Finding Materiel
Wire
I get most of my wire as surplus. One needs to be careful to
get the right stuff, sometimes the best is not for you.
Keep in mind that most aerospace wire is designed for crimped
ends. Frequently this wire is nickel-plated or even
silver-plated, and the former won't solder, while the latter does
poorly around salt. Some aerospace wire is teflon-covered.
Teflon extrudes when taken over a sharp edge and cannot be used where
it is not pampered.
Always get the military specification number or manufacturer's part
number, and verify that you are getting copper wire with tin or solder
("tinned") coating. Verify that the wire is rated for 105 deg C
or higher, and avoid odd materials such as teflon. "Aviation"
wire, plastic with fiberglass cloth reinforcement, is excellent.
Skycraft Parts
& Electronic Surplus has wire of all sorts available over the
internet, often at excellent prices.
Nexans Berk-Tek Electronic Cables
carries military cable and has good summaries of many military
specifications.
Terminals and Supplies
I get most of my terminals from Mouser
Electronics - Electronic Component Distributor. They are a
particularly good source for solderless terminals and transparent
shrink tubing.
They have a good selection of terminals, but be careful to get only
brass. Most terminal blocks use steel screws, and are not
suitable for marine use.
The very best terminals are the single-post kind used in aviation and
by the military. These take several eye terminals on each
threaded post. The electrical connection is from terminal to
terminal, there is no intervening hardware, the terminal post merely
serves to press the terminals together. Many terminals can be
accommodated on a single post, which is useful for connecting power and
ground. For marine use, get stainless nylon locking jam hex nuts
to go over the posts.
Hardware
You can convert many items for marine use by replacing steel hardware
with plated brass or stainless steel. McMaster-Carr Supply Company
carries nearly anything you might need, and their service is
phenomenal. They are not, however, surplus-priced. I have
found that the money saved in finding surplus hardware is not worth the
effort.
Other
Much surplus is suitable for boats, and available at low
prices. Surplus Center -
Hydraulic Equip Electric Motors Engines Gear Reducers has a lot of
useful stuff, despite the name.
Note that 12 Vdc items are at a premium on the surplus market.
Often a similar item for 24 Vdc is much cheaper because of the smaller
market (this is the same as military 28 Vdc, see What voltage is best? ).