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Where Can You Obtain Surplus Mechanical Parts?
Brian Craft asks: "When I was in Pasadena all the nerds with an inclination toward building Electronic-Things-That-Move would go to this place called C&H, on Colorado Blvd. It was a wacky surplus store where you could buy everything from worm gears, to stepper motors, pulleys, power supplies, 20 turn pots, and used passenger jet windows (no joke!), for very, very little money. I'm now up north, a bit south of the Bay, and I haven't found anyplace as cool as C&H. There seem to be computer and electronic surplus stores on every corner. But where do you go when you need to browse piles of gears to find one that fits the worm gear on your stepper motor? When you need small bearings, or pulleys, or solenoids? Or just the sight of lots and lots of really cool mechanical stuff, to inspire your next project?" Are there any cool surplus stores in your area or online? If so, share them here!
Ax Man is a Minneapolis/St Paul business. I'm not aware of a nationwide franchised chain of surplus/junk stores. Incidentally, in the Twin Cities area at Dexis you can find electronics-oriented surplus -- check the shelves in the back room.
Here in Phoenix, Arizona - is a place called Apache Reclamation and Electronics, on 3rd Ave and Apache (1 block north of the I-10). They also aparrently have a couple of other stores - one I think is in Denver, another in Ohio. A blue building with a large yard, they carry damn near everything (there is still an unclaimed backhoe out back, as well as a few electron microscopes). I have even seen bottles with some fluid in them, labeled as a biohazard (scary shit!). Mostly, though, they cary a ton of electronic and mechanical parts (they have a great vacuum tube room) - spools of electrical cable, large motors (when I mean large, I MEAN LARGE - motors that require forklifts to move - some brand-new surplus, as well!). Too much to describe.
For an even more interesting place, there is a warehouse called Equipment Exchange, on roughly 3rd street and Lincoln, behind BOB - lots of cool stuff to look at, mostly large chip/electronics fab equipment (great microscopes, large industrial robots and work envelopes, large conveyor ovens, etc). Most stuff is too big to move comfortably, but the downstairs basement area is interesting...
For used computer equipment, Electronic Materials and Computers, on roughly 34 Ave and Indian School Road (look em up in the phone book for more info, and to get directions), have an OK selection of old stuff - but they are only open during the week, and only until 4pm (last I checked).
There is also a great scrap metal supplier on approximately 40th street and Van Buren (or Washington - can't remember - same street as Phoenix Greyhound Park). Lots of large metal stuff - brass, aluminum, steel, copper - you name it, they have it!
Oh - one other place (not in Phoenix) - All Electronics (www.allelectronics.com) - they are based in Van Nuys and LA. Their site has online-ordering, though - great place to get quite a good selection of stuff, and the online catalog is easy to use.
Those are the fun places I know of in the Phoenix area - if anyone knows of others, please post a reply under this thread - I would love to know of others!
I support the EFF - do you?
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
I keep running into you at the strangest places/times - maybe it is only a matter of time before a RL meeting takes place.
Anyhow, thanks for the links - maybe I'll check them out sometime soon (maybe this weekend, if I can swing it)...
Thanks again!
I support the EFF - do you?
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
My last truckload from them included everything from film projectors, a projection TV, a pair of gas chromatographs, various smaller mechanical and electric things (strip chart recorders, etc). I ran out of truck long before I ran out of stuff I wanted.