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Nuts and Bolts fetish?

MadeInUSA

Active member
Joined
Dec 21, 2010
Messages
41
Anyone else enjoy browsing isles of nuts and bolts? Sorting through containers filled with them? Am I crazy?
 
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KermitFrog

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Messages
572
Location
NW Florida
I love them. When my dad shut down his old auto parts store he had an awesome selection there, on top of that I had bought another auto parts store's inventory as well. We have an awesome Dorman assortment too. There's about a 20ft section of wall in our garage dedicated to nuts, bolts, lug nuts, studs, freeze plugs etc.

All this at the house yet whenever my father and I go to Tractor Supply I gravitate towards the nuts & bolts section and have to get him to talk me out of buying more.
 

wssix99

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
5,160
Location
Chicago, IL
Step 1) Save up for a night on the town, an incredible meal, and a trip.
Step 2) Go to Washington, DC.
Step 3) Get dressed up and go to the Sequoia Restaurant.
Step 4) Go in to the bathroom. (You will probably not want to leave after that.)
Step 5) Seek professional help. Dr. Drew, etc.

If you go to this page http://www.arkrestaurants.com/sequoia_dc.html and select "Info & Reservations" you'll see a black terrazzo floor under the bar stools. Its imbedded with brass bolts and nuts. If you go in the bathroom, it carries through in to there to a grand scale. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven. (Except its a bathroom.)
 

dodge610

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Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
5,467
Location
North Canton Ohio
I use to work for a supply house and would take all the inventory that they were going to dispose of. It has saved my and my friends bacon many times over. But i will still go to the hardware store at times and buy more so no you are not crazy. has saved me many times on a evening job when everyplace is closed and you twist a bolt off.
 

Dale B

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Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Messages
875
Location
Rowland Hts , SoCal
Thank goodness , I thought it was just me........ The last 3 places I worked for were closed and sold. I gathered up all the loose hardware on the benches and "lucky Boxes" etc and took it home , I'll need 200 hours to sort all of it , then I won't live long enough to use all of it !! hahaha
 

dodge610

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Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
5,467
Location
North Canton Ohio
Thank goodness , I thought it was just me........ The last 3 places I worked for were closed and sold. I gathered up all the loose hardware on the benches and "lucky Boxes" etc and took it home , I'll need 200 hours to sort all of it , then I won't live long enough to use all of it !! hahaha

Nope its not just you never been rich so when i get a chance for free nuts and bolts i go for it. Guess that makes us hoarders thats until a buddy calls and says you got one of these then your a life saver lol.
 

Delawaredave

Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
5
Speaking of bolts, any recommendations on where/how to get a deal on galvanized nuts/bolts/washers ?

I'm building a deck- need a pile 1/2x8" carriage bolts - Lowes/Home Depot wants a couple bucks apiece.... Thanks !
 

Outlander

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Messages
5,154
Location
Quebec, Canada
My name is Outlander and I like fasteners.

...and trailers.....

I turn to jelly when I go to the flea market and see the dude with a trailer full of fasteners.

Please help.
 

tez929rr

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 26, 2005
Messages
3,760
Location
Welfare, TX
Whenever I had to buy a fastener for a car/bike I usually bought two or three, and was slowly building up a stockpile. Then I found a package of assorted SS bike bolts and got hooked. Then I bought this:

LM-filled.jpg

http://www.boltdepot.com/Metric_ass..._Metric_Bolt_Assortments_Stainless_steel.aspx

and this:
P12C-filled.jpg

http://www.boltdepot.com/Metric_ass...Metric_Screw_Assortments_Stainless_steel.aspx

I am slowly getting all the others I bouight over the years sorted in. If I'm not careful, eventually I 'll have one of those sets of sliding drawers like at the hardware store.

But it makes me happy.
 

Dmaxman

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
334
Location
Montreal, Canada
You can never have enough.How many time have you needed a bolt or screw and thought " damn if i only had one of this size it would be perfect"
 

IH82BL8

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
500
Location
Bowie, Md
I wouldn't say I have a fetish, but I NEVER discard any old nut bolt, washer or screw. And if I buy hardware that's not exactly what I need, I never return it, I just keep it. That has saved me trips to the store on future projects.

BTW, while you're just hanging out in the fasteners dept, feel free to sort through stuff and return misplaced items to their correct bins. It drives me nuts to go into those places and find that everything's been shuffled by people who have to finger everything before making their purchase and don't return unpurchased item to where they belong.
 

Brad54

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 13, 2006
Messages
4,646
There is nothing so satisfying as a neighbor needing a bolt to fit something, and saying "Sure... hold on" and walking over to the big bin and finding one.

