the saga of the metric bolt

[ugly_90]

I seem to have had some trouble getting local plated metric hardware in GP and Edmonton.  Edmonton Nut and Bolt, Bolt Supply House, Northern Metalic; all seemed to have only the black oxide finish metric hardware, which would quickly rust.

I could sometimes find a few small expensive packages of plated metric at CT and HD, but not at the price or sizes that I needed.

I was able today, to find the Metric plated hardware I needed at Gregg's Distributors. I would suggest members start there.

Most of the Defender hardware is metric, but not all. I asked only about Class 8.8 at Greggs, Perhaps they have the stronger 10.9 there as well.

[Red90]

Are you talking something special?  Normal plated coarse thread is at all the fastener places and Home Depot.

The harder to find ones are UNF. All cars have used metric for a long time.

[ugly_90]

Yup, as noted earlier, CT (Canadian Tire), and HD ( Home Depot) do have various plated metric hardware at varying prices. This can be handy if you need only a few nuts and bolts, particularly on a Sunday morning or something.

I tend to buy a box of nuts or bolts if there's a common size I'll use again, or on a larger project.

The root of my post was the lack of plated metric hardware at industrial bolt supply shops, and the available supply from Gregg's. I tend to avoid DIY shops for bolting hardware.

[Red90]

That is strange.  Never have problems buying any normal (hex head) metric fasteners at any fastener suppliers in Calgary.  Metric stock is not much different to imperial stock.  For the home gamer, Bolt Supply has the full range out front.  It seems strange that the same companies would act differently in Edmonton, seeing as that is where all the industry is located.

For what it is worth, if you are not with a company that already buys a lot of this stuff, most of these places will let you setup an account and the discounts are quite large compared to retail.

[ugly_90]

Perhaps my experience is more Grande Prairie biased, but I do recall the same trouble when I visited Edmonton. There are Gregg's across Alberta, this is a shameless plug for them, but I don't know anyone there.

Should there be a better local source, I guess guys will use that.

[SpeedyJ]

I was looking for stainless metric hardware (m5 and m8) last week in Calgary and had a hell of a time. Calgary Fasteners on 42 had nothing at all, so they sent me to their other location where they basically laughed at me, but could, if I insisted order me quantities of 100.

I ended up at Quest in the SE, they had some of what I need, but I still ended up substituting most of my order with plated bolts, non-nylock nuts and longer then ideal lengths. I really didn't think that an m5x20mm button head bolt was so special!

I'm much prefer to order exactly what I want online in the quantities that I want. It's clear that the industrial supply places don't want my money - which I get, it's a small invoice for them, but I'd like to find someone that does want my $50 order.

[Already a Rover]

Hi.  Try Industrial Supply near Blackfoot Trail and Manhattan Road.  They have had everything I needed no-far.  Perhaps call first, but they have a lot of stainless. 

237 8664

[SpeedyJ]

Cool, thanks for the tip. I've got this project buttoned up now, by I'll try there first next time. That's between home and work (more or less), so it's convenient too.

[Already a Rover]

They had lots of 1/4" stainless button-head socket-head bolts.  I even got to go in the back and oogle at all their stock - they HAVE BOLTS!

Jim

[binch]

Hi.  Try Industrial Supply near Blackfoot Trail and Manhattan Road.  They have had everything I needed no-far.  Perhaps call first, but they have a lot of stainless. 

237 8664

Is this the place you are on about? http://www.bisci.ca/product-list.html

Another good spot is Fastenal and they have shops all over.   Great place for rivots too! ;)

[camo388]

I could sometimes find a few small expensive packages of plated metric at CT and HD, but not at the price or sizes that I needed.

Adam are you not able to buy through work?  Places I had worked at, I could.  I got things at the shops cost and generally worked well.  It worked the best if the office was informed so they didn't came looking for which job to bill parts to. :D  Some stores like NAPA, would even allow me to order through the shop name (for a lower cost) and then pay cash.  I got the parts and the shop got the paid receipt.

[Already a Rover]

Hi.  Try Industrial Supply near Blackfoot Trail and Manhattan Road.  They have had everything I needed no-far.  Perhaps call first, but they have a lot of stainless. 

237 8664

Is this the place you are on about? http://www.bisci.ca/product-list.html

Another good spot is Fastenal and they have shops all over.   Great place for rivots too! ;)

Yup, that's it.

[RWAYOUT]

I have access to vast amounts of fasteners / electrical parts since we build / fabricate automotive ( mechanical & electrical )
I can look in the catalogs and see what is available. We order in bulk , but smaller amounts are not an issue if a few people wanted to band together and get more than 3 or 4 small items. We used to deal with Lawson, but found a different supplier that was cheaper and had better selection, including WeatherPack connectors and other Waterproof electrical.