• Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.

Sourcing Metal | General Discussion

Dabbler said:
Here's a secret source for obtaining metal of all kinds. The thing is it is sweat equity. If you live in a moderately big city, or regularly visit one, you can leverage machine shops.

This option is not without risk, and not everyone is well disposed toward hobby machinists. But in almost every case I've been received well. I talk to the foreman about something specific I'm looking for, out of their cutoffs bin. Usually they don't have it. Usually they ask what I make, and we chat. I then ask permission to come back if I need something else.

tips:

Come around lunch or morning break. That's when the supervisor has a better chance of giving you 3 minutes.

Don'tstart with anything exotic. 2" 6160 about a foot long is an example starting point. If they don;'t have any, they sometimes tell you what they typically have, and once in a while you get invited to rummage.

Be very respectful and deferential.

Take no for an answer. you aren't selling anything, you are making a human connection.

As soon as the encounter is over write down who you talked to (including the names of anyone you met), a summary of the discussion, and the outcome. Keep this log for every contact. Review it before the next contact.

I have 4 machine shops where I'm welcome, and one is even collecting extra cutoffs for CHMW members. Another shop has given me open license to jump in to their rollover any time to grab a piece or 2. That 2,000 lb haul of tubing and rod stock including stainless and 4140 rod? Another contact.

All this takes time and patience, but is very rewarding. One time I needed a piece of tubing for a construction. It had to be at least 1X2" 1/8 wall, 24 inches long. A shop had a 2X2X3/16 wall 5 feet long. I told them I could use it nicely. they gave it to me, and told me 'no charge' .

It isn't all roses. Two shops, out of the dozens I talked to, were hostile. I just never went back.
Click to expand...
My brother's forte... as a former machinist he gets along well with machinists and is personable. This is our primary mode of acquiring small stock
 
Megar arc 5040dd said:
Can anyone suggest a good place to by metal in Saskatoon. I am looking for flat bar either aluminum or steel. I briefly looked online at metal supermarket and my jaw dropped when I saw the price of 3/8"x2" and 3/8"x4" aluminum and steel flat bar. Aluminum was almost exactly twice the price. I will admit it has been many years since I bought new metal but I don't remember flat bar being ridiculously expensive. I used to only be able to get it in 20' lengths now I couldn't dream of buying 20' just to make sure I had enough and some extra.

I was hoping to avoid dealing with rusty old metal from my scrap pile since its for dro mounts but I hay have to reconsider.
Click to expand...
I just received two 24” Lg pieces of Aluminum Channel 3x2-1/4” thk.
Nice clean, extruded 6061-T6 with generous inner radius.

After hearing how the pieces would cost me $250 from vendors in Toronto and Hamilton, I ordered the pieces from Millennium Metal in Kelowna, BC for $55 +45 for Canada Post shipping to me in Kitchener, ON. (They were delivered in 8 days to my door)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0284.jpeg
    IMG_0284.jpeg
    409.6 KB · Views: 13
Somehow this morning I got a notice from this thread about 12L14 steel and how you could get it from Metal Supermarkets here in Edmonton. When I tried to buy some rod stock, they did not have any, but could get it - for roughly 2.5x the price I wound up paying to Online Metals. In case anyone is either living in Edmonton or passing through, I bought too much 12L14 rod (.5" through .875") a couple of years ago and would be pleased to share some at a reasonable price if anyone is interested. I also have some brass round stock in 1", 1.25" and 1.5" sizes that I bought some time ago. Never will use it all, so part of that is also available. Reasonable - to me - means a substantial discount off the current price at MS. Anyone interested in a sq. ft. of bronze - .125" thick? I bought 3 sq. ft. because it was all they sold (plus - all I could afford!) and that's also a bit too much for me. I also have some aluminum/bronze square bar stock in 1.25" and might be persuaded to let a smaller piece of that go as well. Please contact me if you'd like to pursue any of this.
 
Brian26 said:
Somehow this morning I got a notice from this thread about 12L14 steel and how you could get it from Metal Supermarkets here in Edmonton. When I tried to buy some rod stock, they did not have any, but could get it - for roughly 2.5x the price I wound up paying to Online Metals. In case anyone is either living in Edmonton or passing through, I bought too much 12L14 rod (.5" through .875") a couple of years ago and would be pleased to share some at a reasonable price if anyone is interested. I also have some brass round stock in 1", 1.25" and 1.5" sizes that I bought some time ago. Never will use it all, so part of that is also available. Reasonable - to me - means a substantial discount off the current price at MS. Anyone interested in a sq. ft. of bronze - .125" thick? I bought 3 sq. ft. because it was all they sold (plus - all I could afford!) and that's also a bit too much for me. I also have some aluminum/bronze square bar stock in 1.25" and might be persuaded to let a smaller piece of that go as well. Please contact me if you'd like to pursue any of this.
Click to expand...
I am so curious what did you originally buy a sq. ft. of .125" bronze for?
 
The 3 Sq. Ft. piece had a price of $470 US$. Plus shipping of $110 US$. Plus Exchange of course. Will have to see about any duties and GST - some shipments do not bother with this, but others do...
 
