Metal Source - Hobbyist

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I need to find a decent source/s for metal to feed my welding habit and for making small to medium projects.I have been around welding throughout a 30-some year stock car racing stint, owned a bunch of welders in those years but always had an Ace welder on the crew so never really learned to do it myself. Now, I got a Lincoln Pro-MIG 180 and have successfully welded pretty much everything available in the shop into one very strange looking hunk. I think I need  plasma cutter now to get that hunk out of the shop.has anyone found a type of local source that has metal available at decent prices? On my woodworking side there is an unofficial network of wood sources so i thought perhaps the same thing existed on the metalworking side.I am in Concord, NC if you happen to know of a place within walking distance of my house...
Reply:FYI I go to our local steel warehouse about once a year, and drop $5-600 bucks on a goodly assortment of flats, angle, square tube, etc....when it starts getting low, I order again.  Makes some projects pretty interesting when you look at what is left on the rack, and design around the materials on hand.
Reply:The usual sources are scrap dealers, metal supply houses, manufacturing businesses and welding shops. Some scrap guys are willing to resell materials that come in, others won't. Even Auto wrecking yards often have metal that might be useful from truck racks, perf angle from van shelves, assorted misc scrap thats tossed in the vehicles etc. Also a good place to go if you need old fenders and doors to practice patch pannels for a vehicle restoration.Some metal supply houses will sell drops, the remnants of lengths that have been cut to size for orders. If so they often sell these at reduced prices. Manufactureing businesses and welding shops also often have shorts and drops that they may be willing to sell.Also a bit of trash picking can net you some usefull materials. I'm not a big fan of bed frames myself, they often don't weld well, but are usefull for small projects. I nabbed a ton of 6-7' lengths of like new 1" square tube years ago when a store was reoplacing all their display racks. A 1/2 day with the sawzall and I had a truck load of 1" square stock for misc projects. I've also nabbed some nice steel from construction dumpsters on jobs I've worked at..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:If there are any machine shops in your area go in and ask too see the shop foreman..As long as you are not making $$$$ off any of it most times if you are nice they will let you go thru the scraps and let you take what you want..We do where I work..You make alot of friends that way also.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Thanks for the suggestions!I may have hit the Mother Load in that my new neighbor works in a fabricating shop and is going to talk to his boss about cutoffs and scrap or to see if I can just buy stock from them at a good price.
Reply:Dillon Supply has a location in Charlotte, but I've never used it. I buy from their location in Raleigh all the time. Great service, and they don't mind selling small 'hobbyist' quantities. Usually only about $5 for cutting fee, too.
Reply:Look up steel distributors in the phone book and visit the yards.  I tried a few until I found the one that I use.  Buying steel directly from them is pretty cheap, just got a 4'x8' 1/8" sheet for $90, usually pay $0.40/ft for flat strap, $0.60/ft for angle depending on the thickness.  I usually spend about $50 a month, last visit was $130, but they tend to just give me stuff.The last time I was in I mentioned that I needed 4' of 1/2" smooth rod, they said to just take 4' off the 20' piece on the rack - for free.Another big plus is that these guys will root out specialty items for me for some projects.  Building the relationship with a supplier is worth more than just the hard cash in a few transactions.Some of the steel distributors are arrogant jerks, I just chose to not do business a second time with them.  I am willing to drive the extra 10-15 minutes to get to the good guys.Hobart LX235Victor 250 Oxy-Acetylene Rig (welding and cutting)Bobcat 773F-350, 1999, 4x4, 16' 10K# trailerOutdoor Wood Burner - 10 cords/year
Reply:For body metal, especially for heavier gauges than what is typically sold for body metal vehicle roofs, hoods and trunks off a scrap car is a cheap source, usually they are not badly rusted like doors and fenders.  An air powered chisel with a panel cutter cuts quickly.Most steel fabricators, welding shops, scrap pieces of angle and plate that are still large enough to be useful for small projects, they may give away small quantities or at the most will sell it for the scrap price.Building demo's are another good source.  I built the frame for a 9 ton tag a long float from 8" channel rescued from the demo of the local arena.   I built an overhead gantry out of a salvaged I beam and some salvaged heavy wall pipe.One of my latest (roundtuit) projects is using the frame of a travel trailer whose owner didn't fix the leaky roof.  All the wood rotted and the trailer shell and interior was destroyed.  I got it for the asking and the trouble of stripping it down to the frame and hauling the remains of the shell and interior to the dump.  It has double drop axles, electric brakes and even the tires look good.  I will be reinforcing and modifying it but it has the basics for a good car hauler or landscaper trailer right there.Another roundtuit project is a 50 ton press, I have all the steel for it and the hydraulic pump, just need an enerpac or equiv. ram cylinder and I can weld it up.  It is based on a salvaged door frame out of an industrial building, very heavy  weight 8" channel.I am always on the lookout for steel that I could use.  I wish I had more room to store it so I have to pass up anything I can't see a probable use for, I try to spot steel for friends as they do for me when we are looking for something.Don't worry if it is rusty, as long is it is not rotted out surface rust is OK.  Get a sandblaster.or find someone to sandblast it for you.  Welded on pieces can be cut off, bolt holes can be welded up, pieces can be welded together if they are not long/wide enough.  Even bent pieces can be straightened by the magic of flame quenching or a friend with a backhoe.Last resort, go to your local steel service center and buy your steel, it's more expensive but probably not as expensive as you may think.  I can often do better at a local welding shop or fabricator.  Small shops get better prices than you or I but the more they buy the better deal they get.  They may appreciate your business to increase their order volume and share some of the savings they get with you.Hope that gives you some ideas."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25
Reply:If you are in Concord you aren't too far from Stock Car Steel in Mooresville.  Walk in, small batch no problem.  They specialize in race car fab material but have a pretty large selection.
Reply:Originally Posted by dstevensIf you are in Concord you aren't too far from Stock Car Steel in Mooresville.  Walk in, small batch no problem.  They specialize in race car fab material but have a pretty large selection.
Reply:Originally Posted by dstevensIf you are in Concord you aren't too far from Stock Car Steel in Mooresville.  Walk in, small batch no problem.  They specialize in race car fab material but have a pretty large selection.
Reply:You might want to try Foils in Harrisburg. In case you don't already know they are a scrap metal dealer on Hwy. 49. Hope this helps!http://www.foilsinc.net/page2.html