7 Places to Buy Metal for Welding Projects

[@TimWelds]

You can learn to weld. I'll show you exactly what to do in my affordable online welding courses at courses.timwelds.com.

[@brianswelding]

The best place I have found is the fab shop you used to work at where all the employees hate the owners and will gladly just give you whatever material you want when the owner is not around. 😃👍

[@corydriver7634]

😂

[@timoliver1004]

That is theft and shows no honor or dignity

[@michaelhertz8717]

@@timoliver1004 that's on the employees not whoever they give the material to

[@angrydragonslayer]

@@timoliver1004 if the owner refuses raises and comes in to work with a new ferrari the next day, it shows dignity

[@SPANKmusicofficial]

@@timoliver1004 nice guys finish last.

[@jeremyhanna3852]

Out west I use pacific steel they charge a lot to cut like 5$ a cut so I started taking my cordless Sawzall cut it myself in the parking lot

[@smitty2jones]

There's a place here called Metal by the Foot. They sell it, as you guessed, by the foot. It makes it really cheap to buy small amounts, but much more expensive to buy bigger amounts. It might be 1.20 for a foot of whatever, bit that means it's $12 for 10'. They'll cut it to length for free, too. Converse to the other metal supplier in my city, it's probably $8 for that same 10' length, but might be $3 for a single foot. And that place charges you to cut it shorter than 20' or whatever.

[@tracywagoner4907]

Metal by the foot is awesome. Check out their cut offs or miscuts. Bargain city, I was there Friday.

[@AntiqueEarthMover12]

a lot of scrap yards shear up big pieces almost immediately due to being hard to handle. if you talk nicely to them, you can get them to save pieces for you on a weekly basis, and for a small cost sometimes, they’ll even shear coupons for you out of whatever material they have available.. good for practice and far cheaper than any supplier

[@TimWelds]

That's a great idea! I've never got material from a scrap yard. Thanks!

[@davidfrank2824]

I've been fortunate when I decided to start welding. My very close friend has six welding shops across the state. He around me to use his account with a different suppliers that he uses. So when I buy anything it's at a discounted price compared to someone just walking in off of the street. Another good advantage is on the weekend if I run out of gas I don't need to wait until Monday I just go over to his shop and swap out my empty. I know everyone is not this fortunate to have a friend like this. Perhaps if you make friends with other welder in your area perhaps you could work out getting a discounted price on supplies. Most of these places that sell steel are normally pretty good to work with.

[@juancortez4726]

Thank you! super informative specially for those of us that have "welding" in our bucket list...

[@clamboni9]

Don't forget your local scrap yard/metal recycler. All around me that I know of will sell back to you. Usually rusty but if you're just learning and don't mind cleaning it up a bit it's usually really inexpensive.

[@badgoy8439]

12 cents a pound at mine but it's a bit of labor finding decent material and getting it loaded

[@FireworksFreak8008]

Good vid bud! What i recommend for practice for welding is just to go to a scrapjard the stuff there is so cheap and than if you are better you can buy from a steeljard

[@joesfamilyfarm]

Good video. I find a lot of good material at our local scrap metal yard. They sell both new and used....I find a lot of good used steel plate and angle there for various projects.

[@52stevedo4]

I love my steel yard. They closed for covid and still have not opened. I miss that place .

[@armurano5093]

Good ole trash day by the side of the road turns up great finds. Bed frames aluminum and metal furniture. Oh yeah!

[@stephenmonkhouse6114]

Thanks! Very timely advice to help get me started.

[@snipereyes101]

Another place you didn't mentioned that's actually a really good place to go is your local metal scrap yard lot of time companies offload their excess cut offs and pieces like that to scrap yards and they store them on racks and shelves there and sell them to the public per pound

[@MrArgonaut2501]

Thats where Im going soon. Oilfield town here so plenty of steel to pilfer through

[@mrmidnight32]

I love my local yard supply. I just raid their recycle bin from their cuts and scrap. They charge by the lb so it’s perfect for aluminum coupons.

[@DCweldingAndArt]

That was a great video Tim! Awesome concept and very informative.... Like you just went way more in depth into talking about it than almost anyone else on this subject. I'm sure that will be pretty helpful to quite a few people. I fortunately have a pretty good relationship with a local welding shop and steel supplier, As well as a metal recycler in a different city. So I can usually get remnants and odds and ends in pretty much any kind of metal(even copper/brass) At great price, unless full length tubing/pipe... That seems to be pretty expensive anywhere I go so I grab cut pieces every chance I get when they charge for the pound

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I stash the cutoffs when I get the chance as well, they usually come in handy.

[@softwarephil1709]

Love your channel. You’re a good man!

[@rpavlik1]

Great stuff! I'm just getting started and really appreciate this info. I've got a few sticks of angle iron bought at quite a high price from the local big box sitting in the garage now...

