I use boltdepot.com which was recommended by other Pinsiders.

The older games do have some hardware that is old-school and hard to find. I think in the coin doors there are those screws with the toothed washer attached to them, those are hard to find. But easy enough to replicate with the right screw and washer.

That got me curious, yes those screws are still a thing I guess. They are called Sems screws. The washer rotates freely but is permanently attached.

https://www.boltdepot.com/SEMS_machine_screws_Phillips_pan_head_w__external_tooth_washer_Zinc_plated_steel.aspx

https://www.mcmaster.com/washer-head-screws/

Just to add to this, I always enjoy learning new things. I was reading about how Sems screws are made and it sounds like a multi step process that is more involved than just making a screw. Then I looked at the pricing at boltdepot.com.

A 1” 8-32 zinc plated steel Philips head Sems screw with external tooth washer (#26804) is 23 cents each, or $13.85/100 making it just under 14 cents each.

The equivalent 1” 8-32 screw (#1555) is 8 cents each or just over 4 cents each for 100. The #8 external tooth washer (#3002) is 7 cents each or just under 3 cents for 100.

So basically the Sems screws cost about twice as much, which makes sense given the more involved manufacturing process.

A pinball restorer probably would not care much, as it will cost about $14 to get 100 of them vs $7. But if you are cheap and like to save money, you can achieve the same look and mechanical fit by buying them separately and putting them together yourself.

A manufacturer buying them in large quantities would see a bigger cost effect. But I’m sure it’s well worth it to them, because the alternative during assembly is to have the worker grab a screw then a washer then fiddle with them to put them together. This will take more time and manual labor is expensive. Also, the worker can get tired or bored and make mistakes like leaving the washer off or putting on 2 washers. This will never be an issue with the Sems screws, just grab and go and it will be right every time.

I can totally envision the pinball manufacturers making this decision to speed up and reduce the cost of construction.

Overanalysis complete.

Yes same here, ACE is 5 minutes away. I try to give them as much business as I can. Nice people own it and work there, you walk in the door and show them what you want and they take you right there, or you can browse the endless supply of various hardware, some obscure. I have about a 90% hit rate with weird stuff I have pulled off pinball machines.