What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Supplier for Hardware

mags591

Member
Hello,
Where does everyone purchase their hardware such as AN Bolts and supplies? I am trying to find a source to complete my build and aircraft spruce just seems awfully high and i'm sure there is a better option out there.
Thanks,
Ryan
 
I use Aircraft Spruce or Wicks Aircraft. The best way to save money is on shipping, have a few large orders instead of a lot of small ones. I also never pay for quicker shipping, they are really efficient and get orders out quickly.
 
NOT Skygeek. In short summary, they are not (always) ethical. They probably do a lot of purchase/resell.

The basis of my point; they will tell you something is "in stock" then quote many weeks for shipment. When you ask to cancel the order, they charge a "restocking fee" even if it is immediately after receiving the ship date after the bogus promise. This has been experienced by more than one person on VAF. Caveat Emptor.
 
Aircraft Spruce usually seems reasonable to me. I haven't bought any bolts, but I just received an order for mil spec screws, coax connect connectors, etc., and it all seemed very reasonable. 100 count bag of short MS35206 screws for $6. That is about the same as what I pay for cheap hardware at the big box stores.

One thing to be aware of with Spruce is that if you have parts coming from two locations, you'll pay shipping from both. I missed that, and paid $8 to ship that $6 bag of screws from TX. The other $80 worth of stuff came from AZ and shipping that was also $8.

Still, $8 S&H is a bargain these days.
 
And if ACS is out of stock on something, B&B Airparts is another good place to check….
 
+1 to save on shipping

I use Aircraft Spruce or Wicks Aircraft. The best way to save money is on shipping, have a few large orders instead of a lot of small ones. I also never pay for quicker shipping, they are really efficient and get orders out quickly.

This is pretty true. Sometimes it’s cheaper (relative to the whole project) to buy stuff you’ll eventually need just to get above the $350 free shipping limit on Spruce. I have bins that hang on the wall and bought a large quantity of washers, screws, rivets, electrical terminals, bolts, nut plates, etc., and put them in there for when I need them. I learned pretty early on that it stinks to pay $8 shipping on $5 of hardware.
 
During the build I kept a sheet of paper taped to the shop door. Anytime I used hardware for a non-plans application (like cushion clamps for wire, FWF stuff, avionics, etc) I would write it on the paper. Once the list was long enough or something was getting low I would order 2-4x of everything. By the end of the build I had a number of all hardware left over, perfect to support any future maintenance needs.

On the ACS site I keep a running wishlist for any small bits I need, but not right away. If I have a need item, I add in all the small bits saved to-date to make the shipping worthwhile.
 
Back
Top