Metal Supermarket.

[Alan MaughanParticipant @alanmaughan82992]

I have a MS local to me, at present they seem to be the only place that are flexible enough for me to use. They have a wide range of materials and as you all know they will sell you what you need rather than 3m lengths.

When I had my last workshop 15yrs ago I got to know the lads well and I felt they looked after me, off cuts from the shelf were always reasonably priced and usually cheaper than taking a similar cut length from stock. All the staff have changed now and my first impressions are that they are expensive now. I can't get any kind of price list from them as they say everything is calculated by volume, this makes like difficult as I either have to ring each time or sometimes get a shock when the bill arrives.

I dont have a local scrap yard any more that lets me rummage and the only other local steel stockholder doesn't sell in small quantities. Ive checked out eBay but postage costs will surely kill this, or does it?

Can I ask you guys where you find is the best place to source material outside of the scrap metal network?

Edited By Alan Maughan on 12/03/2016 08:12:09

[Alan MaughanParticipant @alanmaughan82992]

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

I have it on good feedback from other members…

**LINK**

Although local to me I have yet to use them, & they do post.

George.

[Mark P.Participant @markp]

I generally use fleabay if my local engineering works don’t have what I need. I tend to find model engineering suppliers are a bit on the pricey side.
Mark P.

[Ian WelfordParticipant @ianwelford58739]

Mech an,s right m machine are very good. Can,t speak for delivery as I alway "need to call in to check I,vs got the right stuff" ( and have good chat / fuss the dogs ) each time.

Andersons ( scrap dealers) of Ripon are good for steel and very helpful, also aluminium but depends upon the day you call as to what's there.

Regards and happy hunting

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I use MS sometimes. My impression is that they are a bit more expensive than larger stockholders but not that much really. I've found them helpful. I don't generally buy materials by their standards numbers. I just by describe what I want.

I don't know anyone who sells off cuts cheaply any more. They seem to sort through it and if it will cover the size needed even cut it down to suit. There was one place I used to visit that had a room full of them – help yourself and pay a few % over current scrap prices. The new foreign owners threw it all away. William Gabbs who used to advertise in Model Engineer.

The supplier I miss most is Reeve's not the new company the old one. While people might think mild steel is mild steel that's not the case and they used to sell some excellent stuff. Mind you the sources may have dried up now.

My local none ferrous supplier has started going to model engineering exhibitions – just hope it doesn't upset the prices they charge me.

John

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[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

.

I find the price of metals on places such as ebay and I suppose the internet in general reasonable bearing in mind they have to pick it then cut it to the small pieces we generally want.

It's the postage that kills it as metal is generally heavy. Even when they say 'Free delivery' – It ain't free at all.! The postage costs are embedded into the advertised price initially.

Nick

[JonParticipant @jon]

You will always pay through the nose for small quantities even if collected non worse than MS.

Link above most things are extortionate, M Machine price they have for steel I can get same in titanium delivered without even shopping around. Aluminiums sold by the ft £2.56, works out in excess of £33 for whole length 4 metre from ASC £10 as a one off and about sums up all these places.

Admittedly steels will carry a high delivery cost its the end result, travel and downtime as well.

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

Only use MS in Southampton once, a, expensive and b, they sold me 5/8" bar instead of 16mm. ~ .015 smaller, right pain. Take your mic. with you.

Frank

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I'm rather fortunate in that my mate was a manager of a local engineering machine shop and he got a lot of bar ends for us both for stock and occasionally he goes back for the odd size we dont have.

Martin P

Edited By martin perman on 12/03/2016 21:32:13

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