Sourcing Metal | General Discussion

[kevin.decelles]

Wow , quite the experience. I felt like a small fish in a big po d at sureway too, but only because of the scale of their operations . I wasn't asked for ppe, but probably should have had it. The guys let me help place dunnage under the load etc.

I'll probably end up with an order in the spring. Let me know how much they quote u for ibeam




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[DPittman]

Good lord that trip to Varsteel sounded like major P.I.T.A. Its been a while since I've been to Varsteel Lethbridge but it sure wasn't like that then. Things have probably changed there too.

Where should a fellow look for 1-2" round brass bar?

Don

 

[Janger]

Good lord that trip to Varsteel sounded like major P.I.T.A. Its been a while since I've been to Varsteel Lethbridge but it sure wasn't like that then. Things have probably changed there too.

Where should a fellow look for 1-2" round brass bar?

Don

I need some 1 inch for my lathe steady...
Metal supermarket... omg. Don if you find a source for some 1 inch I’d be interested in splitting some with you.

 

[DPittman]

I need some 1 inch for my lathe steady...
Metal supermarket... omg. Don if you find a source for some 1 inch I’d be interested in splitting some with you.

Ok I will keep you posted if I find any. I'm hoping to find some just to have on hand for some "someday steam engine projects". I would like to buy a foot of 1/2" , 1" and 2" rod but am afraid the price of it may scare me off. I'm thinking metal supermarket sort of dealers are not even a consideration for me.

Don

 

[Johnwa]

I bought a piece of brass from metalsupermarket a couple of years ago. It was pricy but was in line with the online suppliers that I checked.

You could try Samuel Specialty metals. They do have minimums though.

 

[DPittman]

I just tried Samuel Speciality Metals and he told me they don't handle brass anymore. He suggested Metal super market or maybe have to buy full length (12ft) of the stuff. Ouch either way.
Don

 

[PeterT]

I haven't heard of or dealt with Samuel before. The aluminum selection caught my eye. How are they to deal with for us non-industrial types price? ie minimum orders, cutting fee etc.?

Brass is getting spendy regardless of source. Typically I wait for the %discount sales & use OLM for sticks of specialized stuff. They discount the UPS ground fee to Canada but I seem to average 40$ for a box-o-metal depending on weight etc. Strangely, that can sometimes work out cheaper that the local 'market' depending on the item.
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1270&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1117&top_cat=79

 

[DPittman]

I haven't heard of or dealt with Samuel before. The aluminum selection caught my eye. How are they to deal with for us non-industrial types price? ie minimum orders, cutting fee etc.?

Brass is getting spendy regardless of source. Typically I wait for the %discount sales & use OLM for sticks of specialized stuff. They discount the UPS ground fee to Canada but I seem to average 40$ for a box-o-metal depending on weight etc. Strangely, that can sometimes work out cheaper that the local 'market' depending on the item.
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1270&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1117&top_cat=79

I have never dealt with them either but the fellow I talked to on the phone was pleasant and tried to be helpful with suggestions. I have a feeling they would be good to deal with.

Don

 

[Dabbler]

Peter - wow. The last time I went to Varsteel the yard was empty. The foreman and crane operator were great, and they loaded my tubing right on my roof rack and let me tie down right there. Things have changed in 5 years!

 

[Johnwa]

I went to Samuels once to price out some aluminum. I believe they want to sell in 20’ lengths and their minimum was $120. They’re definitely willing to sell a piece at a time though.
I ended up getting in on a protospace group buy from them. 10’ x 3”x 1/2” for $60.

 

[Janger]

That seems cheap John. Federal wants $40 for that much hot roll. Thats 17.85 lbs of aluminum and $3.36 / lb. I think Steel Inc is more like $5-6/lb. no min though...

