Trouble finding 1/8 HEX stock...?

Hi,
if anyone has a good idea were I can find hex stock for 1/8" x 6', 10 or 12' lengths?
Mcmaster or MSC does not have such a thing.

It needs to be hardened for use as Allen keys.

Application: They are to be cut with abrasives and pressed into a Acetal handle.

Thanks guys!

Mark

Alro steel has it in 1018 if that helps.

Damn, I thought a quick google search would turn something up.... Seems like nobody stocks 1/8" in anything but stainless and brass... Weird.

No chance of sourcing real hex wrench stock from Allen/Unbrako/ Whomever? Heat treat is going to be touchy on this.. Hard but tough and not brittle.

these guys may be able to supply it however you want it.

Standard Cold Drawn Steel Shapes. Standard Profiles by Precision Kidd

When you figure out which alloy you want to use, try the metal service centers like Jorgensen (EMJ). I looked in my tool box and the tips for my snap ring pliers are 3/32 hex. I think they are heat treated. So small stock is available.

If you do not mind getting finished tools at the right price, try The Tool Lady 866.866.5523. She sold me 100pcs of a 4mm Wiha thin wall nut driver for around $5.00 each a couple of years ago. Plain 1/8 hex maybe less.

Not sure how cost effective it would be but in a pinch ya might buy a box of 1/8" hex wrenches and cut the lengths you need. I bought a box 100 pcs. of 3/32" hex keys for insert tooling and gave some to fellow workers. I think I still have a few. I have cut off other hex wrenches for specialty use. Abrasive cutting or you ruin saw teeth.

Krutch said:

Not sure how cost effective it would be but in a pinch ya might buy a box of 1/8" hex wrenches and cut the lengths you need. I bought a box 100 pcs. of 3/32" hex keys for insert tooling and gave some to fellow workers. I think I still have a few. I have cut off other hex wrenches for specialty use. Abrasive cutting or you ruin saw teeth.

Click to expand...

Also need coolant, when abrasive cutting. Otherwise, cut end will be annealed/soft.

The last time I had an order for special hex keys, I bought the 9'' version of these (cheap enough even in the UK!) and cut them up, customer was delighted as it had solved a long running problem.

Eklind Tool Company

Davis In SC said:

Also need coolant, when abrasive cutting. Otherwise, cut end will be annealed/soft.

Click to expand...

Depends on your cutting wheel, right wheel and there’s virtually no heat go into the part. Try the 1mm thick cubitron cut of discs from 3m :-) there not cheap, but ge gods there good and incredible cool cutting :-) Used right you can cut of sub 3/8" with zero yellow let alone blue heat staining. No pressure just let the disc do the work :-)

Go peck around a music shop or instrument repair place. They usually do not give wrenches back with instruments (people do more damage than good with them) so they are swimming in hex keys. I have bags of them myself....

Allen keys make half decent cutters also in a pinch...

Davis In SC said:

Also need coolant, when abrasive cutting. Otherwise, cut end will be annealed/soft.

Click to expand...

That is the end you put in the acetal handle. Allen/Unbrako wrenches are quite cheap in boxes of 100 and already hardened.

Larry

Yes,
We have been cutting the Allen keys with bolt cutters so they can be pressed into a handle.

I have 700 "L" keys in stock right now @ .17 cents each.
Looking for "footage" in the hex stock to help with ....what we call.... mass production.
(To us that's about 1000 pieces.... )

I make custom allen key sets from time to time for a friend who makes bespoke guitars. As above, I just cut the ends off long series keys with an angle grinder. At least you know the actual allen key bit is not going to fail!
No pics I'm afraid, but you can drool over the guitars here; www.lindsaywilsonguitars.co.uk (gratuitous plug).

In another life I was a die maker for Eklind Tool, I developed the ball driver project for them while there. Back then there were periods when hex stock was a hotly contested material. There were only a couple of makers of hex keys and only (IIRC) 3 mills that could supply hex material that we wanted. So when one of the companies (names withheld) decided to buy up the normal amount they used PLUS any available material on the market it effectively put a crimp on Eklind that threatened to shut them down. Eklind secured an exclusive contract but it did spook them a bit. What's my point? That perhaps all available stock is already under contract in suitable material and there is no spot market for some sizes. That may/may not be true but I saw that occur in the 90's. There also may not be lengths of preferred material available. Eklind was one of the last still using hand fed 12' lengths because one of Howard Eklind's buddies told him it couldn't be done from coil. We proved to him it could and he had us switch almost all sizes to be run from coil. That meant the last major player was no longer using 12' lengths and the mill may have stopped offering lengths for sale. Bear in mind that all of the above took place in the 90's and may/may not still hold true.

To the OP: If you're going to compete with the makers (and those they house brand for) you'll need to select as good/better a material as they use. Good luck.