

My wife had a friend who was a mechanic and tinkerer. He would always brag about what he was building and fixing, would talk non-stop. I finally brought him into the shop to show him the rows of many organizers filled with fasteners of all kinds. It was the only time I knew him to stop talking--he halted in mid-sentence and just stared. Priceless.

Great stuff, has pulled me out of running to the store many times. One problem, though, in today's world--it's all SAE. No metric.
 

bonneyman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
8,754
Location
Desert SW
... I'm retired. It keeps me in the shop and out of her way.

:lol_hitti

The last independent hardware store in town is closing next week. Now it's nothing but Ace and Lowes/HD. Glad I have the stock I have - probably gonna wish I had more. :(
 

signcrafter

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Joined
May 9, 2012
Messages
12,317
20200110_160928.jpgI have spent countless hours organizing my hardware stash and could spend another lifetime on it and don't think I'll ever get it 100%.
 
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Crabman

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 17, 2017
Messages
3,826
Location
Alexandria, VA/Dameron, MD
Lardy,

Well, it has come a long way. The two buckets on the lower left are still full and unsorted. Everything else is sorted. Not yet categorized conveniently yet, but sorted. The two buckets are still a lot of work but I'm getting there.

Way to go! I am not far from retirement and have many projects like this laying around. I am sure you feel good about your progress.

Signcrafter,

I have spent countless hours organizing my hardware stash and could spend another lifetime on it and don't think I'll ever get it 100%.

Also looking great!

Bruce
 
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