So, unlike most of you folks, I'm in the EU (Portugal), and finding it a bit difficult to source materials for my growing workshop. Under ordinary circumstances I'd go make friends with the local scrap dealers and machine shops, but with covid lockdowns, making new pals is rather difficult at the moment.

Since Portugal has a vigorous outside-the-eu enforcement regime with their customs department, I'd rather buy within the economic zone for fiddly "need this and that" bits like this. I should be OK for brass sheet, cast iron, drill rod and aluminium rod from the below suppliers, I'm particularly hard up for bar and square stock of all kinds and mild and/or free machining steel sheet and square stock. The latter for my first project; my take on the Harold Hall dividing head.

This is going to be all small stuff: I'm Cowells-ME and Proxxon FF-230 in a small workshop. If anyone knows more good places for the EU hobbyist to pick up bits and pieces of metal, that would be great. Otherwise, if anyone is in my position, the below firms have been helpful so far.

https://www.fohrmann.com/ -little bits and pieces

https://www.hobbyland.eu/eng/shop/jewelry-and-metals/metals/c-00001003/ -mostly useful for tools, but again bits and pieces

https://www.rcm-machines.com/en/materials -best shop I've found yet, out of Luxembourg; for the hobbyist

Muito obrigado Sr. Costa, I hadn't come across FMS yet. There are a few places here in Lisboa which sell tools and large industrial supplies, but they're not well equipped with little bits of metal. At least none I could easily locate. You're right the language is a big barrier for me; Germans have simple english-like words for something like mild steel (along with a specification) -here, I mean, how does one say "mild steel?" aço macio?

Some of those tool vendors:
http://www.oficina-digital.com/catalog/index.php
https://www.mpaiva.pt/index.html (in Marina Grande area)

https://www.chavevertical.com/
https://centrocor.pt/

I would of course prefer as local as possible, for the postage, and to help out local firms in these times.

Conrad, I saw their tools, but I hadn't seen the materials as I guess I hadn't thought of "rails" as including bar stock.

From the French thread, these look useful:
https://www.tartaix.com/538-aluminium
http://www.sidermeca.com/machines-outils-matieres-premieres,201.html (again, saw the tools, not the material)
https://www.octantenligne.com/04537d9dc40f7690c/index.html

Thanks a million, guys; please keep them coming as you think of any.