[TriEmbed] McMaster Carr is in a class of their own

Thu Apr 23 11:39:22 CDT 2020

I've been trading mail with the Metalsupermarket in Garner about some 
aluminum tubing because (so it seems) the only way to approach decent 
prices for some types is to buy lengths you can't afford to have 
shipped. As Brian said, getting this stuff from DIY stores is only for 
folks rolling in dough. So, if these guys can come up with some 6061T6 
(they first offered 6063 like lawn chairs are made out of) then my 
country Cadillac is going to Garner to buy some material for yagi booms. 
A quick check of McMaster Carr suggests about $750 not including 
shipping (but not sure they sell over 6' lengths as standard parts and I 
need at least 12). But the quote for 6063 locally was under $150. And 
yes,  they'll prop it on my truck in the parking lot: I don't have to go 
inside as with the DIY stores.

But as long as I'm on the subject, if you need the super high 
performance, precision telescoping aluminum tubing for yagi antennas 
there are exactly two sources to check out in this country: Texas Towers 
and DX Engineering. You can't get by with lawn chair aluminum for this 
application. :-)

-Pete

On 4/23/20 11:24 AM, Brian via TriEmbed wrote:
> What John said is very accurate.
>
> If you want high-quality, tight-tolerance parts, and you want them 
> NOW, McMC is your best option, but you will pay quite handsomely for 
> the privilege.
>
> If you're looking for stock, I'd suggest also looking around at the 
> other online metal dealers (a google search will quickly expose them). 
> Lead times may be longer, and depending on your needs you may have to 
> pay cut fees, but the prices will most likely beat McMC by at least a 
> small margin.
>
> Sadly, new metal is very expensive from the hobbyist point of view (at 
> least in my opinion), and scrap dealers are few and far between in the 
> greater RTP area (scrap BUYERS are plentiful, but few sell).
>
> Never buy metal stock from big-box stores unless it's your absolutely 
> last option (or your needs are for very small amounts).  The quality 
> is low and markups are ridiculous.
>
> Cheers,
> -Brian
>
> On 4/16/20 8:31 AM, John Vaughters via TriEmbed wrote:
>> +1 McMaster Carr
>>
>> They have focused on wide variety of parts and getting it to you 
>> fast. There focus has always been Manufacturers. We used to have 
>> accounts with them and could order parts and it would be there the 
>> next day with Ground UPS in most cases if you got the order out by a 
>> certain time.
>>
>> They are my go to for material of all manner. Start there, you can't 
>> go wrong.
>>
>> Two things to know about McMaster Carr.
>>
>> 1. You will not get the best price, that is not their focus. Getting 
>> you the part is their focus, which leads me to #2
>> 2. You will get hit on shipping, In fact you do not even no shipping 
>> in advance. You find out after they ship. They will ship two items 
>> from the same location at different times if they think they can get 
>> you one of the parts a day earlier. And guess who pays the shipping?
>>
>> These are not negatives, you just need to understand their focus to 
>> get that part to you ASAP.
>>
>> Also an excellent way to quote assemblies is to price from McMaster 
>> Carr and not include shipping and you will most likely be able to get 
>> that part for that price shipped to your house if you shop around. 
>> I'm over simplifying, but it's a good rough quote if you need 
>> something quick.
>>
>> John Vaughters
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, April 16, 2020, 07:55:45 AM EDT, Pete Soper via TriEmbed 
>> <triembed at triembed.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Triembeders,
>>    Twenty five years ago when I finally pursued a life long goal of 
>> getting into amateur radio some of my "ham" buddies who had more 
>> loose change than me uttered two words any time the subject of 
>> obtaining a fastener or raw construction material came up: McMaster 
>> Carr.
>>    Fast forward to earlier this year when I decided to become active 
>> with the hobby again (albeit with a single HF band and limiting 
>> myself to "low power", defined in most contest rules as up to 100 
>> watts). Anyway, I'm preparing to make a series of custom yagi 
>> antennas, and if you want these to "stay in the air" for more than a 
>> few months before turning into lumps of corrosion, you stay away from 
>> the inexpensive but metalurgically challenged stuff at Home Depot or 
>> Lowes. For instance, even just saying "stainless steel is the last 
>> word" only buys you X years of trouble free service, but if you want 
>> to solve for X and ensure it's a large number, you look for a 
>> stainless called "316". But I digress.
>>    For all these years I'd always had one excuse or the other to go 
>> to HD or Lowes, order somebody's pig in a poke off Ebay, etc. But 
>> this time I've been systematic. I found 120 SS 316 hose clamps 
>> through Amazon, but some very specific size U bolts were pure 
>> unobtainium until I remembered McMaster Carr. You know that scene in 
>> "The Matrix" when Neo needs some weapons and a set of endless rows of 
>> shelves of stuff is conjured instantly? That's what the McM web site 
>> is like. If you can imagine it and it is not a full custom thing, 
>> that thing is there. This is only a slight exaggeration (and I 
>> haven't seen evidence of gaps in their inventory yet).
>>    But the real reason I'm writing is about the ordering and 
>> fulfillment process. It is, in my opinion, light years ahead of 
>> Bezo's wildest dreams. Amazon is a sparse matrix, and not just 
>> sparse, but mercurial to a sometimes maddening degree (and I'm of 
>> course talking pre-catastrophe).  With my two orders so far, not only 
>> is it close to "one click", the fulfillment is rocket sled fast. They 
>> don't offer me endless, dynamic choices and offers of points or money 
>> for this or that one: there is no choice unless, I guess, if I dig in 
>> and click around, call them, etc. Instead, similar to with some 
>> electronics distributors, the final shipping (and tax and tarrif) 
>> details catch up with you later. With McM the stuff simply appears, 
>> fast.
>>    And finally, there's the old adage that "you get what you pay 
>> for". With McMaster Carr you not only get what you pay for, but you 
>> sometimes get the pedigree. Picture my surprise to get the chemical 
>> analysis details and photocopies of inspection signatures (yes, 
>> multiple) and attestations of the origins and processing history of 
>> my item. Say what? I guess these folks serve some very picky customers!
>>    Now I'm sure my first two orders are well within the beginner's 
>> luck zone. But all of this has been by way of saying if anybody on 
>> this list asks about finding an unusual fastener, piece of sheet 
>> aluminum, etc, I have just two words for you. :-)
>> Pete
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