 

[Johnwa]

I checked my archives and it was even better. $4.25/ft. That was 2 years ago, I don’t know if there was a volume discount,

 

[Joshua Abbott]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. I've been looking for decently priced aluminium rectangular bar stock. I've ordered from metal supermarkets and online metals in the past, and while their metal is fine of course, it is pricey. The shipping and handling hits me pretty hard as well since I'm in cold lake. John- I'm going to check out Samuels for sure if they have a volume discount. I have found an unlikely supplier that may end up alot cheaper than the "small quantity consumer" companies though. I gave Sculpture Supply Canada a call today, and it seems that they have what looks like 3"x3.75" aluminium bar stock 30" long (the alloy is A356). They're selling it as an "ingot" by the pound. Approximate weight is 35 Lbs and they quoted me $2.25/lb over the phone. With UPS standard shipping being $100.00 for that weight and dimension, total cost should come out to about $180.00 before taxes. An approximately equivalent sized bar of 6061 of the same weight from metal supermarkets costs about $315.oo with shipping and before taxes. I'm not sure how good A356 alloy is. Comparing the material properties data sheets it looks like has lower tensile strength than 6061, but I'm not sure how much that matters for most applications.

 

[kylemp]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. I've been looking for decently priced aluminium rectangular bar stock. I've ordered from metal supermarkets and online metals in the past, and while their metal is fine of course, it is pricey. The shipping and handling hits me pretty hard as well since I'm in cold lake. John- I'm going to check out Samuels for sure if they have a volume discount. I have found an unlikely supplier that may end up alot cheaper than the "small quantity consumer" companies though. I gave Sculpture Supply Canada a call today, and it seems that they have what looks like 3"x3.75" aluminium bar stock 30" long (the alloy is A356). They're selling it as an "ingot" by the pound. Approximate weight is 35 Lbs and they quoted me $2.25/lb over the phone. With UPS standard shipping being $100.00 for that weight and dimension, total cost should come out to about $180.00 before taxes. An approximately equivalent sized bar of 6061 of the same weight from metal supermarkets costs about $315.oo with shipping and before taxes. I'm not sure how good A356 alloy is. Comparing the material properties data sheets it looks like has lower tensile strength than 6061, but I'm not sure how much that matters for most applications.

Probably doesn't matter much unless you're doing something pretty specific.
I'd try samuels which will only sell full bars and not cut them then steel inc.

 

[PeterT]

Interesting. I knew it was used in casting & generally less common, but the properties aren't that much different than 6061. Just check machining properties depending on what you are doing, some grades of aluminum can be gummy on cutting tools & particularly threading. the casting folks may not care about that much.
https://www.makeitfrom.com/compare/356.0-T6-Cast-Aluminum/6061-T6-Aluminum

But the price sounds off (to your advantage). I didn't check extensively but it seems to approximate 6061 on $/pound. One example, 39 USD for 13.5 pounds
http://www.budgetcastingsupply.com/product-p/9100-013-7.htm

Re 6061, I order form these guys on occasion. Just as price reference 3x4" goes for 73 $/ft
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=17683&step=4&showunits=inches&id=997&top_cat=60

 

[Janger]

Try steel inc. for aluminium.

 

[PeterT]

What intrigues me is A356 seems to be Googling as 'cast aluminum'. Now that's of interest because typical cast aluminum like MIC-6 is friggen expensive, but makes very nice tooling plates & non-distorting molds which is its primary industry purpose.

 

[CalgaryPT]

Bit of an update on sheet as of 2018 Feb 26.

Just bought a 4x8 sheet of 16 gauge (uncoated) hot roll steel from James at Steel Inc. for $82.50. Then I headed to Metal Supermarkets for some smaller stuff. Out of curiosity I asked for their price: I knew it would be more, but the same sheet there was $161 !!!!! WHAT??????????????????????????????? I felt an southernly muscle pucker up when they told me.

It reminded me of the $12 sandwiches at the airport. Has Canada Revenue created unique a economic zone at Metal SuperMarkets that I am unaware of?

James gets my business

 

[Tom Kitta]

You overpaid - http://www.federalmetals.ca/we-sell/plate
$67.5

 

[Janger]

Federal can be less BUT James has nice clean rust free plate stored indoors. He also has various gauges and even a grade primed and ready for paint.

I didn’t know federal carries thinner gauge material. Last time I asked I thought it was 1/8 minimum. Anybody seen the stuff at federal? What does it look like?