> I've had no trouble finding them in my area. The industrial supplier I've
> used
> for years had most sizes in stock, although not by the 1000ct box.
>
> And another supplier I use has more sizes than I've seen, but they must be
> used somewhere.
> http://www1.mscdirect.com/
>
>
> And they aren't just used as bearings. They're also used as locking
> mechanisms
> in custom fixturing similar to a ratchet from a socket set, and as the
> "valves" in
> hydraulic pumps and jacks. (Think bikes are tough to restore? )And
> probably
> in a lot of places I
> haven't seen yet.
>
> Oddly, industrial suppliers are on the high end of the price scale on
> these,
> places like J+B are cheaper.
>
> Maybe I'm just spoiled, my regular supplier -F.B Harris in Lynn, Ma-
> stocks
> lots of useful stuff
> including flat belts which I needed for my lathe, and they could even get
> me
> 3/16 block chain in stainless
> steel. Scary price on the block chain, $400+ for 10ft, but good to know
> it's
> available if I really want it.
>
>
> Steve Birmingham
> Lowell, Massachusetts
> USA
>
>
> Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:08:46 -0800
> From: Jan Heine <heine94@earthlink.net>
> To: RDF1249@aol.com, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: [CR]Re: Loose Balls
> Message: 14
>
> At 7:57 PM -0500 11/22/08, RDF1249@aol.com wrote:
>>
>>
>>(Of course, loose ball bearings
>>are getting harder to find in high qualities.)
>>
>>Not so Jan - loose balls are readily available from several
>>suppliers in grade 25 (Campy quality) and we stock all sizes.
>>Wheels Mfg is one outfit that supplies the suppliers. You can also
>>buy ceramic ball$ if you have enough money. They are grade 3 or 5.
>> Now if I could just find 11-ball BB retainers like Campy or
>>Shimano I would be a happy camper. Not to be found from anyone
>>these days that I know of. Only 9 ball retainers.
>
> I am sorry that my post was not clear. I did not mean "hard" (or
> "impossible) to find, but harder to find than in the past.
>
> Ten years ago, every bearing supply store in Seattle had Grade 25
> balls, in boxes of 1000 each. The prices were much lower than what
> you paid from bicycle suppliers. Today, none of the bearing supply
> stores carry them any longer. All the suppliers you list are
> bike-specific, because bikes are among the last to use cup-and-cone
> bearings... For the general public, high-quality loose ball bearings
> are becoming extinct.
>
> Jan Heine
> Editor
> Bicycle Quarterly
> 140 Lakeside Ave #C
> Seattle WA 98122
> http://www.bikequarterly.com