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Sourcing Metal


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I love reading about the custom stuff that you guys build. There's been some very inspiring work showcased here in the few years that I've been lurking.

 

I weld myself and I'm not too shabby at the design aspect if I do say so. My biggest drawback is sourcing materials.

I don't really know anyone that's in to this sort of stuff here, so asking for suggestions on where to go has yielded bad results locally.

 

Steel is expensive. More often than not, it's cheaper to buy manufactured than to try to buy the materials individually. I just don't see how you guys do it.

 

 

So, I figure I'm missing something. Just not looking in the right places. Can anyone suggest places to try for deals?

Maybe share your usual type of sources or things to keep an eye out for?

 

I'd appreciate the help.

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You will find that steel prices depend GREATLY on where you source them. One shop vs. another has a huge difference in pricing.

 

What materials are you pricing out? Sheet? Plate? Round tube? Square tube? If you get an idea what to expect on prices you can tell who's ripping you off and who's just trying to make a living.

 

There's one place where I live (within an hour) that sells steel and they're ridiculously expensive. Sadly, it's usually cheaper to order online + pay shipping for small quantities vs. driving 2 minutes to the local place. I try to buy local whenever possible, but sometimes it 's just too much.

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Well, I'm looking at building a roof rack out of 1 - 1.5" dia round tube. It looks to be big, as I'm planning on throwing 28' ladders on top.

 

I've been killed on flat stock here. I'd love to finish my rear bumper and start on a front, but when building something as small as this costs $40 in materials, I don't see how building is even an option.

 

No, I'd rather stay away from my local welding shops. Most of them are just asinine about the whole deal. I was kinda hoping for some alternatives that I may be missing.

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I love reading about the custom stuff that you guys build. There's been some very inspiring work showcased here in the few years that I've been lurking.

 

I weld myself and I'm not too shabby at the design aspect if I do say so. My biggest drawback is sourcing materials.

I don't really know anyone that's in to this sort of stuff here, so asking for suggestions on where to go has yielded bad results locally.

 

Steel is expensive. More often than not, it's cheaper to buy manufactured than to try to buy the materials individually. I just don't see how you guys do it.

 

 

So, I figure I'm missing something. Just not looking in the right places. Can anyone suggest places to try for deals?

Maybe share your usual type of sources or things to keep an eye out for?

 

I'd appreciate the help.

 

When I built my front and rear bumpers I priced out 2x6 .125 wall tubing. From a small place they wanted $185 for 24'(1 length). I priced out at The Metal Supermarket, a franchise, they wanted $175. I found a place that was a wholesaler that sold to the public, I went there, torched off 1 length into 4 pieces. I paid $106.

 

Go through you local phone book and price out what you need from everyone who sells. You are bound to find someone who isn't trying to make a killing.

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I buy mine from a local non-chain place called Midland Steel Supply Inc.

 

Basically a small warehouse with saws and steel racks, with an outdoor rack section for the I beams and such...and they do welding for custom orders and such

 

Here's what I bought and how much it cost (the longer lengths were purchased in lengths of 6ft chunks)

 

12' of 2x2x3/16" ~ $40

12' of 3x2x3/16" ~ $48

6' of 5x2x3/16" ~ $33

 

I'd check local fab shops see if they have steel they want to sell, alro steel, speedymetals.com, or local metal shops..

Edited by OldSlowReliable
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Look and ask around, depends on what you want. I have ordered some stuff from MSC as the most available/cheapest/fastest and other times gone to local salvage yards and buy steel at scrap rate. I don't believe ther is a fixed source considering the local possibilities.

 

B

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Look and ask around, depends on what you want. I have ordered some stuff from MSC as the most available/cheapest/fastest and other times gone to local salvage yards and buy steel at scrap rate. I don't believe ther is a fixed source considering the local possibilities.

 

B

 

I completely agree, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, asking around hasn't netted any decent results, so I'm looking for ideas on where to expand my search. I've tried the local welding shops, but their prices are nuts and I don't think any of these yokels can read a drawing or figure out what those little marks on a tape measure are for.

 

I want a $h!tload of cheap metal for which to build parts out of.... and then I want a CNC lathe that can cut Inconel. ;)

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You generally have to find a place that specalizes in selling metal. Getting metal from smaller shops or stores is usually much more expensive because they bought it from the big metal place then added transport, taxes, labor, then 10%+ profit. If you only need one piece of metal here and there, the small shops maybe worth it, but if you need a lot more metal, find the local metal store.

 

I get mine from a metal-only shop. You can buy huge I-beams for making buildings or small 0.5"x0.5" square tubing from them. They will also let you go into the back to look at all the sizes to make sure you find what works for you. Last time I was there, I bought the steel tube for the snorkel. I said I wanted 3" pipe and he told me what he had. I went in the back and looked anyways and found a slightly smaller diameter pipe 2.9" and asked the price. Since it was an odd size that they rarely sold, I got it for half the price of the larger size and 6 feet only cost me $18+tax.

 

Try looking in the yellow-pages for a metal place. You might not have one locally and will have to go to the next town over to get some.

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