Welding Tips and Tricks

I live way out in the sticks and have to drive at least an hour each way to the nearest place to buy steel. I am curious about online suppliers. Any suggestions and/or opinions of some of the online sources? Thanks.

If you check prices you will typically pay a premium price. Unless you buy in huge amounts which by then you might as well keep going where you are now and their price will reflect the large purchase too. Ask your current supplier about delivery. They may be willing to provide this for you if you are a good customer with good volume and they may do it for little to no extra cost. That's how the materials warehouses work around me anyway. If you are just way that far out or you use very little material this may be your disadvantage.

Or if there is others like you you could make a business out of supplying them to or work together on getting mixed loads of material out your way. Just a thought....

Thanks. I made contact with a guy at a machine shop in the area who gets metal delivered most weeks from a large supplier. He will let me buy through his company at his cost
Problem seems to be solved.

xwrench wrote:Thanks. I made contact with a guy at a machine shop in the area who gets metal delivered most weeks from a large supplier. He will let me buy through his company at his cost
Problem seems to be solved.

supply some donuts,certainly helps friendships in this area
especially the shop guys handling the material

rick9345 wrote:

xwrench wrote:Thanks. I made contact with a guy at a machine shop in the area who gets metal delivered most weeks from a large supplier. He will let me buy through his company at his cost
Problem seems to be solved.

supply some donuts,certainly helps friendships in this area
especially the shop guys handling the material

Good thinking... Grease his palm (pun intended) with McDonald's dollar sausage biscuits or a couple dozen donuts now and then, and he might throw in a bit of shop surplus as lagniappe...

Steve S

rick9345 wrote:

xwrench wrote:Thanks. I made contact with a guy at a machine shop in the area who gets metal delivered most weeks from a large supplier. He will let me buy through his company at his cost
Problem seems to be solved.

supply some donuts,certainly helps friendships in this area
especially the shop guys handling the material

I make many friends and repeat customers around here with a dozen doughnuts. Good call.

Silly me. I only brought him a six pack when I made the deal

I guess it all depends on what time of day you make these deals. 7AM it's doughnuts and 7PM it's Coors Light. Unless it's the shop down the street from me, they sleep all day and weld all night, then it's always Coors Light.

I've used speedymetals.com, their fast shipping and have a good variety of oddball stuff, not cheap though. I've bought Al. tubing from them when I couldn't find a drop and would have to buy a full length otherwise, saved on that one.

Len

I've been using metalsdepot.com, seem to be alot cheaper than speedy metal. As long as you don't need really long/oversized pieces they will cut everything down to fit on ups.
I ordered 80ft of 5/16 round bar
20 ft 1/4x1 flat stock
1'x2'x20ga brushed 304
4'x4'x20ga mild steel
16' 1/8 x 1/2 x 1/2 aluminum angle
I don't think i forgot anything, but it was delivered in about 4 days and the whole order cost about $151.00

dsmabe wrote:...I don't think i forgot anything, but it was delivered in about 4 days and the whole order cost about $151.00

Building a sign for Bacardi Rum?


Steve S

Lol, no, some pieces just to keep around the shop. A sheet of stainless for a favor, round stock for some projects if i ever get time.

Hey,

That round bar alone would cost close to your $152 here in AUS.


Mick