Sourcing Metal | General Discussion

[Janger]

Chris if you find a source please post. Post those USA ones anyway. Interesting. What about shipping to the border and going to get it?

 

[Chris Cramer]

The real wrought iron company is the only supplier I could find of wrought iron. Their 20 KG sample bundles of wrought iron for 62 USD before taxes seems reasonable; but at that weight the cost of shipping would most likely exceed the amount I'm willing to pay.

 

[Alexander]

@Chris Cramer what are you using the wrought iron for? I dont have any just curious about what it is even used for

 

[Chris Cramer]

Wrought iron, unlike cast iron is easy to forge. I've forged quite a bit of mild steel which is the closest match to wrought iron; but I would realy like to try forging some easier metal into some more complex, more detailed designs.

 

[Chris Cramer]

what would be the best place to purchase thicker shainless steel? All the places I've looked up, other than metal supermarket only carry stainless steel sheet metal and not plate. I'm looking for stainless 3/16" - 1/4" plate.

 

[CalgaryPT]

According to their website Russel carries SS plate, although I know there is a big difference between their US and Canadian locations.

 

[Tom Kitta]

Stainless is expensive - thus 8x4 ft plate in 1/4 should be around $1000 or so based on https://www.federalmetals.ca/we-sell/plate price for hot rolled stuff. At $1000 you should go above the minimum price of all large metal suppliers. Its 150kg of stainless.

Alternatively you can hit auctions BUT finding stainless plate will be very difficult - I seen at least 4 auctions this year with lots of plate of different sizes but I don't recall seeing any stainless.

I just have round bars of stainless. If you are looking for small pieces then I would try online or the dreaded metal supermarket.

 

[Dieselbenz1]

What amount are you wanting? I purchased a garbage can of aluminum scrap and 20% turned out to be stainless steel I'll need to check if I still have it, that is if you are interested.

 

[gsg9.ca]

For anyone looking to comparison shop this is what my most recent order looked like.

Brass - round -
BRASS .375 DIA $ 5.61
BR316 .187 DIA $ 1.25
BR516 .312 DIA $ 3.80

AR12 ALU ROU .500 DIA 6061-T6 $ 1.45

AR316 ALU ROND .188" DIA 6061-T6 $ 1.30

AR58 ALU ROU .625 DIA 6061-T6 $ 2.25

AR34 ALU ROU .750 DIA 6061-T6 $ 3.20
AR1 ALU ROU 1.000 DIA 6061-T6 $ 5.38

AR114 ALU ROU 1.250 DIA 6061-T6 $ 7.00

CR316 187 DIA 1018 $ 0.40
CR14 .250 DIA 1018 $0.45
CR516 .312 DIA 1018 $ 0.85


The CR - cold rolled is up about 10% from my May order, the Brass is up @ 20% from May and 30% from this time last year. The aluminum is 6' and everything else was 12's.

Crossing my fingers that my local scrap guy gets a nice 'end of year ' clean out again. I much prefer aluminum at 75 cents a pound to five bucks a foot.

 

[PeterT]

Sorry, where was this order from gsg9? Didn't really check all the items but recognized the aluminum price looked quite decent

 

[gsg9.ca]

Metaux Solutions in Longueuil just outside Montreal. They're my main supplier when I need full bars.

I've got a friend who owns a machine shop. When I just need a few inches for a proto I can usually trade him beer for bar. And I've got walkabout privileges at 4 scrap yards in the region. It's very hit and miss but from time to time I find some decent stuff and end of year ( fiscal and calendar ) can be like winning the lottery.

 

[PeterT]

Ah, that explains it, thanks.

 

[Tom Fitzpatrick]

At the last meetup we were discussing where to buy metal. I have more information.

Metal supermarket: they have lots of selection including the only place I know of to get 12L14 here in town which is very good for machining. They also have aluminium, steel, hot & cold roll, plate, sheet, stainless, copper, and brass. They are open on weekends, Sat. Still on the bad side they are as expensive, more expensive or less expensive than home depot depending on I don't know what. Whims, the moon, maybe qty but not always. Check your invoice before you pay.

