where to get U-channel rubber?

ilh · Post by **ilh** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 1:13 pm

I want to cut out my 3000B grills. What is source for appropriate U-channel rubber strips I see here so often?

At McMaster-Carr, I see 8507K14 (1/32 x 1/4) and 8507K15 (1/16 x 3/8) among a myriad of choices.

Anyone find anything like this at local hardware stores and or big boxes like Home Depot or Lowes?

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 1:36 pm

I get mine from Hank and Performance PC's

Performance PC's

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 2:40 pm

From Mcmaster, the 8510K11 is the stuff to get.

I've also had great results with the Bestbyte U channel as well.

ilh · Post by **ilh** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 2:55 pm

Thanks, guys!

munichkid · Post by **munichkid** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 3:14 pm

I went the cheap route and got mine from the auto parts store. Had to do a bit of work like splitting the 1/4" hose length-wise but it worked out cheaper that McMaster-Carr's stuff.

elasticdog · Post by **elasticdog** » Mon Mar 28, 2005 8:07 pm

I ordered the same stuff that Ralf suggested from McMaster Carr, and couldn't be happier. It's hard to think that you could find something better for less (I believe I paid $0.22 per foot), and the package arrived at my door less than 24 hours after I placed my order.

ilh · Post by **ilh** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 9:50 am

I ordered the 8510K11 Ralf mentioned from McMaster-Carr since I was ordering some ultrasoft polyurethane sheets (i.e., "sorbothane") at the same time. It is hard to argue with only $0.22/ft.

DGK · Post by **DGK** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:10 am

I just ordered the 8510K11 from Mcmaster also. Previously I was doing the 'split rubber heatsink down the middle' trick but that cost more and didnt look as good. The Mcmaster stuff is actually pretty nice...... and cheap which is a good bonus.

Man, I don't know what I would do without mcmaster. In the last month I have bought about $100 from them: u-channel, foam, sorbothane, expandable grommets, bspt-npt adapters, barbs for wcing plus some tap and die stuff.

François L. · Post by **François L.** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 3:30 pm

DGK wrote:I just ordered the 8510K11 from Mcmaster also. Previously I was doing the 'split rubber heatsink down the middle' trick but that cost more and didnt look as good. The Mcmaster stuff is actually pretty nice...... and cheap which is a good bonus.

Man, I don't know what I would do without mcmaster. In the last month I have bought about $100 from them: u-channel, foam, sorbothane, expandable grommets, bspt-npt adapters, barbs for wcing plus some tap and die stuff.

If you could mention part numbers for the sorbothane & foam & grommets, it would help a newbie like me a lot, especially on a website such as this (Mcmaster).... If you don't know what you're looking for (like me), you could spend a week browsing for stuff.

Thanks

François

ilh · Post by **ilh** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 4:35 pm

Wow, McMaster-Carr is fast! I too got my order in less than 24h, and that was with the cheapest ground shipping ($4)*. I think the closest to me is in NJ.

Here are some sorbothane part numbers

8514K115 1/2x4x4in
8514K113 1/4x4x4in
8514K111 1/8x4x4in

By the way, the 1/2in thick sheet is actually labelled "40 OO - Sorbothane". The others just say "40 OO" but seem to be the same material. These are the sheets without any adhesive backing. Based on how sticky they are, I doubt they need the adhesive, but I suppose that depends on how you are using it.

*Beware: there is no indication whatsoever of how much shipping will be when you place your order online.

DGK · Post by **DGK** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 7:56 pm

"ultra soft polyurethane" ie sorbothane 8514K111 (# is for 1/8 sheet)
small expandable grommets 4946A1 (big are on the same page)
velcro strips 9273K113
Push on edge trim (u channel) 8510K11
Thick foam 85365K43
melamine sound absorbint tiles 9216T1
Nylon barbs for wc'ing 5372K112
bspt to npt adapters 4860K142

some of the #'s might not be the right item for you but it should put you on the right page. Ex, you might want some thicker sorbothane and the above number will get you to the right page and you can find what you need.

François L. · Post by **François L.** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:58 am

Thanks very much, appreciate that

François

ultraboy · Post by **ultraboy** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 3:02 am

ilh wrote:*Beware: there is no indication whatsoever of how much shipping will be when you place your order online.

