When I was looking for a plug to fit into a Yaesu charger that I inherited, I was referred to Part Express. The not only had the part, but a lot of other interesting stuff as well.
They mostly specialize in consumer electronics, but they carry a bunch of stuff that will be useful to ham radio operators. Their holiday flyer, for example, offers a variable temperature soldering iron for $12.00 and a 12V, 2A power supply for $12.00. Prices are good until January 4, 2010.
The second catalog I actually got a couple of months ago. It’s the catalog for Small Parts: The Hardware Store for Researchers and Developers. They claim to have over 100,000 products.
For example, they carry all different kinds of wire, including magnet wire (24 AWG, $16/lb.), stainless steel wire, and brass wire. The small flyer that they sent me also shows all different types of plastic, rubber, bearings, gears, belts, mesh, tubes, and fasteners. Very cool!
jeff says
McMaster-Carr. http://www.mcmaster.com is a great place for raw materials. I’ve bought aluminum rod, tubing, and channels, delrin, and other odds and ends from them. The web site has a ton of good information. Very useful.