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BSF

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:12 am
by stuffedpike20
Why are BSF bolts so expensive? A 1" 5/16 set screw seems to be about £1 on fleabay.

Surely the tooling is out there somewhere to make some reasonably priced ones?

Re: BSF

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:30 am
by oliver90owner
Probably because they are less common than the more ‘standard’ coarse sizes?

Maybe you are not buying from the most economical supplier?

Possibly a different grade bolt?

Metric chinese is likely the cheapest - but probably not the best (from many of the ebay suppliers).

Do remember that the largest cost is likely postage. Then there is picking and packing. Then ebay’s profit. Little wonder one bolt, bought at a time, is expensive.

Re: BSF

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:31 am
by ianmack
Probably because they are produced in very small numbers nowadays. I don’t know of any major industry that uses BSF now. Or conversely you might say that metric items seem cheap because of vast production volumes.

Re: BSF

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 8:40 am
by philthehill
The three main suppliers of BSF bolts used by me are:-
GWR Fasteners...............Oswestry.
Spalding Fasteners..........Spalding.
Balls Fasteners................Cheltenham.
I have always had a good and well priced service from the above.
Good quality fastenings with a tensile strength of 8.8 to 12.9 are not cheap but you do get what you pay for.
The tensile strength of cheap bolts in the main is unknown so could fail in the wrong application and at the wrong time.

Re: BSF

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:56 am
by taupe
I would add Namrick to that list.

If you use lots then a bulk pack like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271911167163 ... Swu4BVioxx

is best value for money and can often be bought at autojumbles etc...saving postage costs..

Taupe

Re: BSF

Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 12:17 pm
by stuffedpike20
Interesting... thanks folks.