Source for small screws - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 08:55:25 am
content: Does anyone know what a good source for small high quality screws are?I often make very small projects, and thus need tiny screws. I am talking M1, M1.2, M1.4 of various lengths and head types. The sort that you might see a HDD or a hearing aid assembled with.Besides machine screws, I would also like a source of very small (steel) plastic screws. The ones with washers integrated with their heads would be useful as well.I'm sure if I went to an electronics market in Shenzhen or something, I could buy them by the cupful. But I am struggling to find a good source from here in NZ.In a pinch I have made half a dozen or so of them from scratch but that gets boring very fast when you don't have a screw lathe.I prefer torx heads.

author: John B
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 09:03:44 am
content: https://lcsc.com/products/Screw_563.htmlMaybe optimistic trying to find torx that small though, at least at reasonable prices. Any particular reason? I don't like philips head for the fact that they cam out after a while, but low torque applications are fine. Different when it's structural or automotive fasteners.

author: Back2Volts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 02:37:58 pm
content: eBay - Search for "screws M1 TORX". From China

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:10:46 pm
content: Thanks John B.As far as plastic screws go, that looks like pretty much just what I was looking for.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:20:35 pm
content: Thank Back2Volts.I had looked on ebay in the past and not seen anything decent. However this time I found a seller with some good quality (in the pictures at least) screws.I have bought a bunch of torx M1, M1.2 and M1.4 in various sizes and will see what they look like when they arrive.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:23:15 pm
content: RC Hobby shops are mostly a good source for small quantities.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 09:42:05 pm
content: My favorite hobby-oriented shop for small stuff is Micro-Mark.https://www.micromark.com/Micro-Screw-Assortment-10-Sizes-100-Eachis a metric assortment, but they also have individual listings.You do not specify your home country; Micro-Mark is in the US.

author: John B
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 09:59:00 pm
content: "Here in NZ"So easiest options would be Aus ebay sellers, china ebay sellers, or something like LCSC from China.IME experience with screws, ebay items from Aus were too expensive, ebay items from china were good quality but price wasn't as good as you'd normally expect from china ebay (maybe shipping weight is the issue). From LCSC the prices are good, but you need to buy other things to make the shipping worth it. I usually aim for around 500-1000g of shipping weight.Not that you have to tell a bunch of electronics enthusiasts to buy more from an electronics parts supplier.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 10:17:42 pm
content: Timfox, I have bought some assortments like that before and found them to be very poor quality.I was hoping to find something made to higher tolerances.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 10:44:06 pm
content: I have had good luck with small hardware and small tools from MicroMark.For serious industrial hardware, I use McMaster Carrhttps://www.mcmaster.com/screws/system-of-measurement~metric/In Chicago, I usually get deliveries literally the next day without extra shipping.(If your home country is not the US, then I don't know about their international shipping.)

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 14, 2020, 12:59:56 am
content: McMaster Carr isn't really an option here in NZ. The prices are very high and the shipping extremely expensive.For example, a single M1.4 x 3mm screw is almost 1 NZD each not including shipping.The screws I am buying from ebay are 1/10th that including shipping.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2020, 04:13:13 am
content: I mentioned before that you had not listed your home country in your profile, but I see it now in your post. McMaster has M1.4 x 3mm socket heads for about 6 USD for package of 10. Is there a NZ equivalent for industrial or mechanical supply?

author: WattsThat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2020, 05:17:37 am
content: Is AU close enough? Not sure what their minimum quantities are.https://www.microfasteners.com.au/

author: JDubU
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2020, 05:42:48 am
content: Have you tried looking on Amazon? They ship to New Zealand.For example:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=m1+screws&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 01:11:22 am
content: Quote from: WattsThat on December 14, 2020, 05:17:37 amAwesome find! I live in this city and did not know they exist.Being an Australian supplier, the quality will be good and the risk of getting crap screws will be very low.

author: ANTALIFE
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 03:11:33 am
content: https://www.mcmaster.com/Even come with CAD models too

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 03:20:12 am
content: As I mentioned before, McMaster while having a great range is way too expensive here.They don't ship to NZ, so I have to pay for a shipping redirection service.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 07:52:10 pm
content: I was unaware of McMaster Carr’s policy, but found that they are unwilling to ship outside of the US. The reason they are popular here is that they deliver very quickly on an encyclopedic collection of hardware: the only times that I have waited more than one business day is when the item was in stock in Cleveland instead of Chicago.Is there no useful industrial supply company in NZ?

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 08:04:28 pm
content: For most industrial stuff there is good suppliers.I guess micro screws are a niche item because nobody stocks anything below M1.6.We don't really have much or any micro scale electronics industry here, so that probably explains it.