Tiny metal hardware

[Theo Markettos]

I've been trying to find metal hardware (in particular L brackets) suitable for M3 bolts or smaller and to use in confined spaces (eg a right-angle turn in say 5-8mm, or maybe a rightangle boss with M3 studs/threaded holes). Can anyone suggest a supplier? All the usual electronics suppliers don't have anything - RS have some at 15mm, but that's the smallest they go. I found:

the postage from the US is going to be painful.

I've looked around model engineering places, but not spotted anything. This is for work, so eBay etc isn't an option. I'll eventually need hundreds, so milling one myself isn't an option either (even if I had the tools).

Is there somewhere that sells this kind of small metal parts?

Thanks, Theo

[Bob Eager]

Spend 50 quid and the postage is free. If you need hundredes, that won't be hard.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Meccano?

Or model engineering..

Try

can order the bits through any model shop.

[John Williamson]

If you're wanting hundreds, try your local precision engineering firm. They'll be more than 30cents each, though....

Surface mail from the USA shouldn't be too dear if you're not in a hurry.

Postal rates here:-

a bit for packaging. Or call/ mail Digikey for a quote, they may have a deal going with a courier service. Many years ago, I used to import motorhome parts from the USA, and the carriage by courier was actually quite reasonable.

[Bob Eager]

Digikey's standard shipping for a < £50 order is £12. For >= £50 it's free.

And it's fast. Order Wednesday, delivered Friday morning.

[Newshound]

> But the postage from the US is going to be painful.

You *say* eBay isn't an option, but in fact I've used it recently for a client, and just submitted a bill via my employer's expenses system. Everyone was happy with this (a lot of larger firms are reducing their "supply chain" and it is getting really difficult to procure specialist hardware and services. The good old days where there was a "petty cash" system seem to be long gone.

[Theo Markettos]

Hmmm... I only want a dozen or two to start with. But digikey's minimum order is a 100 off for each part, so I might end up getting close to the

50 quid anyway. The reason for the MOQ is that they're non-stock, which also means it's unclear what the lead times will be.

(the ones that are in stock being threaded with Imperial threads, sigh)

But the question was more that I feel silly ordering something as simple as a bent bit of metal from across the Atlantic. Surely there must be a similar supplier over here?

Theo

[Theo Markettos]

Sadly not. A new supplier means adding them to the accounting system and opening a credit account, including any credit checks. Cash with order is not an option. This takes a significant amount of staff time (plucks figure from air... 100 quid?) and up to three weeks. This is worthwhile for ongoing orders, but not a one-off.

I agree that this is making life increasingly difficult, but a lot of people are just ordering the usual things from the usual big-catalogue suppliers (stationery, office furniture, lab supplies, etc) so it doesn't bother them.

Theo

[Clive George]

Poke some sense into your accountants/management. I work for a big company, and we're encouraged to use purchase orders wherever possible, but there's always the fallback of buying it on personal CC and putting it on expenses when that's simply too hard. Which is very rarely IME (which should encourage the bosses), but is really worth it.

[Frank Erskine]

Make your prototypes yourself, bearing in mind the availabilty of a supplier of mass parts. Very often you can find a local fabricator who's willing to reproduce your originals or specifications.

Nothing wrong with that. Market forces and all that. I think you'd be surprised at the demand for the more practical types of threads.

As above, speak to local engineering firms who have real engineers.

This is probably the best time to speak to SMEs who would really appreciate a bit of business. I've fairly recently dealt with a localish firm (via a pal of mine) who produced a dozen or so very special double-threaded screws with a special head (don't ask!) in brass .

[Andrew May]

> But the postage from the US is going to be painful.

This may be an obvious question, but have you tried MacKays?

[Baz]

So it just not only the company I work for.

They prefer to pay extra just because they have an account with X.

Baz.

[Jules Richardson]

Hmm, remember the old 19" lab instrument cases in the 70s and 80s (and e.g. the kind of thing that Acorn built their 'System' machines into) - I wonder what the modern-day equivalent is? I suspect they had right-angle brackets that small as part of the standard range of parts.

Maybe a modern version just doesn't exist though because nobody other than China actually makes anything any more ;-)

cheers

Jules

[D.M.Chapman]

Free delivery is something that seems to blind people to sense.

"It's 100 quid + 10 pound delivery at X"

"but Y give us free delivery, i'll order it there for 150 pounds saving the tenner"

*beats head on desk*

[The Natural Philosopher]

yes..well.

I ordered some small parts from the USA.

I think the bill was about $100.

The shipping I assumed would be $20-30

In reality it was $50, plus UK customs fees, plus DHL handling charge + VAT.

Make that $150 to get $50 of parts into the UK.

If you order from China, all it gets is a £5 postage fee, comes in a brown box, no customs no handling, no vat through UK post.

Go figure why the USA is losing to the Chinese.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Because the Chinese routinely send things as 'gifts', though I know that C&E aren't fooled by that for a minute, but most consignments are too low in value for them to bother about anyway. I also have a strong suspicion that China Post is government subsidised for shipments - as part of their Plan for Wurreld Dommy Naeshan, the Commie Bastards. :)

Another major factor is that, from the US, DHL, UPS, Fedex (but not USPS) routinely gouge you for customs fees and turn a very nice little extra earner for themselves by acting as 'agent' for the collection of said fees.

[Theo Markettos]

I have, but they don't have anything small.

I found a bag of small brackets someone else had ordered from Mouser lying around, which were useful for playing with (4-40 holes, so my M3 screws won't go in).

As a result the current plan is to make something out of bent perspex, which means I can make it exactly fit rather than the meccano set of brackets I was ending up with to get the positioning exactly right.

Theo