Another neat little piece

[Stampeder]

Ok, so I showed you the magnetic outside clamps. Now here is another little gem that I use.
We have a local hardware store (well that hardly describes what Hooten's really is) that carries just about everything you would ever want when it comes to Hardware. They started out as Hooten's Pipe and Steel but have evolved into this great place to get any hardware device, steel pipe, plate steel, cattle feeders, horse shelters, hay rakes, bush hogs, well I think you get the picture.
As I said in other posts, we have tons of pipe fencing here in East Texas. So to attach the fencing wire to these posts Hootens developed the little clips you see in the attached pictures.
They have these in 5/16 and 1/4 inch diameters. The 5/16 cose 44 cents a piece and the 1/4 inch ones cost 22 cents each. I usually buy them 50 or 100 at a time.

They work great for attaching wire to posts, but I also use these things for all sorts of other applications. When I need to create a hanger for winding cords such as my chop saw, I weld a couple of these on to the chop saw cart and walla instant cord hangers. When I have to create a clamping bolt that will clamp to a piece of pipe, I weld on of these on so the end of the bolt has a handle. What I mean is the curved part gets welded to the bolt head and now it's the twist handle.
If I need a hanger for a saw blade or for a bunch of cut off discs for my 4 1/4 inch grinder, I cut one in half and weld the curved end to the bench, etc and we have an instant hanger.

I think you get the picture of how handy these little deivces are. With a hydraulic press it would be nothing for you guys to punch a bunch of these out to suit you needs. I get them locally so I have no need.

I hope you find this interesting and helpful. If you would like more pictures of this in their application let me know.

Glenn.

 

[jayste]

Glenn, thanks for sharing!:thumbsup: I've seen these before but have never used them. Sounds like you're finding all kinds of uses for them. Sounds like that Hooten's place is my kind of place!

 

[Window Geek]

Time for the first Tractorbynet field trip! There's nothing like a really good hardware store.:thumbsup:

 

[k0ua]

There's nothing like a really good hardware store.

You got that right! I am happier in a hardware store than any other kind! I typically hate to shop, but running the isles of a hardware store is not shopping it is "imagination time" thinking what I could do with "that tool" or those pieces of metal, or those fasteners. I can spend all day in a big one!
James K0UA

 

[luscsmith]

I love to shop in an old hardware store when I see one while driving if time allows. I will always find something to purchase that I just couldn't live without.

 

[Baby Grand]

I love to shop in an old hardware store when I see one while driving if time allows. I will always find something to purchase that I just couldn't live without.

Yeah! The kind with wooden shelves & cabinets with drawers full of old fittings. It should smell of lightly oiled steel, beeswax and manila rope. The kind of place where you can ask about plugs and feathers and they don't look at you funny.

 

[Danno1]

Yeah! The kind with wooden shelves & cabinets with drawers full of old fittings. It should smell of lightly oiled steel, beeswax and manila rope. The kind of place where you can ask about plugs and feathers and they don't look at you funny.

And don't forget the uneven creaky wooden floors!


.

 

[luscsmith]

Yeah! The kind with wooden shelves & cabinets with drawers full of old fittings. It should smell of lightly oiled steel, beeswax and manila rope. The kind of place where you can ask about plugs and feathers and they don't look at you funny.

OOOOH, the aroma of a real hardware store.

Scott

 

[Stampeder]

OK, so we have both here in East Texas.
If you want neat STUFF and just about any hardware you can ever imagine, go see Lance up at Hooten's and he'll have it.
He just recently built the new "showroom" store, but the old place is still there and is the steel shop offices.
Lance recently told me, when I kidded him about getting all this foo foo stuff in, that 50% of the shoppers were women. They come into the store and turn left to go to the housewares, garden spot, paint/wallpaper, etc. while the guys turn right and go to the steel, welding supplies, tools, tractor parts......:thumbsup:

Now, if you want the old creaky floors and old stuff slightly dust covered, then the Alba Hardware store is for you. You can get almost anything you want there, but only one or two of them. If you need say five cast iron galvanized street 90's forget it. They may have two. But if you need an extra bale of hay, or on Thursdays fresh eggs and milk, then they are the place. They were the only place I could find the brass 3/4 inch 2 inch nipple that I needed. Nice folks as well.:thumbsup:

My main reason to post these little things was that they are dirt simple to make and incredibly handy for that little hanger or handle.

Glenn

 

[two_bit_score]

One of my favoite stores is D&D Farm in Seguin. But I looked at the website for Hootens and it is now a 'must stop' place if I'm ever in the area. You are lucky to have a place like that close by, Stempeder.