Is there anywere you could buy Tamiya nuts & bolts

[bjorklo 1620]

I'm wondering if there is anywere you could buy Tamiya nuts & bolts by any number of them you like of them? Kind of like in a candy store. 

[svenb 3774]

Is there any particular size your after? 

[Juggular 4964]

M3 self-tapping: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18mm lengths of your choice.  (These are like "regular" Tamiya stuff.  I got 8mm, 12mm and 16mm. I ended up paying $20, which was more than I wanted to pay)  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Practical-M3-Phillips-Round-Head-Tapping-Screws-With-Flat-End-A2-SS-100-1000pcs/191998927298?hash=item2cb40721c2:m:ms_PPEGGTO0NtldIQN0YeGw&frcectupt=true

 

M3 machine screw set with nuts. ("Set A" is like Tamiya machine screws. 25 pieces each. For emergency purposes, that's enough)  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Practical-250pcs-M3-3mm-A2-SS-Phillips-Pan-Flat-Truss-Head-Machine-Screws-Kit/191990591617?hash=item2cb387f081:m:m6wr_q64Vj7CkNn9d7WDtCA&frcectupt=true

 

[OCD 514]

2 hours ago, Juggular said:

These are like "regular" Tamiya stuff

That looks like some decent quality hardware, but if you really wanted Tamiya style stuff, you would want to find some JIS screws no?

 

 

[Juggular 4964]

23 minutes ago, OCD said:

That looks like some decent quality hardware, but if you really wanted Tamiya style stuff, you would want to find some JIS screws no?

 

 

You are absolutely right.  

 

[OCD 514]

Name checks out

[OCD 514]

4 hours ago, bjorklo said:

I'm wondering if there is anywere you could buy Tamiya nuts & bolts by any number of them you like of them? Kind of like in a candy store. 

I like to stock up on Tamiya screw bags that are being sold in bulk on eBay. There's a pretty good selection there, if you know where to look.

[bjorklo 1620]

5 hours ago, svenb said:

Is there any particular size your after? 

all kind of stuff.. In different colors and size. 

[bjorklo 1620]

5 hours ago, Juggular said:

M3 self-tapping: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18mm lengths of your choice.  (These are like "regular" Tamiya stuff.  I got 8mm, 12mm and 16mm. I ended up paying $20, which was more than I wanted to pay)  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Practical-M3-Phillips-Round-Head-Tapping-Screws-With-Flat-End-A2-SS-100-1000pcs/191998927298?hash=item2cb40721c2:m:ms_PPEGGTO0NtldIQN0YeGw&frcectupt=true

 

M3 machine screw set with nuts. ("Set A" is like Tamiya machine screws. 25 pieces each. For emergency purposes, that's enough)  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Practical-250pcs-M3-3mm-A2-SS-Phillips-Pan-Flat-Truss-Head-Machine-Screws-Kit/191990591617?hash=item2cb387f081:m:m6wr_q64Vj7CkNn9d7WDtCA&frcectupt=true

 

Thanks for the tip, it's a good alternativ if I can't get the real stuff. 

[bjorklo 1620]

2 hours ago, OCD said:

I like to stock up on Tamiya screw bags that are being sold in bulk on eBay. There's a pretty good selection there, if you know where to look.

Will have to try and see if I can find them. Previous I have bought one and one of the cheapest bags, but once added shipping cost it does get expensive. 

[geniusanthony 361]

I like to buy Super Hotshot bags from the kit splitters on the bay, they come with a good number of the elusive 8mm self tappers. Otherwise for genuine nuts and machine screws the TXT and CR01 bags are pretty heavy on hardware.

[bjorklo 1620]

1 hour ago, geniusanthony said:

I like to buy Super Hotshot bags from the kit splitters on the bay, they come with a good number of the elusive 8mm self tappers. Otherwise for genuine nuts and machine screws the TXT and CR01 bags are pretty heavy on hardware.

Thanks for the tip... Will look into it... 

[S-PCS 568]

Wasn't there a Tamiya universal "restauration" screw kit supposed to be released at some point? I seem to recall seeing something to the effect of a 300 piece boxed screw/nut/washer assortment on Tamiya USA. 

[bjorklo 1620]

5 minutes ago, S-PCS said:

Wasn't there a Tamiya universal "restauration" screw kit supposed to be released at some point? I seem to recall seeing something to the effect of a 300 piece boxed screw/nut/washer assortment on Tamiya USA. 

Ohh, that would be very interesting. 

[Truck Norris 2237]

Yes, 69530. Rare and probably expensive so not really any use as an inexpensive source of hardware:

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/trades_model.asp?cid=98838&id=27923

 

[S-PCS 568]

Yes, exactly what I meant, not vintage though. Maybe I'm getting this mixed up, but wasn't there a re-release of this box due to happen sometime right about now? 