Brian26 said:
The 3 Sq. Ft. piece had a price of $470 US$. Plus shipping of $110 US$. Plus Exchange of course. Will have to see about any duties and GST - some shipments do not bother with this, but others do...
Click to expand...
What type of project required bronze sheet? Must have been quite the project with a price tag like that on the materials
 
Well, thanks for asking. I am making the best Ruler Marking Gauges I know how to make. So far, I have been using brass for the ruler guide, but thought that might last only a few decades. So, I decided that bronze would be ideal for this, and should add a century or two to the lifespan. The bronze is on the way, but I made a smaller prototype using older bronze from an old hinge. It is amazing the difference this makes over the brass I was using. Much smoother action. I plan on a posting with some pictures. Probably next week.
 
Brian26 said:
Well, thanks for asking. I am making the best Ruler Marking Gauges I know how to make. So far, I have been using brass for the ruler guide, but thought that might last only a few decades. So, I decided that bronze would be ideal for this, and should add a century or two to the lifespan. The bronze is on the way, but I made a smaller prototype using older bronze from an old hinge. It is amazing the difference this makes over the brass I was using. Much smoother action. I plan on a posting with some pictures. Probably next week.
Click to expand...
Definitely post pics that sounds super cool.
 
Brian26 said:
Well, thanks for asking. I am making the best Ruler Marking Gauges I know how to make. So far, I have been using brass for the ruler guide, but thought that might last only a few decades. So, I decided that bronze would be ideal for this, and should add a century or two to the lifespan. The bronze is on the way, but I made a smaller prototype using older bronze from an old hinge. It is amazing the difference this makes over the brass I was using. Much smoother action. I plan on a posting with some pictures. Probably next week.
Click to expand...

Neat project, I look forward to seeing them, and agree bronze would be the right material.
 
For the record - I posted some info and pics on the Current Projects thread. Also, I did receive the bronze plate and also a 3' piece of bearing bronze (not the oil-filled kind however) that measures 2.25" x .75". That was the minimum purchase so I have excess if anyone's interested.
 
Well I bit the bullet today and bought some .375x3 aluminum flat bar from metal super market. No where else would return my emails when I inquired about purchasing from them since I am not a business. I even tried one place that I had an account about 15 years ago and got nothing from them. Their in store price was better than their prices listed online. They gave me a tour since it was my first time there. They were really nice but also tried to make it sound like their prices are normal. They informed me that twice a year they have a sale on the drops. So I may go pick up some material for my winter projects all at once in December when it is on sale. They also let me know that it was a bit cheaper per foot when buying a full length plus you don't pay for cuts that way. That worked for me since I was after a full length anyway. They also said if I buy multiple drops all at once they could give me a discount.

Looking around at what they had even the stuff they were bundling up and selling for $10 or $50 was all stuff that everywhere I have ever worked would have scrapped. Heck I save almost everything and they were selling stuff that even I would scrap in my shop. They must print money. They had 4"x4"x14" piece of square stock aluminum in the drops and out of curiosity I ask how much it was since it was a drop. It was still $200 and the one guy was surprised it was that cheap and thought it would have been more. I understand that is a big chunk of aluminum but yikes that is not the type of price I expect when I hear drops. They had small 50 pound bundles of 1/4" mild steel plate pieces about 6" or 8" square they were selling for $50. $1 per pound seem high for scrap.

Complaining and ranting aside I will give them this they are the first and so far only place in town I have found that I can get stock larger that 2" diameter even if it will cost a fortune. I may have to stock up in march when I go to Alberta.
 
In Calgary, their drops have been hit and miss.For me, 8/10 miss. once, three years ago, they had a bunch of DOM tubing in the drops bin. he sold me 5 pieces for 20$. Not a super deal by my lights, but acceptable. At the other times I have inquired, their drop prices have been more than I've been willing to pay, by 2X or 3X.

1$ a pound for steel drops is way too high.

I have acquired all the steel and aluminum I can use. I'm considering selling some of my excess at barely over scrap prices, just to cull it down.
 
Dabbler said:
In Calgary, their drops have been hit and miss.For me, 8/10 miss. once, three years ago, they had a bunch of DOM tubing in the drops bin. he sold me 5 pieces for 20$. Not a super deal by my lights, but acceptable. At the other times I have inquired, their drop prices have been more than I've been willing to pay, by 2X or 3X.

1$ a pound for steel drops is way too high.

I have acquired all the steel and aluminum I can use. I'm considering selling some of my excess at barely over scrap prices, just to cull it down.
Click to expand...
I will be in Calgary in march with my truck if you happen to feel the need to downsize your stock.
 
Megar arc 5040dd said:
No where else would return my emails when I inquired about purchasing from them since I am not a business.
Click to expand...

Glad you got what you are after. We're a pita for most businesses, so I find 1) call rather than write, a lot the service centre workers are guys sitting at a counter, easy to ignore emails for pesky small quantities. 2) Just fill out the vendors registration, e.g. McMaster Carr, as Megar Machining or whatever. Doesn't need Inc or Ltd to be a business (sole proprietorship) and while I would say I do not lie, in this case it's just a wee bit of victimless self preservation spin if you have ever worked on something for any consideration (cup or coffee?) or might ever.
 
Megar arc 5040dd said:
They had 4"x4"x14" piece of square stock aluminum in the drops and out of curiosity I ask how much it was since it was a drop. It was still $200 and the one guy was surprised it was that cheap and thought it would have been more. I understand that is a big chunk of aluminum but yikes that is not the type of price I expect when I hear drops.
Click to expand...

I use one of the online sites to get a rough idea of pricing, sometimes. For example, 4X4X24 AL (6061-T6511):


USD $202 for a 24" piece!! (36.4 pounds.) Granted this is an extra 10 inches but they seem to sell it in 1 foot increments.

FWIW,

Craig
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top