On the subject of building tips, don't overlook McMaster-Carr as a source of supply for things. Hardware, springs, you name it. Every now and then I need a special bit that I can't seem to find, and then I remember McM-C. Here are some examples.
Stainless steel piano hinge. With holes or without; different thicknesses and sizes; polished or natural. I just needed 2 ft. of it, and didn't want the shiny stuff they sell for shower doors or bathroom cabinets. Very low-profile locknuts. I needed a very low profile 1/4-20 locknut for an application where there aren't many threads protruding past the part to be secured. McM-C had a pack of 5 of them with black oxide finish. Engine mount bolt washers. The large-diameter AN970 standard washers are too thin for use with rubber engine mount donuts and AN6 bolts, and the ones that Aircraft Spruce and others carry are quite expensive. Example: Continental #21530 engine mount washers are $13.65 *each* in the Spruce catalog. Besides the ones I needed on each side of the engine mount donuts, I needed a few extras to stack where I needed some engine offset. I got a pack of 10 very hard, thick, black oxide finished washers, P/N 92140A118, for $12.06 from McM-C. www.mcmaster.com Oscar Zuniga Medford, OR
