Mail Order For Metals

I like onlinemetals.com although they're local to me.

GWE

I buy local from Metal Express.... Online at

I am sure they are not the cheapest out there, but for the small quantities that I use they are just fine....

HTH

Jeff

Don't overlook eBay for small quantities of metal stock.

Search in:

Business & Industrial > Manufacturing & Metalworking > Metals & Alloys

For the metal (brass, aluminum, etc.) you want.

Jeff

Also check with Online Metals

They sell about every metal and don't mind small quantity orders. They'll even tell you the best lengths to order for your purposes to save cutting charges and shipping surcharges.

I'd also try looking locally for a supplier. In the last few years in bigger cities there are quit a few businesses selling small pieces. Also I would check and compare prices between these online companies(that others mentioned) as they sometimes vary greatly. And be careful about your cut dimentions. I asked for a piece 3 in and it was short .150. When I called I was told they as standard practice cut

+.125. Next try was cut +.005. They also are sometimes slow and will backorder without telling you. Other than that I'd think of looking for a small machine shop where they might sell from their pile. Ken

Good ole dumpster diving ... what has ever happened to that ? Find a machine shop or two nearby, see if they can let you dive into the pile of cutoffs etc. Bring a piece you made, show it to them, may be that will start a conversation ... OK, this is from of one of BSMR by Lautard.

I got a call few days ago from a friend. His friend's brother's died and they were selling off the shop, machines etc etc etc. While I didn't score no Hardinge HLVP (wuz told they did sell one or two :( , I made it home with something like 50lb in free metal. Alum, stainless, leadloy, you name it, they got it.

Dr. Butter wrote:

Because in the city your trespassing if your dumpster dive.

Onlinemetals.com doesn't pull any of that baloney.

GWE

How can it be trespassing if you do as suggested above, and ask if they will allow it?

Onlinemetals.com is who I was talking about. I was told to expect my backordered parts Dec 26. that is 24 days after I ordered them. They also didn't send me an e-mail shipping conformation and the tracking # I got over the phone twice was wrong.

Rosce

Because the City law is a higher authority than the person owning the dumpster. Our city passed laws preventing you from dumpster diving or trash picking at the curve for reasons such as preventing anyone from getting hurt or preventing the homeless from picking discarded food.

Once you get the metal, label it. Tag it with the paper work and mark EACH PIECE with a Sharpie. Then store it in a part of the shop where it won't rust.

Your $2/pound steel is worth only $0.25/pound if you forget what it is.

If you live in an industrial area...look in the phone book for a "cutting shop". These shops do nothing but cut long lengths into short lengths. They provide slugs, and so forth for shops who then use them in machining operations. They will have the tail ends of the most common types of metals, mostly CRS, 6061, and the various stainless steels. They cut cheaper than most machine shops can do it themselves, so its often farmed out to cutting shops.

Also, a box of donuts and a tentative knock at the back door of many small machine shops will generate a fair amount of scrap and drops. Most will usually be under 2 inchs in diameter, particularly in Swiss screw machine shops. Plastics shops are also a good source for materials aquired in this fashion.

I live 40 miles from the nearest metals outlet, which closes on Saturday at noon. So unless I have it on the metals rack..it aint gonna get used in a project when Im home weekends. So I tend to stock up...and have made friends with several of the scrappers in the area.

I give em a better price for steel than they would get selling it by the ton at the recyclers, so if they get something interesting..they often bring it by.

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

So in other words..the City is being totalitarian assholes who have assumed the role of Big Nanny in an effort to protect people from themselves. I wonder what their take from the recyclers is?

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Another source of material is welding shops. Where I work(we build big tanks) they have no use for pieces that are fairly large anywhere else. I got 2000 lbs last month of plate for $60. Now they are looking to unload even more and its a nuicance to them to deal with it. A friend with a small welding business is coming to go thru their scrap which will save him a fortune. I liked that donut idea. Rosco