Source for Cadmium-plated Nuts?

[Motorhead]

I use the self locking nut from Lowes and can say they rock and like the wave washers turn a nice dull gray too!

I use them on fender mounts, instrument mounts, wheel bearing cap, rear tail light mounts, etc....

bolts for the shock mounts too grade 8.8

[dwire]

Amazingly, Lowes' has cadmium-plated wave washers in 5, 6, sometimes 8, 10, and 12 mm, and most are marked "made in Germany." Unfortunately, their hex nuts are zinc plated and come from Asia.

Yeah, I've seen and purchased what you speak of at Lowes a time or two myself (I refrain from buying anything in stores such as that as much as possible) but I am not sure that is cadmium; while it could be, I can say it just as easily could not be. There is another process that looks just like it, safer and cheaper in the end, but not in heavy use due to the fact that as I understood it, little to nothing from the cad process could be used in the new process, so change-overs to it were expensive and frankly, a production setting plating process even 20 years ago with far less regulation and next to no safety constraints was outrageously expensive to put in for a large scale production operation.

We still were getting cadmium plated parts a decade ago and all of that material was done overseas. The primary reason for phasing out cadmium plating had far less to do with the environment and everything to do with the people working around the process as it is deadly. Many plating processes are; simple aluminum anodizing uses a particular chemical that usually was distributed as a powder that when inhaled could hand you cancer and a casket in one to two years.

I validated a great number of parts that were currently in production using cadmium plating with other, alternate plating on them for the company to migrate away from it. (A sort of right of passage as it was what you did not want to have to do with your day). Today, while I am not sure it can even be done in the states, it does take a space suit to keep you safe from it, an expense few are willing to pay. If your workers are expendable though, it's no problem and likely pretty profitable - especially since you'd be selling only to those companies that have not yet had the time to complete their change-overs to safer processes. Until a manufacturer can run all the testing and re-validate their parts with different plating, they are pretty well stuck with it and in a jam...

[Frog]

I bought a parts car BMW. As I was taking it apart, I threw all the fasteners into a bin. Then I had my 7 year old son sort them all. Now I have a great stock of quality fasteners. I am not suggesting that one follow my steps, but pick n pull is full of these cars.

I went through a stainless steel kick....but after enough seized fasteners, I use them sparingly.

[dwire]

That's brilliant Frog! (And NO, I'm not kidding either). Agreed too, that not everyone has the space to hold a dirt cheap totaled 3 series (or whatever BMW donor car) to use as a "pick-a-bolt" display, but still something I'd bet until they read your post is NOT likely to occur to a number of people - last thing I would dream up... <G>

[Frog]

Haha...my parts car was not acquired for bolts and was not at my house for long. I am building an E12 (530i).

[dwire]

Haha...my parts car was not acquired for bolts and was not at my house for long. I am building an E12 (530i).

Wow, that's a pretty nice "cage" too. So what is your taste in BMW two wheelers?

[Roy Gavin]

The old Brit bike crowd buy a little DIY Nickel plating kit.

Pretty harmless chemicals unless you acid etch before plaing.

Unpolished , it is as close to cad plating as you will get.

As well as fasteners a auto wreck usually has a wiring harness, which will have every colour and gauge of wire you will ever need.

[Frog]

Haha...my parts car was not acquired for bolts and was not at my house for long. I am building an E12 (530i).

Wow, that's a pretty nice "cage" too. So what is your taste in BMW two wheelers?

I ride a 1973 R75/5 and love it. I also have a 1992 R100R, that has received lots of attention, custom rear sets and clip ons....but I like my slash five so much that I never ride the R100. So, I am now selling it.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/2536775798.html

Photos here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1030509870 ... directlink

[dwire]

Good choice. I have ridden a small variety of street bikes - (very small) in my life, but I feel quite comfortable with every aspect of my early '71 SWB /5. It is also a classy ride too and is not pretentious nor does it make one look like as if you are over-compensating for some sort of "manhood deficiency" either.

That money from the sale of the R100R, depending on the miles you travel and lady luck, could be enough to maintain the /5 for the rest of your life too.