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Scrap metal

Chris Cramer

Super User
Vendor
Premium Member
Does anyone know of a place that would offer their scrap to you for free, or at least at a much lower price than stock on sale? For certain projects, scrap metal would not be ideal; but for other things like metal art, if you are creative then it is very useful to find parts that are already shaped, such a used gas cylinders.
 
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deleted_user

Super User
Does anyone know of a place that would offer their crap to you for free, or at least at a much lower price than stock on sale? For certain projects, scrap metal would not be ideal; but for other things like metal art, if you are creative then it is very useful to find parts that are already shaped, such a used gas cylinders.
Don't get suckered into taking used acetylene tanks... ;)

I usually post an ad in kijiji saying I will haul away scrap metal in the form of plate, bar, tube for free. Then I make them send me pics. I say I need to assess if I need to bring help with me. if the scrap is crap I decline to pick it up.

I have gotten a few dozen bike frames as a bulk buy from police auction once too... but that requires lots of storage space and work to extract usable tubing... which must be selectively cut to preserve the butted portions of the tube. Too much bother when plain tube is readily available
 

Dabbler

ersatz engineer
I have developed a couple of relationsips with machine shope woners, and get to dumpster dive their scrap metal bin a few times per year. This keeps me in small crops, but you sound like you need a more regular supply?
 

Dan Dubeau

Ultra Member
Call around to some shops in your area. I used to buy some scraps off a guy that was a 1-2 man shop, and was always super busy. He didn't have time to sort and clean up his scrap stuff, so he just tossed it in a corner until it pilled up too much then would post an ad on kijiji for someone to come haul it away. That was about 7-8 years ago now, and I got 2 good small loads (plate and structural shapes) from him, but he's no longer in business. I picked through the lot and sold off what I didn't want, and scraped some. Be prepared to take stuff you DON'T want too. Just take it all and sort it out and scrap it later.

With as busy as most places have been for the past 2 years I wouldn't be surprised if you could find some really great deals if you went and put the work in to help clean up and sort some scrap for some shops. As long as you weren't too much of a burden, not a safety hazard, weren't too picky and didn't leave more of a mess than what was there. It's a good way to develop some relationships too, and maybe potentially pick up some side work when they get busy. Networking works. I picked up a gravy lathe job a couple years ago waiting for some parts and I got talking to another customer in the store lol. Ya never know.

Industrial auctions are sometimes a good place too. Unless the scrappers show up and make an offer on all of it. But you can sometimes make some side cash deals with them for things you want too before they load it up. Cash is cash to them. The good news is that once you buy from an auction place you're on their email list forever no matter what you do, so you always find out when there is more lol. I just got an email while typing this which is why I added it.
 

Tom Kitta

Ultra Member
This depends on where you are. Generally getting good stuff under the price of scrap in AB is hard or next to impossible. Auctions are a good place but don't expect to get stuff for free - scrappers are not your competition here at all, its other metal shops.
 
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