"... #1 rule of fixing: Never Do Plumbing On Sundays. Even if you think you won’t need some specialty part, I guarantee that you will...
A corollary to this rule is that any plumbing repair will require at least TWO (if not more) trips to the hardware store. "
you can read the rest of Jane Powell's advice for lovers of hardware in her latest article for the Berkeley Daily Planet: "A Rude Survey of Local Hardware Resources"