NUTS AND BOLTS QUESTION

POTRZBE posted:

If this is in the wrong forum, modmins, please correct.  I am looking for a source of wood screws and machine screws and nuts MADE IN THE USA.  I have finally had it with made in China steel, which, is, to be kind, of poor quality.

Have you tried Micro Fasteners, in New Jersey?

There are no makers of wood screws in the US anymore. Your only hope is old stock. Newcor and Lake Erie both make threaded hardware in US. There are also many specialty bolt manufactures in US. IFI has a guide to head markings that will give the country of origin. Prior to the Quality Fastener Act being enforced I specified US made fasteners on a number of contracts. I got a number of defective bolts from Newcor.  But being a US company they had to replace everything.   There is some real junk out there from overseas. 

David Johnston posted:

There are no makers of wood screws in the US anymore. ..

Hence my hoard of "heritage" hardware. My family, the in-laws, garage sales, and thrift stores are the main sources of vintage real  hardware for my shop stock.

Have you tried Micro Fasteners, in New Jersey?

I've purchased some small machine screws, nuts and washers from them.
Reasonable prices and the quality seems good.
But made in the USA? ........ I don't see anything on their site to indicate country of origin.

Here is a link: Micro Fasteners.

You could try Mil Spec fasteners. No guarantee of Country of origin but they should be fairly consistent. Many vendors of these on the web. 

Pete

I just contacted the supplier I always use: https://www.boltdepot.com.  I asked them about learning the country of manufacture for a given item.  I'll report back here when the answer.

FWIW, I've ordered from them many times, always with excellent results.

Steven J. Serenska

Sorry, guys, I just received a response form Bolt Depot:

The majority of our products are imported from China, Taiwan and India. It depends on what suppliers we get them from.

They replied to my question within 5 minutes, but it's not the answer the OP was looking for...

Steven J. Serenska

Serenska posted:

Sorry, guys, I just received a response form Bolt Depot:

The majority of our products are imported from China, Taiwan and India. It depends on what suppliers we get them from.

They replied to my question within 5 minutes, but it's not the answer the OP was looking for...

Steven J. Serenska

Befor I retired from a small company that was rebuilding various small engine components for EMD 567, 645, and 710 engines, we always required the suppliers of our various fasteners to provide material/metallurgical specifications as part of everyone of our purchase orders. Although not cheap, we purchased various quantities of hardened bolts & cap-screws, and lock washers, all of which had to be blackened, i.e. NO zink coatings. Suppliers such as McMaster Carr and Fasten-All, where more than agreeable in providing full fastener specifications, when purchasing hundreds at a time, every month. 

In my hometown...

http://www.pccfasteners.com/co...tech-jenkintown.html

I have used fasteners from Ace Hardware for many years without problems. They seem to be better than some, but not all, of the stuff carried by the big box stores. Probably all made in China by now I would imagine? Also they do not have some of the smaller sizes we use for our model trains.

I have also ordered from a place called McFeely's 15-18 years or so ago. They are more geared toward the wood worker, but in the past had good quality screws. Again I don't know country of origin and would guess that they have probably gone to made in China as well?

Looks like some other good suggestions above as well. I have ordered quite a few items from Micro Fasteners (mentioned above) and been quite happy with their products as well. They have a very good selection of small fasteners the we use for model trains.

Just a couple more suggestions here.

HERE is an American manufacturer of wood screws.

Google is your friend.

Most of my life there was a local manufacturer of threaded fasteners in Mobile named "Southern Bolt and Screw", which made everything, including odd, one-off threaded fasteners for ships in port.

Disappeared some years ago.

I mention it only because the name always made me chuckle.

Would have been funnier if the name had been reversed!