This is the only reason that hold me off from ordering, having read many horror stories about their shipping charge (without warning) in other threads.

Is there any known trick to avoid this? - in particular for oversea shipping which seems to be treated with red carpet courier service associated with extra high fees.

DGK · Post by **DGK** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:08 am

ultraboy wrote:
ilh wrote:*Beware: there is no indication whatsoever of how much shipping will be when you place your order online.
This is the only reason that hold me off from ordering, having read many horror stories about their shipping charge (without warning) in other threads.

Is there any known trick to avoid this? - in particular for oversea shipping which seems to be treated with red carpet courier service associated with extra high fees.

Yeah, I would recommend that only people in the US buy from mcmaster due to the shipping charges. I don't think it is totally mcmaster's fault though, UPS and similar companies charge crazy money for shipping outside the US (including Canada). USPS is more reasonable but I don't think mcmaster uses them at all - even in the US.

You could try to email them and ask in they could ship via the post office instead of UPS but like I said above, I don't think that they do that. I have heard of people placing an order and in the comment section they ask that it be shipped with the post office - this wasnt done. Maybe asking beforehand might work.

OmegaZero · Post by **OmegaZero** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:38 am

In the past I have called McMaster and they seem happy enough to ship however you ask them to. I got them to ship FedEx to me (in the US) since my local UPS station is a little less than reliable...

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 6:42 am

Shipping outside the US via US Post Office is unreliable and slow and you cannot track the international shipments. Filing a claim for lost US Post Office shipments is a nightmare. I can tell you from experience that international shipping is labor intensive unless you use one of the high priced carriers. So I can understand why McMaster does not use US Post Office.

When shipping UPS and FedEx outside of North America, ground service is not available, so you have to ship by air, which is always expensive. Many countries have import duties and lots of paperwork that the carriers want to be reimbursed for.

sundevil_1997 · Post by **sundevil_1997** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:20 am

DGK wrote:"ultra soft polyurethane" ie sorbothane 8514K111 (# is for 1/8 sheet)
small expandable grommets 4946A1 (big are on the same page)
.

I like the u-channel molding at mcmaster, since I'm planning on cutting a few fan holes this weekend. But while I'm ordering from them, I might as well try to get something to cushion the fans from the case itself. Will those grommets do the trick? They don't seem like the kind that I'd use to insulate a fan screw from the case.

I had been thinking of just going to home depot and buying some regular weatherstripping and lining the fan shroud with that as a form of vibration buffering, though the screws connected to the fan would still be in direct contact with the case. That's what grommets are for, right? Do you think just lining the fan with regular foam weatherstripping would get the job done? If not, is there a mcMaster product that does a better job?

Thanks!

m0002a · Post by **m0002a** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:27 am

While you are at Home Depot, you can get some some nylon screws and nuts, and some rubber washers (or grommets that you can use as a washer). I like to use 100% silicone caulk to keep the fan away from the steel case, but other methods also work.

sundevil_1997 · Post by **sundevil_1997** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:41 am

m0002a wrote:While you are at Home Depot, you can get some some nylon screws and nuts, and some rubber washers (or grommets that you can use as a washer). I like to use 100% silicone caulk to keep the fan away from the steel case, but other methods also work.

So, go with nylon screws instead of the metal ones that come with the fan...just have to match the thread and screw size. And then pick up either grommets, or rubber washers to put the nylon screws through.

Caulking sounds messy to me.

I like the idea of just cutting some weatherstripping and sticking it on with it's sticky side. Also not permanent, which is important.

Now the only thing I'm missing is the u-channel. Is there really nothing that works well that's available at a local-type store?

ilh · Post by **ilh** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:47 am

I will say that the McMaster's U-channel referenced above is absolutely perfect for the job.

sundevil_1997 · Post by **sundevil_1997** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 9:56 am

ilh wrote:I will say that the McMaster's U-channel referenced above is absolutely perfect for the job.

Just want to make sure....there's a couple listed in this thread.

This stuff? 8510K11

Sounds like I can get everything else I need for fan cushioning at home depot this weekend, so I guess I'll just go ahead and order the utrim from mcmasters. Hope it comes as fast as you say!