What types/sizes of metals do you guys buy?

Wheat.Millington

Wheat.Millington

Registered
Registered
Joined
Sep 21, 2021
Messages
108
So bit of background, since starting to learn home machining it's become apparent that here in New Zealand it's just about impossible to buy small quantities of metal, online or otherwise. We have a handful of large distributors who are only interested in selling full lengths (generally between 3.6 and 6 metres), which for a home gamer like me is unmanageable. On that basis I've decided to start a little side business selling small quantities of metal for engineering and machining.

I'm not here to pimp my business, but to get some help on what I should look at stocking. Currently I've got a small range of 1045 and stainless 304 round bar up to 30mm, and looking to bring in some 40mm and 50mm soon. I sell in quantities from 100mm up to around 1,000mm, after which shipping becomes uneconomical.

I'm considering some flat stock, but within my little business I need to stay with volumes and weights than can be economically carted, which is tough in this country. Interested in what kinds of sizes, formats and materials are commonly bought by home machinists here?? Thanks.
 
12L14 is a super nice machining material.
4140 HT is great for just about anything I need that needs to be 'durable' (for threads, etc).
303 Stainless is what I would recommend instead of 304.
6061 Aluminum is really popular for AL.
Brass/Bronze/Phosphor Bronze are really useful.
Durabar/high quality Cast Iron I work with reasonably often.

I'D suggest going with some rectangular bar as well for machining, as well as 'large diameter but short' rounds.
 
It's super nice to buy known materials in the sizes you need, but your question seems to be more directed to general stock rather than pieces for a specific project you have.

If I'm mistaken please let me know but if you're in business and the suppliers only want to sell full lengths than that's what you'll need to do. Call them up and explain your circumstance and if they want your trade they'll figure out a way to accommodate what you need.

Now, if you want to get general stock so you are able to make whatever part comes along I'll give the same advice I give to folks in the states, visit your local job shops and make friends with the owner. They will have offcuts, drops, or whatever they call them which they might be willing to part with. Just don't imply that what they have on the shelf is scrap, they know what material they have and may well want to keep it in case someone walks through the door with need for something that can be made with it.

You live in a beautiful country and I hope to get back there sometime soon. If there's any way I can help from California I'd be happy to oblige, I do have some bronze but shipping is likely to be a challenge. I also buy from McMaster-Carr which is a great resource but probably not practical for your needs even if they would ship there. However, if small quantities of known metals are what you're after I'd be willing to assist.

Cheers,

John
 
Do you have a community of other hobbyists locally?
Start asking them. Everything is location dependent. Is it a farming community? A tech community. A mix..
From our vantage point here in the USA, different strokes for different folks.. it depends on what the local people are doing.
 
BTW not all shops are the same. There was a shop around here that did a lot of big corp and govt work.
The metal was purchased for each job. Anything not used was thrown out (probably sent to a recycler). I bought some metal from a guy that worked at this company, he bought what he could from them at scrap prices, or for free..

it might pay to look for those companies as well.
 
Thanks for the responses!

ErichKeane said:
12L14 is a super nice machining material.
4140 HT is great for just about anything I need that needs to be 'durable' (for threads, etc).
303 Stainless is what I would recommend instead of 304.
6061 Aluminum is really popular for AL.
Brass/Bronze/Phosphor Bronze are really useful.
Durabar/high quality Cast Iron I work with reasonably often.

I'D suggest going with some rectangular bar as well for machining, as well as 'large diameter but short' rounds.
Click to expand...

All great sugestions. 12L14 can be had, but it's hard to find. 4140 is definitely doable. 303 is nearly unobtainable here, but the 304 sold has additives (calcium I think) that makes it quite machinable. I can definitely get some 6061 bar, and I'll look into specialty metals like brass, bronze and cast iron.

matthewsx said:
It's super nice to buy known materials in the sizes you need, but your question seems to be more directed to general stock rather than pieces for a specific project you have.

If I'm mistaken please let me know but if you're in business and the suppliers only want to sell full lengths than that's what you'll need to do.
Click to expand...

Thanks Matthew. The problem is that suppliers are only interested in selling full lengths, and we don't have any "consumer friendly" suppliers in NZ, particularly online. I'm happy to buy full lengths and chop them up to be sold online, which is my business proposition.

woodchucker said:
Do you have a community of other hobbyists locally?
Start asking them. Everything is location dependent. Is it a farming community? A tech community. A mix..
From our vantage point here in the USA, different strokes for different folks.. it depends on what the local people are doing.
Click to expand...

I'm having a hard time finding these hobbyist groups, but I know they're around. This is definitely something I'm pursuing.
 
1144 Stressproof is my go-to. I’ve had good results with it, and it’s usually less expensive than 12L14, plus it’s a little stronger. Round bar up to 1” is most of what I use.
 
There is a company in the US that does exactly what you're talking about. Browsing their website could show what works here.
hobbymetalkits.com

HMK Hobby Metal Kits

The source for all your material needs!
hobbymetalkits.com hobbymetalkits.com
 
I did what you are planning when I started machining many years ago and sold through Ebay. I started by buying what I needed and then sold the excess. I had a variety of 6061 in round and flat stock on hand, for round stock I started at 1/2” I think and then went up to 4” in 1/4” increments. I didn’t buy it all at once, start with the smaller sizes and then as you get income, or inquiries, stock the larger sizes. I didn’t sell as much flat stock since there are too many options, do a few of the smaller sizes they can’t get at a local home store, around here that would be larger than 1/4”x2”. I didn’t do steel much, only a few different sizes. If I were to do it again, I would stick to the high value items like aluminum, stainless steel, and brass. Steel is relatively cheap, but heavy, so the shipping costs could be more than the product purchased. No matter what you have on hand, someone is going to ask for something else!

1144 is the AISI designation for a resulfurized steel that has good strength properties and has a high machinability. It’s my favorite steel where strength is needed and doesn’t need to be hardened. Stressproof is Lasalle’s trademarked name for their proprietary process that makes it better than standard 1144. I also have a good stock of 1215 for easy machining, this is basically 12L14 without the lead. You would only get Stressproof in NZ if Lasalle sells it there. What steel designation system do you use in NZ? Ours are AISI/SAE, but Great Britain has their own system, and there is also ISO designations that are completely different.

Something you can try is a hobby pack with a range of sizes of the same metal, for example, 1/2”, 5/8”, 3/4” and 1” round bar (or your metric equivalents) in different lengths. That might be attractive to hobbyists.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top