Smooth top carriage bolts

ultra7350

Well-known member

Donor 6 years: 2011, 2015-2019
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
1,131
Reaction score
31
Location
Malcolm, Nebraska
Need to replace bolts on control panel. Looking for 8-32 and 10-24 smooth top carriage bolts. I was looking at twistedquarter.com but they want to charge over $10 on shipping for $8 worth of small bolts that could be shipped in a envelope. Any other places that won't rape you on shipping?
 
Aren't there any local places, like Ace Hardware, that carries those? I've found that Ace usually carries a lot of the odd ones that places like Home Depot and Lowes don't.
 
Need to replace bolts on control panel. Looking for 8-32 and 10-24 smooth top carriage bolts. I was looking at twistedquarter.com but they want to charge over $10 on shipping for $8 worth of small bolts that could be shipped in a envelope. Any other places that won't rape you on shipping?

Check Ace Hardware. I sometimes get lucky in those bins of premium nuts and bolts they have.
 
Bob Roberts will typically stuff a bunch of stuff in a flat-rate USPS box. And I think he still has the smooth top carriage bolts.
 
Just grab the size carriage bolt you need at the hardware store, chuck it in your drill and file off the stamped lettering with a file. Smooth it further with sandpaper then punch holes with an ice pick in heavy cardboard, screw the carriage bolts into them, paint and you're done.
 
yeah, unfortunately unless you have a very specialty fastener shop nearby you'll have to get ones with the letters or digits and sand them smooth. or do a larger order with Bob and add them in; that's what i usually do for small things anyway since Bob has most of what i need.
 
I was looking at twistedquarter.com but they want to charge over $10 on shipping for $8 worth of small bolts that could be shipped in a envelope. Any other places that won't rape you on shipping?
Yeah they fit in a small envelope but the weight of metal quickly adds up and you're probably past 11 ounces and pushed into their 1# rate which metered (not flat rate) would run over $5. (even 11 ounces runs $3 and must meet strange criteria about envelope aspect ratio, bendability, bunchability, thickness all those insane USPS rules)

Bob Roberts will typically stuff a bunch of stuff in a flat-rate USPS box. And I think he still has the smooth top carriage bolts.
And Bob's rates start at $7 since that's the cheapest 1# flat rate he gets through the post office.

Arcadeshop.com is where I order them.
And they will charge you $11 for UPS ground base.


In the end, shipping is very costly from almost anywhere. While some outright gouge intentionally, others just have no real options without having to offer tons that cost them more time and money. A lot of sites have a discount with a carrier and chose to use that one carrier based on their normal sized orders. If you dont meet the size you end up paying more, and it's not worth their effort to go do something that takes a lot more time/they don't have printers/labelers for/etc...

That's why many stick with UPS or FedEx ground, while Bob sticks with flat rate USPS. In the end, shipping almost anything is $7-$9 base now, with a rare $5 if you're lucky. Only a single small tiny item can go for under a $1 anymore.


The ONLY place I've ordered from lately that has reasonable shipping on tiny orders is PinballLife ($6 base) and GreatPlainsElectronics ($3 base) . Unfortunately neither sell smooth top carriage bolts.
 
I know i can get em here through Fastenal and you probably have a store somewhere in Lincoln

I went there 2 years ago for my Mario bros restore. The employee there checked to see if he could order any. He called me back and said he couldn't find any in the catalog.
 
Back
Top Bottom