Where to get 3/8 HSS steel

try the usual suspects.... (in no perticular order) Arc euro trade Chronos, j and l industrial rdg tools

I bought my last lot from Arc, as they are local and I was in there getting some bearings anyway.

Dave

£3.36 each. Strangely the 2 1/2" long ones are less than half the price for more than half the material.

Cromwell Tools want over £11 for the same thing which is deeply into ouch territory. I can't imagine the manufacturing cost of 70 grams of a common steel being more than about 40p even with the price increases that we've seen in recent years. I used to be able to buy billets of EN40B crankshaft steel for about a quid a kilo not that long ago.

You might want to give these a ring.

They might have a skip full of the stuff for pennies.

You might also try your local s/h machinery dealer because many s/h machines come with boxes of old tooling which are worth three fifths of FA to them.

FWIW I buy engine valves from India from time to time and an average valve which requires multiple forging, machining, grinding and heat treatment operations plus final chrome plating weighs about the same as this toolbit and is also made from a high spec steel. Obviously the manufacturing cost is vastly higher. Price is under £2 a valve and the material cost in that can't be more than a few pence. So why is a short length of simple square bar so expensive over here?

Thanks Dave, some good ideas here.

I had looked in the Chronos catalogue and not found anything, then you go at point me directly at the stuff. I see they refer to it as tool steel - I thought tool steel was a term used for the high carbon and low alloy steels which HSS has largely replaced. Maybe both are now referred to as tool steel.

Arc Euro has 3/8 by 4 inches for =A31.70 but I was put off web ordering by their threat of using a 'carrier' - which always causes problems for me. I'll give them a call. They don't say what grade it is - I wonder if different grades are wildly different prices, as we have so far found anything from =A31.70 to =A311 - but more likely reckless profiteering !

Steve

from Cheshire Steve

I bought from ArcEuro earlier in the year - quality excellent.

JG

Problem solved. Arc Euro trade - excellent service and price..

Steve

Thanks Dave, some good ideas here.

I had looked in the Chronos catalogue and not found anything, then you go at point me directly at the stuff. I see they refer to it as tool steel - I thought tool steel was a term used for the high carbon and low alloy steels which HSS has largely replaced. Maybe both are now referred to as tool steel.

Arc Euro has 3/8 by 4 inches for £1.70 but I was put off web ordering by their threat of using a 'carrier' - which always causes problems for me. I'll give them a call. They don't say what grade it is - I wonder if different grades are wildly different prices, as we have so far found anything from £1.70 to £11 - but more likely reckless profiteering !

Steve