How/where to buy reinforcement/practice metal?

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As a beginner, I'm wondering where to buy pieces of metal to A-Practice on and B-Reinforce a bracket on a metal chair. Bracket failed to start with because metal was too thin for load; I want to lay a 10-inch-long piece of steel across it and weld that down to make it stronger. Who typical sells decent scrap? How do I know I'm not getting poor quality metal?
Reply:For a small piece like that you could find it at your local lowes or home depot. You may have a metal suppier in town that would sell you a off cut. Or a machine shop or fab shop.
Reply:hi, it would help if you tell us where you live. Location makes a huge difference.
Reply:Go to a local, small welding shop and just ask for some scrap. I give scrap away all the time.
Reply:I need your address, Bob. LolOkie, my local metal supplier has full size stock, then a rack full of odd length cut offs, and finally a scrap trash can.  The guys will let me pick the can but I won't unless I buy at least some cutoffs.   Cutoffs are by the "eyeball" and they give me a price at the desk.  5bucks buys about 75 pounds of odd plate that will keep me off the streets for hours and hours. Any mild steel is what you want.  If you buy cold rolled (they will point it out and help you tell the diff) you won't have to mess with as much cleaning before you weld.
Reply:Check your local metal recyclers. Theres one in my town that most of the big fab shops sell their scraps and oops to and they resell it for .39 cents a pound. Great place to buy if you only need a little piece of something.Beer has food value, Food has no beer value
Reply:Thanks everyone for all the tips. Time to rock 'n' roll!
Reply:Yeah, dig around and try to find a scrap metal place.  Most them I've seen sell you whatever scrap you want to pick up for about 20 cents a pound.  Notes: - be REAL careful in those places. All kinds of junk to step on. And watch out for those big piles. You pick up one tiny little piece and a 50,000 pound piece rolls down on top of you, or an engine block falls on your leg. Serious. A scrap metal yard has to be one of the most dangerous places in the world. - Don't get carried away and get pieces that are too big. It's a headache to cut them up later. - mind what kind of metal you're getting. Some is galvanized, or aluminum or whatever, but it's so dirty you can't tell what it is.-RuarkLincoln 3200HDHobart Stickmate LX235TWECO Fabricator 211i
Reply:If you were only closer. There is a mound of pieces of 1/8" scrap on the shop floor after today that you could have all of it if you wanted to pick it up. Seriously, go to a small welding shop in your area. Unless they are just arse holes they should just give you some.
Reply:I purchased 2x20' 1" OD pipe and 20' of 1/4"x5" flat stock for $300.I've got a few hours of practice and a couple smallish projects out of it, and I still have about half of it.compared to the price of everything else it takes to get going.....