Give us a guess???

Recently we sold a bunch of these beauties.

What size do you think it is?

Nuts & Bolts from 1919

I just love seeing old photos and now I've found one with my beloved nuts & bolts.

Found this one at Shorpy.com

I can see they're using SQUARE nuts & bolts which made me ask myself,

"What are the differences between Square Nuts & Hex Nuts?"

 Wikipedia actually states it the best.

"Compared to standard hex nuts, square nuts have a greater surface in contact with the part being fastened, and therefore provide greater resistance to loosening (though also greater resistance to tightening)."

I love info like this!!!!

2 More Points

1) A square bolt requires at least 90° of free space, as that's the least amount you can turn it before moving the wrench. A hex bolt only needs you to have 60° of free space, so it's better in a more enclosed environment.

2) Since a normal wrench only puts force on the edges of the bolt head's sides, increasing the number of sides means increasing the area over which the force is spread, thereby reducing wear. This and the issue about elbow-room that was already addressed are probably the main reasons why six or twelve sided bolt heads are the most common.

Click HERE and you can zoom in and see a close up of the fasteners in the photo from Shorpy.com.

Ultimate Tool Box

Have you see Adam Savage's ultimate toolbox?

Impressive, to say the least.

We found this over at Curbly.com. We were googling the perfect toolbox and this site has an article that lists all the things a tool box (or tool bag these days) should have. Definitely go take a look and see if you've got all of them. Or make sure your Dad does. For Father's Day you can get him whatever he doesn't have on the list. 

Stocking the ultimate toolbox: every tool a homeowner will ever need

Also make sure he's got a good bunch of fasteners to work with at home.

This kit looks great!

I'm going to try and break it down.

Mostly it is a combination of Wood Screws, Sheet Metal Screws and Nails.

Then they threw in some grommets, plastic anchors, lag shields, wedge anchors & even some corrugated washers.

What is the difference between SHEET METAL SCREWS and WOOD SCREWS, you ask?

I'm so glad you did! It's simple.

If they are not fully threaded then they are Wood Screws. And if they are fully threaded then guess what - they're Sheet Metal Screws. 

This kit pretty much uses the phillips drive exclusively - do you know why?

Because it is just way more efficient than slotted.

But you knew that - everyone knows that!

Click here to read about PHILLIPS VS SLOTTED

Lastly it looks like a whole bunch of sizes and materials so you have some different options. 

After you get this, no matter what Dad's going to need to fix, he'll have the supplies.

Make Dad a Little Something

Here are some little ideas for Father's Day.

The Smallest Toolbox

Found this over at Alphamom.com. Turn an old Altoids box into a teeny toolbox - you need some nuts and bolts for that handle. Maybe that's where dad can store his left over fasteners.

The Smallest BBQ

Our favorite website Instructables.com shows you how to make this bite-size bbq (also using an Altoid tin but not the mints, th Altoid Sours.) The perfect bbq for one marshmellow whenever it is time for S'mores. Those legs are sheet metal screws!

Vintage Schwinn Nuts & Bolts

On Ebay you can buy nuts and bolts for a Vintage Schwinn Bicycle :

Did you ever realize one bike uses so many different types?

I'd like to see where they all go. I think the batch above has something to do with the chainguard.

Maybe they are all going on this bike below.

GREAT PHOTO, right?!

Any questions on vintage schwinns, go ask JIM.

Colorful Bicycle Fasteners

Did you know that you can have fasteners in any color?

And cyclists love to bling their bikes with them! 

Check out these colorful fasteners used on bicycles.

Photo Credit

These are for BMX bikes - sold on Ebay.

Titanium Fasteners - lightweight for fast competetive cyclists.

From Racing Planet: anodized aluminum is a great choice too.

My bike would be covered in these! 

They even make colorful bike chains...but we don't sell them.

Happy Birthday to US!

Today marks our 3 year birthday - Nut & Bolt Cakes for Everyone!

These cupcakes were found here at the Cocoa Bakery in New Jersey.

We launched our first post May 16th back in 2011. 

If you missed it, be sure to take a look. 

FIRST BLOG POST EVER

We hope you've had as much Fun with the Fasteners as we have!

Cyclist #2

Last week for National Bike Month we posted a mountain biker - this week a street biker!

I'd get my friend Robert one but it's out of stock.

Found it here.

Have any of you biked to work this month? I don't think I could do it.

It's National Bike Month!

Did you know this?

From The League of American Bicyclists

And the weather is beautiful for a bike ride so  we made May bike month too. 

Now check out this cyclist!*

Found this over at www.PedalAnything.com

*I'm still impressed how no matter what I think of I can always find a sculpture made out of nuts & bolts somewhere in the world. 

Stools we love, perfect for Earth Day

Last week was Earth Day so we're mentioning something we saw repurposed. They aren't fasteners but they sort of look like them, right?

Photo Credit

The site where I found them says they are old truck springs but they remind me of flat head machine screws. I would love stools like this.

Found this at House Beautiful. Read the whole article because they repurposed SO MANY things in so many ways in this house, it was really surprising and super interesting.