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For big stuff: McMaster-Carr

For little stuff: Small Parts, Inc.

For custom stuff, use a local machine shop or emachineshop.

good luck.

http://www.smallparts.com/ Small parts has a lot of stuff that's not cheap, but can be bought in small quantities.
The modern toothed belt technology is quite good for power/weight precision and you can go back and buy more.

The other thing to do is look for a local old time hardware store or industrial machine shop supply store if you live in a decent sized city. And it never hurts to browse ebay.

Smallparts.com has a selection, but not really cheap.

Lots of cool stuff here

From the summary: extremely lightweight Kapton tube hanging in Kevlar fiber

Ok, so the Kapton tubing is about $1 per inch, so the price is a little more than $1, but still
http://www.smallparts.com/products/descriptions/swpt-twpt.cfm

The Kevlar fiber shouldn't be too bad since you can get 72" boot laces for about $3.50
http://www.duluthtrading.com/KV72.aspx?src=T28WFSHP1

So, for less than $20, I can make a "Mars Weather Indicator".......

Step 1: Buy raw materials
Step 2: Assemble weather indicator
Step 3: Sell for $25 each
Step 4: Profit

Layne

The first thing to realise there are plenty of technology related hobbyists around the world, although most are not high profile and some may be different very different demographics than yourself.

Some (hobby) groups to consider looking towards for ideas and help include: woodworkers, metalworkers (hobbyists using micromills and mini-lathes from TaigTools and Sherline, etc.), model railroads, model aircrafts (static and RC), robotics, amateur radio (ham), 2600, LUGs, and Artist Run Centres/Communities

Random list of some I use or know of:
  Make magazine http://www.makezine.com/
  Instructables http://www.instructables.com/
  ARRL http://www.arrl.org/
  http://www.sparkfun.com/ (check out their tutorials)
  http://www.fpga4fun.com/ / http://www.knjn.com/
  QRP-L http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qrp-l/>
  GQRP http://www.gqrp.com/
  http://www.pololu.com/ (cheap stencils laser cut, e.g. 3x4 for $32)
  http://www.diyaudio.com/
  http://www.digikey.com/ (if you're still buying electronics from Radio Shack, get these 3 catalogs now!)
  http://www.mouser.com/
  http://www.jameco.com/
  the ton of various surplus/NOS dealers online
  http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/
  http://www.seattlerobotics.org/
  http://www.chibots.org/index.php
  DorkBot
  http://eyebeam.org/production/production.php?page= tools
  MIT CBA FAB http://fab.cba.mit.edu/
  http://www.leevalley.com/
  http://www.smallparts.com/
  http://www.danssmallpartsandkits.net/
  http://www.wmberg.com/
  http://www.acklandsgrainger.com/
  http://www.grainger.com/
  http://www.onlinemetals.com/
  http://www.amqrp.com/
  http://www.princessauto.com/
  http://www.sherline.com/
  http://www.taigtools.com/

Good luck on your inventing. I think I could make automotive AC that ran off the transmissions waste heat with a couple of stirling engines. Another thing I'll never get done.

Why wouldn't be something easily available like this Bismuth Alloy available at Small Parts. They have the greatest stuff for building things.

Really, there seems to be a domain name for practically anything you're looking for. My daughter needed a coyboy poem for school, so we went to cowboypoetry.com, of course.

:)

Small Parts has an experement kit with 50cc bottle and some megnents to play with. Look at at the left bar and go down, it's under "DEMO KITS". I ordered one a while ago, it's pretty neet. ($50.00)