Autodesk Technology Center SF: Purchasing Materials

This Instructable is for Pier 9 Workshop Users.

The Crucible maintains an excellent list of Bay Area vendors for various materials on their Crucible's Material Resource Page.

Shipping:

• Shop Users should have all materials and project supplies shipped directly to themselves.
• Some vendors have a difficult time finding Pier 9. Here is the address that seems to work best:

Autodesk, Your Name
Pier 9, Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111

Large/Heavy Orders:

• If you plan to order something extra large, something heavy, or that needs to be received with a forklift, please coordinate this with Shop Management in advance: P9Workshop at autodesk dot com

Material Storage at the Pier:

• Our storage space is very limited, so plan accordingly and order only what your active project requires.
• Any material stored in the workshop temporarily should be labeled with: Name, Phone Number, Email and Date.

Chemicals:

• If you are ordering any chemical, resin, paint, epoxy, glue, oil, etc., then you need to make sure it has been approved for use at the Pier:
  • Pier 9 Approved Chemical List
• If your material is not on that list, you must request approval by filling out the
  • New Chemical Request Form

Step 1: Wood

Plywood / Hardwood / Lumber

• Moore Newton
  • Materials : Hardwoods, Slabs, Sheet goods.
  • Phone : [phone]
  • Talk to : Mark Goldberg
  • Location : 2115 Williams St San Leandro 94577

• WoodBank (Relocated to Oakdale )
  
  • Materials: hardwoods, slabs, sheet goods and some construction materials
  • Phone 1: [phone]
  • Phone 2: [phone]

• Beronio Lumber
  
  • Materials: basic hardwoods, plywood, construction grade materials and lumber
  • Phone 1: [phone]
  • Phone 2: [phone]
  • Location: 2525 Marin St, San Francisco, CA 94124

• MacBeath Hardwood Company
  
  • Materials: excellent selection of hardwoods, exotic woods, slabs, veneers, reclaimed wood and some sheet goods
  • Location - Berkley: 930 Ashby Ave, Berkeley, CA 94710
  • Phone: [phone]
  • Location - San Francisco: 2150 Oakdale Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
  • Phone: [phone]

Step 2: Metal

Aluminum and Stainless Steel

We only allow 8ft Lengths to be sent to the Pier. If you need lengths that are longer see shop staff.

• Coast Aluminum

• Materials: aluminum extrusion, sheets, and variety of stainless steel
• Location: 30551 Huntwood Ave, Hayward, CA 94544
• Phone: [phone]

• PDM Steel Service
  • Materials: flat bar, steel, etc
  • Note: This is a big supplier, usually delivering 20 ft long stock. When possible, request your material be cut down for shipping and be brought on a smaller truck.
  • Location: 3500 Bassett St, Santa Clara, CA 95054(408) 988-3000
  • Phone: [phone]

• Bayshore Metals
  • Materials: Steel, Aluminum
  • Note: They offer in-house, high definition, CNC Plasma cuts.
  • Location: 244 Napoleon St, San Francisco, CA 94124
  • Phone: [phone]

• Tube Service Co

• Tube Stock, cut to size

Anodizing Aluminum

- A&E Anodizing (San Jose)

- Metalco Anodizing (Emeryville)

- Amex Plating

- PK Selective

Step 3: Plastic

Plastics and Lasercutter Supplies

Useful info on Acrylic Sheet

• TAP Plastic
  
  • Materials: huge variety of acrylics, plastics, great laser cutting supplies, custom colors and sizes, off-the-shelf plastic products or made-to-order, employees have great expertise with challenging questions
  • Location: 154 South Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94103
  • Phone: [phone]
• Piedmont Plastics
  
  • Materials : Tons of Plastics in all shapes and sizes.
  • Location : 1969 Davis St San Leandro, CA 94577
  • Phone : [phone]

• Mr Plastics
  
  • Materials: solid and sheet plastics, tool supplies, and custom fabrication
  • Location: 2756 Alvarado Street W-A, San Leandro, CA 94577
  • Phone: [phone]

Step 4: Vinyl Printer Supplies

Canvas / Vinyl / Specialty Materials

• Midwest Sign
  
  • Phone: [phone]
  • Note: Please talk with Shop Staff regarding new materials on the Vinyl Printer. These may require special knife settings or extra attention.

Step 5: Hardware and Shop Supplies

Local Hardware

• Cole Hardware
  • Materials: they have your basic selection of hardware goods and key copying, nothing exotic
  • Location: 70 4th St San Francisco, CA 94103
  • Phone: [phone]
  • Note: this is the closest Hardware Store to the Pier!

• Harrison & Bonini
  
  • Materials : Variety of screws, bolts, nuts, washers, etc as well as essentials like drill bits
  • Location:1122 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
  • Phone: [phone]
  • Note: this is an old-school, family-run SF institution. they've seen every type of hardware you can think of.

• Hida Tool & Hardware
  • Materials: Traditional Japanese hardware store, specializing in fine woodworking supplies and Festool.
  • Location: 1333 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
  • Phone: [phone]

• The Home Depot
  
  • Location: 3838 Hollis Ave Emeryville, CA 94608
  • Phone: [phone]

Online Hardware Suppliers

• McMaster-Carr
  • Huge variety of hardware, incredibly fast delivery, downloadable CAD files.
• Uline
  • cheap, good for bulk orders or things like bins, shelves, cardboard or safety equipment.
• Grainger
  • Long delivery time.
• MSC
  • huge selection of tools and some hardware.
• Amazon
• Alibaba
  • Everything : Connections to order single or mass produced items.

History and Description of Hardware

• When a Phillips is not a Phillips!

