Where do you buy your metal?

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I was wondering where do you buy your metal. Also what would be the best place in Canada for a hobby welder to buy metal(pipes, sheet metal).Thanks for your help.
Reply:if your real nice alot of machine shops will sell/give you what you need...they will have a "scrap" area to pick thru..scrap to them...treasure to youand you might just make a new friend or two along the way......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:Because I'm pretty impulsive and impatient, I get most of mine through a regular steel supplier.But zap is right, many welding shops and machine shops not only have a cut-off bin that is going out to scrap anyway, they also have a drop rack where they put pieces that might fit somewhere someday if they remember to look. And they also double as an outlet. They don't always carry a huge variety and you may have to order and wait a week but some are just as competitive as a full blown supplier. Check your local (if any) scrap yard and see if they have a pile they'll let you pick through.
Reply:I love working with clean metal for my projects. So I buy it from my local Steel supplier.   For junk projects that I dont really need to look all that great, I go to a scrap yard.
Reply:The worst place to buy is the local home improvement center or hardware store.  Best bet is to get prices from several metal suppliers.  Prices can vary quite a bit from one place to another.  I do get a lot from the scrap yard as thats the cheapest even if I have to piece lengths together.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:Originally Posted by Tailshaft56The worst place to buy is the local home improvement center or hardware store.
Reply:I use a local shop but recently found Pacific Steel in Washington. Pretty good prices but the cool thing is the Remnance yard. They sell lengths of under 8 feet by the pound. Most places have a rem pile but this one is huge. It really comes in handy.Oh yeah, and don't buy from your local hardware store. Wait until monday and get it at the yard.
Reply:A nearby machine/welding shop keeps steel on hand and gets a premium for it.  Usually, they want you to tell the counter person what you want, he goes into the back and cuts it, then you back up to the door to load.  But, his material racks are right across from his scrap bin and i have found that, if I'm less than specific about what i want and need, I get invited back into the back and I can spot what i need among the scrap and he sells it to me for scrap prices.
Reply:I got a huge piece of 1/2-inch plate from a steel salvage yard and he even cut it for me. I took the center of some sort of a support beam, about 6'X3'X1/2". It was in ruff shape but a little work and I have used 3 sections of it so far. Total cost....free!Roger.