[bjorklo 1620]

11 hours ago, S-PCS said:

Yes, exactly what I meant, not vintage though. Maybe I'm getting this mixed up, but wasn't there a re-release of this box due to happen sometime right about now? 

That would have been great if they did a rerelease... I would like 10 of those 

[WillyChang 1814]

Friends don't let friends use SelfTappers, they're evil junk.

You're building precision RC machines, not wooden flatpack furniture. 

Replace with machine thread M3s & they hold much better in plastic holes. 

[nbTMM 433]

Whatever you use, best stick with it. If you put a different screw into the hole it will cut a new set of threads, the more threads simultaneously cut into the plastic the sooner it ends up stripped out. I would be weary of replacing the tamiya self tappers with a generic self tapping screw for that reason - thread pitch may not be exactly the same.

Also if you rotate the screws backwards until they 'click' on the existing thread before driving it home, you know you're reusing the existing threads and not cutting a new set. If it does strip out, all is not lost. You can get M3 brass inserts that you insert with a soldering iron on low heat after drilling the hole to the appropriate size.

[acprc 1443]

I buy Tamiya nitro engine screws in bulk from Ebay. I pay £2.89 for 200. Exactly like the originals. I have 2.6mm x 6, 2.6mm x 8 and also Cap head cylinder heads screws in 2.6mm x 12.

 

I have also purchased 3mm zinc washers before and they are exactly the same as the Tamiya ones.

[WillyChang 1814]

On 25 March 2019 at 12:52 AM, acprc said:

I have also purchased 3mm zinc washers before and they are exactly the same as the Tamiya ones.

Most screws & plain washers would be 'generic' enough to look pretty closely same... but anyone know for sure who supplies the hardware to T factory? 

Some projects I need to use proper original hardware only... best way I know is to get them specially ordered from T factory. T sells some of them them as service parts to hobby stores, in bulk bags.

Most obvious is the ubiquitous 3mm flange nut  anybody found exact equivalent?

 

[OCD 514]

1 hour ago, WillyChang said:

Most screws & plain washers would be 'generic' enough to look pretty closely same... but anyone know for sure who supplies the hardware to T factory? 

Some projects I need to use proper original hardware only... best way I know is to get them specially ordered from T factory. T sells some of them them as service parts to hobby stores, in bulk bags.

Most obvious is the ubiquitous 3mm flange nut  anybody found exact equivalent?

 

That's the same question I've mulled over myself. Is it possible that Tamiya produces their own hardware? Or is there an old exclusive OEM supplier that has cranked out the same quality hardware for the last 40 years? Granted that the coatings have changed as environmental restrictions have tightened, but the actual form has remained the same in most cases. Like the tap screws for instance -- gold, black, silver with a hint of red, silver with a hint of blue... the colors change but the infamous Tamiya 3mm tap screw is exactly the same otherwise. 🤔 It might be prohibitively expensive to cut your own hardware and warehouse the stock, but I also think that Tamiya isn't adverse to invest in machines that produce in-house. Those injection molding machines are far, far more complicated to operate and maintain than a glorified thread-cutter. But then on the other hand, this might be the exact reason that they entrust an outside supplier. Tamiya knows that they can save space on the factory floor and still have quality hardware delivered "just in time" to their multiple factories.

Oh, and here's an example of 3mm flange nuts that look very close to Tamiya's and you can actually select the coating you prefer:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/M2-M3-M4-M5-M6-M8-M10-M12-Flange-head-nuts-non-slip-nut-black-zinc-color-zinc/263907067156?hash=item3d72164514:m:m0_0HQ0NzWvEYSorSOLEKog

 

[markbt73 5315]

On March 23, 2019 at 8:30 PM, nbTMM said:

Whatever you use, best stick with it. If you put a different screw into the hole it will cut a new set of threads, the more threads simultaneously cut into the plastic the sooner it ends up stripped out. I would be weary of replacing the tamiya self tappers with a generic self tapping screw for that reason - thread pitch may not be exactly the same.

Also if you rotate the screws backwards until they 'click' on the existing thread before driving it home, you know you're reusing the existing threads and not cutting a new set. If it does strip out, all is not lost. You can get M3 brass inserts that you insert with a soldering iron on low heat after drilling the hole to the appropriate size.

Actually, I find that on restorations, using a machine-thread screw in a hole that formerly had a coarse self-tapper in it can make a "stripped" hole useable again. I think it's because the base diameter of the screw (between the threads) is larger, and the finer threads create more contact surfaces to grip the sides of the hole. The caveat is that you can't go back to a self-tapper again after that.

[ThunderDragonCy 7876]

I would be very surprised if T made their own hardware. That would be insane given that it is standard sizes. You won't be able to get that gold-ish coloured finish on fasteners to match the vintage kits because the process used was outlawed in 2002 for environmental reasons. The closest modern finish is known as EZP which is Electro Zinc Plated.