Step 6: Paints, Adhesives, Chemicals

Paint

• City Paints
  
  • Location: 1088 Howard StreetSan Francisco, CA 94103
  • Phone: [phone]

Step 7: Niche Websites

3D Printing Websites

Compare 3D Printing Prices at : 3D Printing Price Check

• Quick Parts
  
  • Materials: 3D Printing, Investment Casting
• Shapeways
  
  • Materials: 3D Printing in plastic and metal
• I.materialize
• Sculpteo
• MakeXYZ
  
  • Find a 3D Printer near you!
• Fictiv
  

  • 3D Printing

• Fathom
  • Materials: 3D Printing

Metal Coating 3D Prints or any other parts

• Morganic Metal Solutions
  
  • Specializes in a metalizing process specific to 3D-prints.

Custom Knife Handle Kits

• USA Knife Maker

Metal Coating Parts:

• VacuCoat
• Intatech

Step 8: Services : Casting, Glass Blowing, Laser Cutting

Local Services

Seaport Stainless

• Location : 5021 Seaport Ave, Richmond, CA 94804
• [phone]
• Laser Cutting

Nor Cal Metal Fabricators

• Location : 1121 3rd St, Oakland, CA 94607
• [phone]
• Laser Cutting and Metal Fabrication

Adams & Chittenden Scientific Glass

• Location : 2741 Eighth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
• Phone : [phone]
• Custom Glass Instruments.

Alexis Pavantos

• Location : East Bay
• Phone : [phone]
• Casting Jewelry and metal parts. 3D print to metal casting. Bronze, Silver, Gold.

Douglas and Sturgess

• Location: Inc.1023 Factory St.Richmond, CA 94801
• Phone: [phone]
• Mold Making Supplies

Step 9: Electronics

Local Electronics

• Radio Shack
  
  • Location: 652 Market St San Francisco, CA 94104
  • Phone: [phone]
• Al Lasher's Electronics
  • Location: 1734 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94703
  • Phone: [phone]
  • Notes: Located in Berkeley. Lots of options.

Online Electonic Stores

• Digikey
  • General Electronics
• Ada Fruit
  • Specialty Electronics
• Jameco
  • General Electronics

• Polulu

• Sparkfun

Autodesk Circuits

Design Boards and then order them!

Step 10: Digital Content

All Digital Formats

• Creative Market

3D Files

• 123D Gallery
  • A gallery of designs and 3D Files from the 123D App community.
• Thingiverse
  
  • A database of 3D Models, owned by
• GrabCAD
  • A large database of free and paid models.
• TurboSquid
  

  • A large database of free and paid models.

• McMaster-Carr
  
  • Download CAD Models of their products to test out their designs.
  • How to : Instructable
• Misumi
  
  • Download CAD Models of their Products.
• IGUS
  
  • Download CAD Models of their Products.
• SDP-SI
  
  • Download CAD Models of their Products.
• VEXRobotics
  
  • Download CAD Models of their Products.
• MyMiniFactory
  
  • Lots of great 3D Models from hobbyist to pro designs.

Historical Maps

• David Rumsey Historical Maps

Step 11: Fabric, Art, Moldmaking, Leather

Fabric

• Britex Fabrics
  
  • Location: 146 Geary St San Francisco, CA 94108
  • Phone: [phone]
• Fabric Outlet
  
  • Location: 2109 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
  • Phone: [phone]

• Discount Fabrics
  • Location 1: 201 11th St. @ Howard, San Francisco:
  • Phone: [phone]
  • Location 2: Irving St. @ 24th Ave., San Francisco:
  • Phone: [phone]
  • Location 3: San Pablo Ave. @ Ashby, Berkeley:
  • Phone: [phone]

• Narain's Outdoor Sewing & Fabric
  
  • Location: 1275 San Pablo Ave, Albany, CA 94706
  • Notes: For specialty outdoor fabrics and notions (wide selection of plastic and metal clips and strap buckles, for example).

Felt : Online

• Filz Felt
• Aetna

Art

• Utrecht Art Supplies
  
  • Location: 149 New Montgomery St San Francisco, CA 94105
  • Phone: [phone]

Mold Making

• Douglas & Sturgess
  
  • Location : 730 Bryant St San Francisco, CA 94107
  • Phone : [phone]

Leather

• S H Frank & Co House-Leather
  
  • Location: 3077 17th St, San Francisco, CA 94110
  • Phone: [phone]
• Tandy Leather
  
  • Location: 568 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066
  • Phone: [phone]
• The Hide House
  
  • Location: 595 Monroe St, Napa, CA 94559
  • Phone: [phone]

Step 12: CNC Shops

CNC Shops

Atlas Contour

• Laser Cutting : 3,000 Watt Laser cutting. Metal Cutting. 44 X 55 inches.Waterjet/ CNC Router services as well.
• 1559 Custer Ave., San Francisco, 94124
• Phone : [phone]

Neal's CNC

• Rachel McConnell
• 1424 W. Winton Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545
• 510-783-3156

Lucid Machine Art

• 2070 Newcomb Ave. San Francisco, CA 94124
• [phone]
• 5 axis CNC : 60" x 120" x 29"

Machinic

1. Connected to Lucid Machine Art

Gizmo art production

Step 13: 3D Printing Filament

Protoplastic

Comments

[fhopepack]

There are many market for project materials available per different your need by local search engine.

http://www.fhopepack.com

[Kiteman]

Easier to text or tweet a link...

[Kiteman]

No.

The author is at Pier 9, Instructables HQ, and most of the links have no connection to each other.

This is really aimed at other Artists in Residence working at Pier 9, who don't know San Francisco. For instance, Cole Hardware (step 5) is an awesome place, but I didn't find it until my last week at HQ.

[GabrielleGera]

Thanks for the explanation Kiteman! I updated the title, which will hopefully help the confusion around this instructable.