Acquiring metal on the cheap. How to get it?

[mac1911]

Scrap yards were such a great source of metals, unfortunately here in EU they got regulated into oblivion. I have a small scrap yard nearby that I used to go to few years ago. It was the last scrap yard that woukd let members of the publication c to wander around and browse stuff. They closed the business, because they said the regulations were to costly to follow. Pity.

Now the only source of cheap metals is local ads etc.

Same thing happening around here.
Local scrap yards stopped dealing with back over the counter sales. Used to be able to trade scrap at one place. I traded a lot of zinc and steel wheel weights for lead and rifle brass.
The remaining machine shops are not much use except for really small scrap.
Talking to one old shop owner and he says waste management has improved over the years. Along with accurate casting has really reduced any “scrap” other than chips. Even the 2 scrappers that come along my way says they hardly ever get “heavy” scrap.

 

[finsruskw]

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.

View attachment 439273

BTW You Suck!!
You, my friend, got one awesomely heck of a deal there.!!!
Congrats!!

 

[MyLilMule]

Scrap yards were such a great source of metals, unfortunately here in EU they got regulated into oblivion. I have a small scrap yard nearby that I used to go to few years ago. It was the last scrap yard that woukd let members of the publication c to wander around and browse stuff. They closed the business, because they said the regulations were to costly to follow. Pity.

Now the only source of cheap metals is local ads etc.

Which makes no sense at all. What are people to do with scrap steel? Dump it in land fills? Doesn't seem very ecologically sound.

 

[savarin]

I went visiting my local fabricators, welding shops and engineering shops asking if they had any short sections they would sell.
In the course of chatting I would bemoan the fact that it was getting nigh on impossible for idiots hobbiests like me to buy anything under full size sheets or lengths. They would often then sell me stuff.
There are now 4 places local that actually advertise off cuts of their materials.
Its worth a try.

 

[Charles scozzari]

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.

Take a look at this e-bay store. cadillaclady55. Its a great place for round stock at really good prices.

 

[Eddyde]

I have a metals dealer nearby that has pretty good prices & sells drops at a discount.
Sometimes I find metal on FB marketplace & Craigslist, for free or very cheap.
McMaster has a great selection and reasonable pricing, especially if I need something specific and or quickly.
eBay is a good source for smaller lighter pieces.

 

[dbb-the-bruce]

I have a metals dealer nearby that has pretty good prices & sells drops at a discount.

Was surprised that this had not yet been mentioned. I've had reasonably good luck with the same, but you are stuck with what's in the grab pile. For my place it's mostly hot rolled for welding stuff.

I work small and have been pretty happy with one or two online metal places, currently sticking with speedy metals.
I'll also throw in a few pieces of short stuff like hex stock when I order something from McMaster. Not particularly cheap but you know what you are getting.

Scraping older computer printers will yield a surprising quantity quality bar stock if you are luck and some cool motors and encoders in the works.

Finally, I did get a good load of brass maybe 100+ lbs on Craig's list for scrap price.

Like I said, I tend to work small so these options might not apply in your case. I also save just about any off cuts that might be usable no matter how small. I'm surprised how often I can grab a 1x2" odd shaped plate and make what I need.

 

[brino]

I am very lucky to have a local place that buys and re-sells cutoffs.

They do have an ebay store, but I cannot say if the shipping would be worth it for you.
The ebay seller is "jrwoodca" and they ship to Canada and US.

Here's a few items:
HUGE Brass Bar 1-3/4" Square x 6" for Live Steam Machinists Knife Makers
6 C360 Brass Rod Bars 1/2" x 10" Free Machining 4 Lathe Live Steam WR9bA2-3
1-1/4" x 10-1/2" Long Brass Bar for Machinists Lathe or Live Steam 1.25" x 10.5"
HUGE 2" diameter x 6" Long Brass Bar for Machinists Lathe or Live Steam

2" x 2" x 12" Long SQUARE Aluminum Bar for Machinists Lathe or Live Steam
3" x 20" Long 6061 Aluminum Bar for Machinists Lathe or Live Steam
2pcs 5/8" x 1-1/2" x 12" Aluminum Bar for Machinists Lathe or Live Steam

I have no financial interest in the store, but I do want them to thrive and stick around.
They have all kinds of HSS tool bits available too, round, square, etc.

Brian

 

[Flynth]

Which makes no sense at all. What are people to do with scrap steel? Dump it in land fills? Doesn't seem very ecologically sound.

In my area we used to have metal recycling bins. I say we used to, because before the regulations every council/city had their own recycling rules. For example in the town I grew up in we had separate metal bins, plastic bins, amber glass bins, brown glass bins, clear glass bins, paper. Sometimes you would see ferrous metals, or aluminium only bins. It was pretty random, but if you wanted to recycle you almost always had a way to do it. However, not everyone did, there were people that would just use "everything bin".

Then they established a law(the usual excuse is, we have to do it because of EU) for compulsory trash sorting. I wasn't against until I heard the categories they came up with.
So now we have
- plastic+metals+anything with plastic or metals attached to it,
-paper,
-glass,
-food scraps etc(you pay less if you compost on your own)
Then twice a year there are large appliance collections, furniture etc. I bet the actual tonnage of stuff being recycled dropped substantially when this law was established.

 

[finsruskw]

Small store I use when I am in the Cedar Rapids, IA area has several drop bins" on pallets they set out every day. The bins are compartment and separate the items, steel, stainless & aluminum. all sizes of stuff and it changes every day. Stuff is all individually priced too so there are no surprises!
Nice new clean cutoffs from saws and shears for the thinner gages.