Acquiring metal on the cheap. How to get it?

I

Iron Filing

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In starting my machining education and, perhaps eventually, career, I find myself in need of metals to work with.
I thought about going to the junk yard, but from what I understand from my father, it is illegal to remove trash or parts of it. I live in Florida USA. It's kinda stupid too because none of it is sorted and you never know what's in there.

My current method of acquisition is to pickup what I see by the road or what is broken and made of metal. Of course, this method leaves a lot to be desired in terms of any form of round stock (Aside from old, bent, rebar), sheet metal (I can get round ones from old pumps that are normally really rusted in spots), and any form of bar rectangular prism (I can get crooked one's from lawn mower blades) or beam, such as T, or I. I also find myself competing with the local scrappers (who probably need the money more than I need the metal.)

Any ideas?
Thanks!
 
I've had good luck buying lots of scrap at auction. Also, call around to local machine shops and see if they'd be willing to part with some scrap/cutoffs, etc. Explain to them the situation and you might find someone willing to help. Where I am in Ohio, none of the scrap yards will let me come in and grab what I want and just pay for it at scrap prices. Call some places near you and see if they will sell you some scrap. The biggest problem with scrap or auction scrap is you may not know what the material is. But so what? For learning and home projects, it hardly matters. Of course, depending on your machine. For example, I have some 4150 scrap a friend gave me and my 13" South Bend has a hard time cutting it with carbide. I can only take 20 thou at a time (off the diameter) so it can be slow going.
 
I've also had good luck buying metal at auctions, but you have to be careful. I bid on a lot that looked reasonable, got it for like $55 and at pickup I realized it was a least a ton...my back was sore for a week! Short version...it's best if you can preview the lot so you know what you're getting into.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to stop into local machine shops and ask where they buy their stock as well...just tell them you're getting started and they may even bring up selling/giving you some drops. Hydraulic shops are also known for having stuff like hydraulic rods that have been bent/scored and might sell/give you some.

Some of the online places like onlinemetals.com actually have pretty decent prices for when you need something specific. It's also worth checking eBay and looking in the classified section here.

To look for industrial auctions, www.bidspotter.com is probably the most common.
 
G-ManBart said:
I've also had good luck buying metal at auctions, but you have to be careful. I bid on a lot that looked reasonable, got it for like $55 and at pickup I realized it was a least a ton...my back was sore for a week! Short version...it's best if you can preview the lot so you know what you're getting into.
Click to expand...
But you got a ton of "usable" material for $55!!!!! I'd take that all day long. I'd find places to store it until I needed.

I forgot about eBay. But I only use that when I need something specific. I needed a piece of round plate steel for a project and found it on eBay cheap enoug.
 
I would talk to the junkyard and verify that. I have a feeling that the info might be a little out of date, or incorrect.
At a junkyard you would probably need to pay.
At a trash facility I'm pretty sure it's not illegal. But I don't live in FL.
Metal recyclers on the other hand are a touchy lot. Some allow, and many don't.
 
MyLilMule said:
But you got a ton of "usable" material for $55!!!!! I'd take that all day long. I'd find places to store it until I needed.

I forgot about eBay. But I only use that when I need something specific. I needed a piece of round plate steel for a project and found it on eBay cheap enoug.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was happy, but my back wasn't!

For the OP, if you find the local metal sources it's worth stopping by all of them to see if they have a section for randoms or drops. The local Alro outlets are the most expensive for most things, but drops and randoms are surprisingly cheap. They sort of laugh when I walk in because I usually spend a lot of time looking through all the randoms and drops...but I've been able to find some really good stuff that worked perfectly for a fraction of prime stock prices.

This was most of the auction haul, but not all of it....it's way more than it looks (the hex pieces are 2.5" across for reference). Deals are out there if you're patient and check frequently.

IMG_3204.JPG
 
I scrounge metal wherever I can. I have bought very little in the way of new metal in the past thirty years. Computer printers are a good source of small diameter rods. Things like exercise machines can provide somewhat larger rod. Thicker flat stock can be more difficult. I scrapped out some old farm machinery which provided bar stock as large as 2" x 3" and rounds up to 2" in diameter. I also acquired some 3" diameter rounds and 1" plate over the years .

Ag implement repair shops might be a source. Welding shops, another. Lawn mower blade are a fairly high carbon steel and not suitable for machining except where the intended use demands.
 
Years ago, we bought a bridge built in 1893 for $1 with the provision that we cut it up and remove it. The bridge had been lifted off the stream an dropped on one bank. I climbed up the bridge and cut it apart with a torch. It yielded about four tons of mostly straight bar stock, round stock, and 4" and 7" channel iron, cut to 8' lengths. Much of the bar stock was wrought iron which was essentially out of production by 1900 and sought after by blacksmiths. The channel was all mild steel. This provided raw material for many welding projects over the years.

Although use of heavy iron is diminishing rhere is still some around if you look . Craiglist or Facebook Marketplace might be a good place to look.
 
This topic seems to pop up every few years and there's a chart that was put together by the blacksmiths guys a while back giving an idea of what you might expect to encounter in the way of metal type in various scrounged items. It has been posted to HM before back in 2016 but here it is again for easy reference. I have no idea if any of the alloys may have changed over the years given modern methods and things, but I'm guessing most of them would still be pretty relevant.

1677441532458.png

www.hobby-machinist.com

Junk Yard Steel

someone was asking what some of the scrap yard steel might be. here';s a chart that was posted either here or another place at one time. . . . i hope I'm not repeating it. . .
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com

-frank
 
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