# Web site that sells small pieces of metal?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 18, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062 "2008-02-18T04:20:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062/1 "2008-02-18T04:20:34Z")

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I always have a need for small, randomly shaped pieces of metal for various projects. Is there some company that supplies things like this? What about when I need some weirdly-sized bushing, and the local HW store doesn’t carry it?

Where can I find such a magical site?

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062/2 "2008-02-18T04:26:57Z")

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You could try [http://www.smallparts.com/](http://www.smallparts.com/). They’ve got a lot of oddball parts like that.

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**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062/3 "2008-02-18T05:09:55Z")

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And there’s the Great Hardware Store In The [del]Sky[/del] Internet, [www.mcmaster.com](http://www.mcmaster.com). They probably won’t have some of the more esoteric things that Small Parts carries, but more pedestrian hardware and materials will be a bit cheaper.

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062/4 "2008-02-18T14:26:51Z")

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I’ll note that if the shapes truly must be random, suppliers may be hard to find.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062/5 "2008-02-18T14:51:05Z")

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[QUOTE=Xema]  
I’ll note that if the shapes truly must be random, suppliers may be hard to find.  
[/QUOTE]

Nah, you just buy regular shapes and take a Dremel to them with your eyes closed. 😛

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062/6 "2008-02-18T15:35:22Z")

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[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]  
… you just buy regular shapes and take a Dremel to them with your eyes closed.  
[/QUOTE]

Should work, though the amorphousness (amorphicity?) may then extend to your fingers.

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**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-site-that-sells-small-pieces-of-metal/438062/7 "2008-02-18T16:47:56Z")

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You people rock.