bktourer1

Anyone got a good source for all the tiny screws you manage to drop and can't find i a hardware store?

dsbrantjr

McMaster-Carr is my go-to oddball hardware provider: https://www.mcmaster.com/

masi61

Do you have a commercial account with them? I would like to order certain items but I can’t.

veganbikes

If you want the fancy stuff https://www.protiglobal.com/main.php granted yes they mainly focus on stuff for motorcycles but at one point they did offer bike specific stuff and still offer useful bolts in forged titanium that would work on bikes. However for normal stainless bolts and such McMaster-Carr isn't a bad place they seem to have just about everything. You might also consider a bench top mat for working on stuff and maybe a floor mat of a easy to find color and maybe a good magnet. Or when you are removing bolts throw down an old white towel and that might help, that is what I do sometimes.

Andrew R Stewart 

I have an account that I don't think is considered a "commercial" level with M-C. I do order from then monthly though. Andy

MudPie

I've ordered from them as a consumer and had product sent to my house, without a commercial account..

Geepig

I buy a second bike with everything I need on it, then sell whatever is unwanted. I now have a set of winter wheels, a spare set of coaster hub internals as well as a ready set of bolts from such stripped bikes. Such is the joy of bikes from the bottom end of the market that were in production for forty years or so.

ARider2

If you are looking for tiny fasteners for your bike I suggest you try your LBS or local bike coop as many places will keep spares.

HillRider

How small is "tiny"? The Home Depot web site lists a variety of metric bolts down to M3 which is pretty small.

freeranger

At the risk of sounding obvious, what's wrong with the LBS or co-op (if there is one in your vicinity)?

79pmooney

No. I ordered respirator and filters from them in the middle of our smokey days. Added up to more than $100 and some of it was on long back order (made quite clear on the website: COVID). All online and a very good experience.

Tacoma Screw. I use to live in Seattle. Many years ago I got turned on the the Lee Oskar harmonicas; the first 10 hole harmonicas that could be taken apart and rebuilt like a quality musical instrument. Held together with two beautiful SS screws and nuts. But - the screws took a small Phillips screwdriver, not and especially everyday tool and one that will not be found in your usual club or bar at night. Nut was a likewise beautiful flat, square job with nice fluting to the edges. A small crescent wrench works well but finger pressure doesn't.

Now - harmonicas jam - especially in environments with food and un-brushed teeth - a common occurrence at music jams where you show up at 7 and play after 10. The food particles jam between the reed and the plate. YOu have to remove the cover plates to get access. Doing this with you all-important key of A harmonica (all those guitar players want to play in E!) in the near dark on a pub table with those screws (and no spares) and my eyes - that's asking a lot. So:

I go to Tacoma Screw, buy little #2 zinc plated round heads. 3/4" long and matching nuts. Lots. Assemble with those screws. Cut the excess with pliers. Hit the ends with a file down to almost the nut surface. Done. Now I can take that harp apart in low light with a dinner knife and my finger on the nut. Lose it? I've got a dozen spares in my bag.

Yeah, I could get those screws or equivalents elsewhere. But long before the internet, I walked into my local Tacoma Screw and found those in minutes. If for that alone, I will always be grateful to them. (A salesman there also advised me years later to go to Sears when I was looking at routers. Said that a good router needed power and weight. Everything else speeded up working with it, was very nice but not essential to a good job. Pros needed the speed. I went to Sears and paid about half their cheapest for a big Craftsman that has served me very well.)

Portland has a Tacoma Screw on Columbia Blvd.

gsa103

My local hardware stores have a decent selection of metric hardware, much much better than Home Depot/Lowes.
If they don't have it, McMaster-Carr.
I do a lot of 3d printing, so I buy kits of assorted metric screws off Amazon to use in various projects.