Federal metals:
I just called federal metals. Their new building which will add aluminium, stainless steel, to their hot roll steel sales is still not finished as they keep having delays with the builder apparently. He was unable to say when it would open. Soon I hope, and I have high hopes for a better smaller supplier than metal supermarket. They are great for hot roll steel if that is what you want. Good prices. M-F only I think.

Samuel specialty metals. They have aluminium and stainless. Example Price was $50 for angle 1.5x1.5" x1/4 thick by 20' long aluminium angle. $125 minimum charge so you would have to buy three pieces for $150 in that example. I dont think they do cutting to buy less, but they probably would cut so you can get it home. Group purchase anyone? To compare angle 1x1x 1/8 thick by 6 feet long at homedepot is probably $30. Their sister company is wilkinson steel but I didn't call them. Open M-F 9-3!

Big Box suppliers... Homedepot, rona, princess. Princess is a little less than the other hardware stores. They are good for threaded rod. They also have really cheap bearings, but tend to be out of stock on particular sizes. All these stores are convenient and expensive. A few things not intended for machining can be used for various metal working projects. Electrical conduit. Gas pipe. Grounding rods.

I think steel should be about $1 a pound. At federal it seems to be $1-1.5 a pound generally. What about Al? at Samuel its $3.11/lb for example. And Stainless? And 12L14? Anyone?

Who else? Please relay your experience.
Online? Just browsing it seems expensive.

And fasteners. Screws etc. where is good? Good selection, open on weekends, and not expensive.

2016 edits
Metal Works Canada
http://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/new-metal-supplier-in-calgary.390/#post-3662

Federal Metal used to allow customers to browse through their bins marked stainless steel, aluminum, brass etc., until some goofball wondered into the area where the big machinery and was hit by a backhoe - totally HIS fault because of stupidity - but Federal Metals lawyers shut this practice down and our beautiful system for scrap metal of all kinds for the home user and amateur machinist/welder/hobbyist ended. I've asked around and still have not found a comparative supplier of used scrap metal - sorely needed. If anyone knows of a similar place in or around Calgary please let us know.

 

[DavidR8]

Hi all, I'm wondering if there's been any recent additions of online suppliers to this list.

 

[Tom Kitta]

Not to my knowledge. Federal Metals find your own scrap service ended ... like 5 years ago. I am not aware of any new suppliers coming onto market in the last 12 months in Calgary area. Same for online availability - at least for Canada service.

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks @Tom Kitta
Guess it's Metal Supermarket for me here in Victoria.

 

[CalgaryPT]

Another option to look at is metal fabrication shops, such as Varsteel. I find many of these offer their offcuts at good prices, especially plate. I know it's not Victoria, but Vancouver has one. In Calgary they call it their "Materials Processing Facility"; it's where they do the CNC cutting, brake work, fabricating, etc.

 

[Janger]

Try checking out fasteel in Vancouver. Let us know too please.

 

[francist]

I found these guys a few weeks ago. Haven’t had a chance to look seriously into an order yet but they sounded promising, especially for some of the not so common stuff. The Metal Supermarket inventory is getting pretty skinny recently.

Anyway, here’s a link if anyone wants to look further.

-frank

https://millenniumalloys.ca/

 

[PeterT]

That looks like it has potential. Unfortunately hard to know what the shipping cost will be. They have a weight calculator but it doesn't translate into dollars delivered to address X. The devil will be in the details, but trucking inside Canada one would think be better than the standard shipping modes. Might have to do a dummy order to see. I'll wait for any firsthand experience & check the prices with

Shipping Information
Due to the nature of shipping large and heavy materials, shipping will be coordinated for you after your order is placed online. We have an extensive network of shipping companies and expertise on how to get you the best option for your order.

After your order is placed, we will contact you to confirm shipping costs and finalize processing your order.

Since orders often contain materials of varied dimensions, we may split your order into separate packages to make sure that each item is properly padded and secured in the optimal way to prevent damage during shipping.