It's mandatory if you work on cars, motorcycles or whatever.

My biggest thing right now is storage, but I'm working on it.

-Brad
 

Photo

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 4, 2007
Messages
165
Location
Canada
There is nothing so satisfying as a neighbor needing a bolt to fit something, and saying "Sure... hold on" and walking over to the big bin and finding one.

-Brad

Hey,

I resemble that remark!

Lane
 
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Shadowdog500

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Dec 7, 2009
Messages
9,850
Location
Down the shore
Last edited:

Will67

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
852
Location
Hell's half acre
I am lucky there is a place called Blue Collar Supply here in Sacramento the sells stainless steel nuts in bolts by pound...$6.50.

I have coffee cans and soup cans as my current nuts n bolts bins
 

Skysurfer

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
346
I saw an employee putting this in the dumpster at a manufacturing company while I was making a delivery so I had him toss it in my truck instead. They sweep the floor and put the dropped hardware in tubs but don't bother to resort it. 180 pounds, including a good amount of stainless hardware.


IMG_0016-1.jpg
 

BigMike782

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
1,859
Location
49120
When I worked in the hardware store we had about 120'(6' high) of fasteners and when the rep came in to order stock he pitched all the loose stuff in coffee cans and then gave it to me.Then they changed storage systems and he gave me a bunch of the "cubes".......now if I could just keep them organized:)
If they sell by the piece check the difference between by the piece and by the box,most times you will find the box price very appealing.

Galvanized is gonna be pricey no matter what......extra steps = extra cost.
If you buy galv at different places make sure they mate up.Some are made under size to account for the plating and then chased to clean them up.Others just plate and chase so nuts from one place may not fit bolts from another.

One other thing I learned recently from a friend that has worked in China.At 6PM they shut off all electric power so whatever product is in the heat treat ovens gets left......good mfg processes:wtf: and no,they don't throw it out,it goes in with the rest of the product.......can you say grade 8 rubber bands?:lol_hitti
 

wssix99

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
5,160
Location
Chicago, IL
I saw an employee putting this in the dumpster at a manufacturing company while I was making a delivery so I had him toss it in my truck instead. They sweep the floor and put the dropped hardware in tubs but don't bother to resort it. 180 pounds, including a good amount of stainless hardware.


IMG_0016-1.jpg

This is a pretty X-rated picture to be posting in a fetish thread... I'm getting hot...
 

4Tigers

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2011
Messages
85
Location
Gresham, Oregon
lucky to have a friend that works in an Avionics shop, got a huge box of aircraft hardware and spent the winter holidays sorting.

saved a bunch when building the RV-9A and serving the club planes.

also have the coffee cans full of car hardware

LIKE Brad54 says my neighbor loves my hardware bin
 

4wd4ever

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
47
Location
New Westminster BC
I too am bad with keeping misc nuts and bolts...problem is I don't have ANYWHERE to store them right now (waiting for building permit) so they sit in my empty Tim Horton coffee tins waiting....I wonder what Freud would say about all this nuts and bolts hoarding...LOL
 
OP
M

MadeInUSA

Active member
Joined
Dec 21, 2010
Messages
41
I am lucky there is a place called Blue Collar Supply here in Sacramento the sells stainless steel nuts in bolts by pound...$6.50.

I have coffee cans and soup cans as my current nuts n bolts bins

I'm In Sacramento as well. I've been there a few times :bounce:
 

Boyd Who

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 15, 2007
Messages
1,080
Location
Manitoba
I have half a dozen or so 1-gallon ice cream pails full of old hardware. I've also been buying up new gr-5 stuff by the pound when it goes on sale.
 

hedjhawg

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
188
Location
Green Bay, WI
Engineer (drawing) flat file and 2"-tall Harbor Freight poly bins.
 

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DaveN13

Active member
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
29
Location
Burbank, CA
If you live near a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store it can be a great source for lots of fasteners. And, even better, they're cheap. Generally they're sold by the pound. I'm in Southern Cal, and have been to the store in Irwindale. There's one in Pasadena as well.
 

Okie Pete

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Messages
653
Location
willow springs,okla
Skysufer i have a cousin that worked at a winery . Every thing had stainless fasteners . If they dropped a bolt or nut fixing something they were not to pick it up . It cost the Co. to much lost time in picking up the dropped pieces and if they had extra bolts when a job was done .They were thrown away it cost to much to sort and put back into the bolt bins.
I think we are all nuttier than a squirrel turd.
 
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