A good cheap source for aluminum welding coupons?

[Janderso]

I’m surprised to find the price of 5052 2x4” by 1/8” coupons. $70 for 20!!
Is 5052 what I want for AC Tig practice?
Does anyone know a more cost effective source than Amazon or Ebay?
A local shop?
I bet welding classes and High Schools have a better source.

Thanks for your help.

 

[great white]

I just drop into my local welding/fab shop and they give me a handful of drops/scrap when I ask. I offer to pay every time and the shop owner waves me off every time. I usually ask when I'm in there buying steel anyways, so it's not like I'm there mooching. Well, at least not a total mooch.

I think he knows I'm practicing tig. We're in an area where there's not a lot of manpower for welding and he might be thinking one day I might be a source for some labor.

I'm retired and well past that, but he still gives me drops and scraps for free.

Ask around, worse that can happen is they'll say "no".

I usually practice on 6061, but mostly because that's the most commonly used alloy. Practicing on other alloys is also good though as I find they all behave a little differently under the torch....

 

[MrWhoopee]

Check the local metal distributors. If they shear, they will undoubtedly have narrow drops that go into the scrap.

Also, any shops that do sheet metal work, marine manufacturing, fuel tanks etc. Drive through the industrial neighborhoods and see what's out there. Show up about break time and offer them double scrap value and a box of donuts.

 

[G-ManBart]

I wouldn't worry about the alloy....from a practice perspective it won't matter. 6061 is the most common. I have a couple of local places that sell drops so I just buy a long piece and cut it into coupons myself, but if not I'd look online. Take a look at these...$10 for a pack of 10 and the shipping isn't bad.

Aluminum Flat Coupons

Welding is fun- cut and prep is not. Need we say more? Our aluminum welding coupons are cut, prepped, bagged and ready to weld. All Weld Metals Online coupons are available in lengths of 4 or 8 inches and are sold in packs of 10. Simply choose your thickness and quantity of each pack! It's...

weldmetalsonline.com

 

[Aaron_W]

I’m surprised to find the price of 5052 2x4” by 1/8” coupons. $70 for 20!!
Is 5052 what I want for AC Tig practice?
Does anyone know a more cost effective source than Amazon or Ebay?
A local shop?
I bet welding classes and High Schools have a better source.

Thanks for your help.

I took some welding class through the community college but it was taught at a local high school. The teacher got some material as new bar stock, but got a lot of practice material from scrap. I think they may have had some kind of a deal where the school got some of the better, but not particularly valuable material that came in, and then once it was used up it went right back to the scrap dealer. For a scrap dealer it is weight, so the difference between 6" to 2 foot pieces and hacked up, welded up chunks is probably minimal, plus all the welding rod splattered on the chunks is just more steel to recycle.

The aluminum got recycled in class, as casting was part of the high school metal shop program. All our welded up aluminum coupons got melted down for casting.

He had a pretty efficient system going and obviously knew how to stretch his budget.

 

[francist]

You may have better luck depending on the time of year as well. I remember a couple years ago I was in to our local metal supplier (a major chain franchise) around October I think. I was looking through the drop rack when the main owner came up and offered me essentially anything I wanted at about half regular price. He said his inventory time was coming up and if he still had it then he'd need to account for it so at the end of the month he'd be giving a swack of it to the local school just to clear his racks.

 

[GeneT45]

Go to your local supplier and buy their 'length' (it will be 10' or 12'). As mentioned, the alloy won't make much of a difference. It takes a relatively short time to knock it into 6" or 8" coupons depending on what you're doing, and you won't be paying the premium for the cut. Weld Metals Online has the best prices I've seen for pre-cut stuff, but you'll save 50% or more by cutting your own.

GsT

 

[DAT510]

I thought the Lincoln Welding Foundation used to sell Aluminum and Steel Coupons kits for practice.

Just checked, looks like they only have Steel.

Metal Project Kit

www.jflf.org

But $45 if you buy 10 kits, isn't too bad for pre cut practice coupons.