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Sourcing Metal | General Discussion

Well, I came in today and paid the steel inc guy a visit. This is the same guy whom has worked at Federal Metals for the last 5 years - he just started his own company.
Good:
- open on Saturdays
- sells aluminium
- stored indoors so less or no rust
- can place custom orders
Bad
- a bit more then Federal for hot rolled steel - around 10%
- only hot rolled steel - no grades
- similar assortment to Federal
- same selling model as Federal

Both him and Federal get steel from the states.

If anyone wants a small piece of 2x2 solid steel bar I now have 10ft of it.

He says that Edmonton scrapyard will soon stop letting you pick stuff - for federal it was a single guy that almost killed himself.
 
What scrapyard in Edmonton still lets you pick stuff? The ones near me (General Scrap and Maple Leaf) won't let that fly. Closest you get is the cut offs shed at General.

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Not sure which one - someone mentioned, I think even on this thread, that it is (or recently was) possible to pick things from a scrap yard in Edmonton.

At least you get a cut offs shed.
 
Ok I made a visit to Steel inc this morning! Here's my receipt. Good selection of hot roll. Plate and tread. A sheet of 16 ga is $73 or $46 for the satin sprayed (primer?). Some aluminium angle and flats and some sheet too he has more aluminium coming in. 22 ga steel sheet should be in this week. And ... he will order cold roll etc. Call him. He says he gets orders 3 times a week so lead time might not be too bad. I wouldn't expect 6" lengths or anything but buying 10' at a good price is fine by me. Also he can provide mill spec sheets if required. Check out his hyd-mech band saw pretty cool. Open Saturday's. My fav new store.

image.jpeg
 
I thought I'd add my experience with Encore metals. I got two sticks of 4140 (SPS) steel from Encore Metals on Friday. Price was okay: $105 for 24ft of 1/2" dia heat treated/ground stock, and $120 for 20 feet of 1" annealed stock (which will need heat treating).

they gave good service, only sell in full lengths, price was as expected. They were happy to cut them to a specific length (+/- 1/4") for transport.

One wierdness: for cash sales (via credit card) the don't give you a receipt or invoice. You have to specifically ask for it.

Oh yeah: $200 minimum (but for full lengths, it is easy to go over that)
 
Dabbler said:
I thought I'd add my experience with Encore metals. I got two sticks of 4140 (SPS) steel from Encore Metals on Friday. Price was okay: $105 for 24ft of 1/2" dia heat treated/ground stock, and $120 for 20 feet of 1" annealed stock (which will need heat treating).

they gave good service, only sell in full lengths, price was as expected. They were happy to cut them to a specific length (+/- 1/4") for transport.

One wierdness: for cash sales (via credit card) the don't give you a receipt or invoice. You have to specifically ask for it.

Oh yeah: $200 minimum (but for full lengths, it is easy to go over that)
Click to expand...

I think for the 1" that's 53.4 lbs and $2.25 per pound. Is that pretty good for annealed 4140? What did you think of the prices ?
 
I like the per-pound pricing.

By having to purchase full lengths (20 or 24'), the costs become prohibitive over 2" in diameter. I shared this purchase with a friend, who in turn split his 10' lengths with another acquaintance. After all, who wants $250 on the shelf for just two sizes, when a working shop needs many more, in a bunch of materials.... (sigh)

Back in the 70s when I started machining, there were 10 places in Calgary where you could buy 2' lengths, with a very accessible minimum. Those were the days!
 
Janger said:
What do they have? Cold roll? Aluminium? Thinner Sheet?
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I'm brand new to this forum but had to weigh in. I just paid my first visit a few hrs ago to Steel Inc. at 3260 46 AV SE. They don't have as much as Metal Supermarkets, and will only sell in 1/2 lengths (no off-cuts), but the prices are so much better. The owner (James, who came from Federal Metals) seems like a great guy. They just opened in Jan, but he said they are doing well. I like that the small guy can buy whole sheets easily...the last few sheets of 3/8 plate I bought from Varasteel were a nightmare: 3 hour lineup behind all the big loads, and the staff made me feel like I was a huge inconvenience because I wanted it loaded into a 3/4 ton truck instead of having a trailer. I only buy a few sheets a year to CNC plasma cut so I went to Steel Inc. just to check it out today. I think Metal Supermarkets is OK for off cuts and very small quantities, but I'm buying all my larger quantities of tube and rod from James in the future. Parking is a little tight, but do-able.

Yes they have cold rolled and AL sheet, as well as expanded and tread plate.
 
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Depending on the stock you need, especially if you just need it for your metal crib, going to the metal scraper is sometimes a great way to find metal. I brought my swarf into the local guy and got $8 for it, saw a few aluminium rods, cost me $8. It was slightly less weight than the scrap I brought in.

Now I have the guy call me anytime he has someone drop in some good materials.
 
Steve, which scraper is that? All the big guys in Calgary that I know of don't let you pick their stuff anymore.

Also for "construction" metal one can consider auctions -- they sell by the pallet.
 
I am in Ajax outside of toronto. Little guys all over, I wonder sometimes if the stuff they get is not ripped off from somewhere.
 
Oh, Ontario is for sure quite better then Alberta - lots of industry all around. Used market for machinery is filled with ads. Even super expensive metal supermarkets is cheaper in Ontario.
 
Tom Kitta said:
Steve, which scraper is that? All the big guys in Calgary that I know of don't let you pick their stuff anymore.

Also for "construction" metal one can consider auctions -- they sell by the pallet.
Click to expand...

Pallets of metal at auction? What auctions Tom? Where ? Who? Etc.
 
If anyone is looking for threaded rod in Calgary, drop me a PM. I've gotten a supplier that can get bare metal, zinc plated, (common) acme, B7-hardness and SAE and METRIC threads. Right-hand thread mostly; 3 to 12 foot lengths (depends on material). Prices on the most-common sizes e.g. 3/8, 1/2, 5/8 zinc RH are notably cheaper that retails.
 
Tom Kitta said:
Check out http://www.maauctions.com/ they have now like 1000 industrial items for sale including palets of weldable steel.
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Interesting stuff. I could fill my back yard and front yard. Lot Y313 looks useful. Thats page 3 of the building materials section. What would be typical per pound price? Anyone know? It must be more than what federal would give you per pound. (How much is that? I recall something like $0.05 per pound from Calgary metal 20 years ago. )
 
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