tigerrag

Home Depot carries door skins (about 1/8 ply ) if you don't need 1st quality ply.My local Sherwin Williams carries !/4 5 ply floor under layment in 4x4 sheets.This is good quality and I use it for fire walls and making field boxes etc.

Dr1Driver

Yup, and a lot of the hardware is just as good or better than the LHS carries, and a LOT cheaper. Hobby Lobby and Michael's carry some building tools and a small supply of balsa, hardwood, and ply.

Dr.1

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

If you go to the fastener section you can often find smaller size (2-56 & 4-40) bolts/nuts/washers as well as #2 and #4 screws.

MasterAlex

Now that's news to me! Campy, you're finding #2 and #4 fasteners at Home Depot and/or Lowes? I was just at my local HD this weekend and the smallest sized hardware was #6. Are you finding these in a specialized department? What's the "fastener section"?

Thanks!

-MA

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

Try Ace or True Value..

My local Ace Hardware stocks down to 00-80 in cap screws but you'll have to hit the LHS for some blind nuts or ny-locks in that size.
They even have button head cap screws in 4-40 and up.

Lowes and Home Depot stop at 6-32

Lowes and Ace stock taps down to 4-40
Ace has the Dies too.

Ace Stocks Brass & Aluminum tubing and rods plus some larger music wire.

Michaels Craft store has ply and balsa when you need something quick. Rare Earth magnets in 1/4" and 1/2" dia, brass wire good for wrapping and soldering is in the beading isle.

Dress lining and polycryllic covering.
Fabric at Walmart or JoAnns (get 100% polyester Dress lining, no blends! they won't shrink right) It should be $1.99 a yard or less on sale 44" or 60" wide

Polycryllic.. any Hardware store or Walmart
Water Based Exterior Spare Urethane for the top coat. Any HW store and sometimes Walmart.

Disposable Acid Brushes. Michales or Harbor Freight. Maybe the plumbing isle at the HW store by the soldering flux.

Campy

My Feedback: (1)

Sorry, I should have been more specific.

Not Lowes or Home Depot, but stores like Ace and True Value have fastner sections (sometimes refered to as Hardware or Nuts & Bolts ).

At my local Ace store I have found 2-56 socket head bolts ranging from 1/4" all the way to 1 1/2" long as well as aluminum VERY thick wall tubes (stand offs ?) in lengths from 1/2" to 3" long as well as birch dowels. I recently picked up a bunch of 1.6 mm bolts, nuts and washers to use for fastening plywood hinges together (many Europeon plans call for plywood hinges and control horns)

SST

My Feedback: (2)

I use bicycle spokes for single-end threaded control rods. They're stainless, longer, stronger and cheaper than the LHS rods. About $6.00 will buy about 3000 single-tube stir straws at Sams...They make a lifetime of aileron torque rod tubes and guide tubes. Restaurant supply stores have short hardwood 1/4" or 5/16" skewers like those used for filet rolls that make perfect rubber band dowels for smaller planes. They come in bags of 100.

MasterAlex

Thanks Guys!

Bob Yeager

My Feedback: (5)

When was the last time that you saw Ace Hardware, True Value Hardware, Lowes, Home Depot, Sutherlands, et. al. listed as a contributor or sponsor at a contest, meet, or fun-fly?

Just a thought. Regards to all!

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

Well I might feel bad but I still spend $30 or more every time I walk in to the LHS on things like push rods, props, glow plugs, wheels, clevises, servos, CA, Epoxy and other special hardware.

My LHS does not stock button head cap screws, any kind of dope other than clear butaryte, no fabric covering at all, no brass tubing less than 36" long, no plywood over 36" long
Hit and miss stocking of K&S tools (taps and dies)
Plus half the time what they have in stock will not be enough for my project and I'll end up at the HW store anyway.

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Another good thing you'll find at Michaels, or A.C. Moore, or craft shops that sell dollhouse kits and supplies: very tiny brass brads, which make great non-flush rivet detail, and tiny brass hinges, designed for room doors on the dollhouse, but great for cabin door hinges on small scale planes, or baggage hatches, etc. You could even get a 1 inch to one foot (1/12th) toilet if you wanted. That would be a conversation piece at the field.

I think availablity of some of the smaller hardware at Lowe's depends on the location. We have two Lowe's SuperStores in Hickory, only one has any kind of limited supply. But go 1/2 mile down the street from one of the Lowe's, and Ace Hardware has all kinds of little stuff. Heck, I'd rather go there anyway.

snoop42

My Feedback: (1)

Adding to the ACE/Westlake Hardware stuff. Mine has a selection on nylon nuts, botls, washers, wingnuts etc. Need a really long nylon bolt? Look in the plumbing dept. for toilet seat harware. I've found 1/4 20 nylon bolts up to 6" long there. Also some kind of red rubber gasket material in a flat sheet. Haven't found a use for it yet, but I picked one up just in case. Also rubber O rings.

Snoop42

daven

My Feedback: (1)

I buy most of my tape, glues (other than epoxy or CA), primer, paint, sandpaper, dowel stock, light ply, from hardware stores like Ace, or any good "OLE' Time" hardware store (the older the better, and hardwood floors are a bonus). I can spend hours walking down each row looking for anything I can apply to RC. Specialty tools, etc...

Now can anyone think of a use for "mighty putty" in regards to RC use

Most of my hardware is purchased through microfastners, tough to beat their offerings.

carlosponti

My Feedback: (1)

to get screws for my micro servos to mount to a plane i had to go to ACE for some really small brass wood screws, the hobby store said sorry we dont carry anything that small.

cyclops2

I LOVE this topic!!

Ace used to sell RC cars & the engines.

Rich

seanreit

My Feedback: (60)

Can someone please explain what the above polycryllic covering is used for in our hobby? I've never heard of it. What is "dress lining" used for?

sscherin

My Feedback: (1)

I go over it in my Citabria build thread

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_62...itabria/tm.htm

Polyester dress liner (works like Koverall) it makes a great fabric covering that shrinks with heat
Attach the fabric and fill the weave with polycryllic. It's a clear water based finish. No odor so you can cover the plane indoors.

rctrax

This bunk about supporting your local hobby shop Is a little tiring.Any shop I'vebeen in is interested in only one thing"MY MONEY'They never have what you need but will order it and it will be in next week,just like tower for less money and less hassle. Many have tried to take advantage of what they thought was my ignorance and pawn off on me things I didn't need just because they have it in stock instead of what I came for. I do concede however there are a few good ones out there, just not where I need them.I will continue to do my shopping at wal-mart,aceHwd etc and the rest online.

seanreit

My Feedback: (60)

Wow, you had to go dig up a three month old thread to say that? You sound like an OF. Your avatar and attitude are supportive of that. Geez. Thank goodness you wrote that! Having a bad day?