[@gwhall50]

i buy used bed frames for cheap 1.5" angle, can pick them up for 5 bucks at garage sales. Also flat steel, i'll buy used older framing squares for a buck a peice. always handy

[@poncho6784]

In the Kansas City area, and probably many major metros, people on Craig's list are looking to give away scrap metal for various reasons as well.

[@lorneanderson7424]

Great suggestions! Love your channel! Just finished stick welding Coreten steel plate walkway and stair railing. Thanks for all your tips.

[@mountainmanfab]

grainger,mcmastercarr,fastenal and a lot of other industrial supply places carry or can order material for you as well, but i would suggest it only if you are having a problem finding a specific type. Like the majority of "specialty" shops they tend to charge an absolute premium but if you happen to have one with a store front close you can generally avoid additional shipping charges.

[@donaldwheeler5989]

Diving into welding myself, Tim - thank you for a great and useful video!

[@donaldoehl7690]

"Remnants" are called "drop". Most metal dealers will have drop pile that they'll allow people to root through if you ask. If you own a truck people will give you metal all day long.

[@melgross]

I generally buy from McMaster-Carr. They have a gigantic variety of most metals. They also have it in a large amount of lengths, thicknesses, widths, etc. Many of us can’t buy from steel yards, because we live in a city, or dont drive, or can’t haul long pieces in a small car. so that’s not an option. There are also large steel yards on eBay that I buy from when I want tubing of various types and sizes. The problem buying metal, is that because the weight is high, the shipping can be more than the cost of the metal. But the trick here, if you REALLY plan to build a lot of things over time, is to NOT buy little pieces. That’s extremely expensive over time. A foot of material may cost $10 (we’re talking about good, new metal that’s of known alloy and not rusted). But two feet might cost $17, and three might cost $22. I find it’s good to build up a supply of material so you don’t always have to buy bits every time you want to do something. This is true for shipping as well. I bought some 1.5” s 1/8” tubing. A package of three 8 foot pieces was $30, but shipping was $43. That’s expensive. But buy buying six pieces, only $15 extra was added to the shipping, making the cost per piece much less. Three more pieces added just another $8 to the shipping, making the cost pretty good. If you have space for metal, think about a year’s worth of projects, or two, or three even. In the long run you will have a good selection at hand that makes designing a project much easier, and the metal will have cost much less per foot. You will also end up with a number of small cutoffs that you can either weld together for a larger piece, or have metal for practice, which we all need to do. Basically, if you’re going to buy a welder and other metalworking equipment, you must intend to use it more than two or three times a year, or really, you’ve wasted your money. So having materials at hand from which you can spend many happy hours wrestling with how to design and build something is the whole point, isn’t it? Spending time dinking around wondering where you can get two or three inches of metal really isn’t what this is all about.

[@TimWelds]

McMaster-Carr is awesome for so many things!

[@Galfrid]

Thanks, just what I needed!

[@codyway7424]

Here's a suggestion. Stop by or call a welding supply house in your area. Ask them who sells scrap metal in your area. They will know. Within an hour drive of most anywhere, there are scrap yards that buy and sell metal. Fab shops and the like sell them their cutoff and leftover scrap. The scrap yards pull out anything that someone can use, melt the rest. In our area, outside scrap goes for $0.30/lb. The have new material inside if you want it.

[@TimWelds]

That's a great idea. I've never thought of checking with the welding supply. Thanks!

[@WellsLarry]

Thanks for doing this.

[@CaptainCalmer]

Love the channel, sir, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience

[@davidg5704]

Great information. Thank you.

[@libsrmarxist]

Just started welding and have found your channel very informative and helpful. I may even purchase your course on Flux Core welding.

[@danielchambers1958]

GM Tim, I appreciate the video . . . I pay through the nose because both metal suppliers are 30-40 minutes away. Tractor Supply and Lowe's is all I have. Will start trying Ebay as you mentioned. Fab shops are something I need to start doing as well. Appreciate your efforts Sir.

[@mrhalfstep]

I suggest that you get a cheap Ryobi 18 volt bandsaw or demolition saw with a metal cutting blade and take it with you to cut the material to whatever dimensions you need to get it in your vehicle. If you have one of the Lithium Battery Power stations equipped with an AC inverter of sufficient wattage, remember that you can run corded tools on it to accomplish the same thing. As a matter of fact, if I had a small fabricating business, I think I would buy one, write it off as a business expense, and know that I had it to use for other purposes during a power outage. Mounting a large inverter in your work truck would save the cost of the lithium batteries and would still provide you with an AC power source to run a cutoff tool of some kind. Just a thought.

[@Mase326]

Two words: air compressor

[@lisalovelylpa]

Thanks for the tips .. I did notice one place near me did mention scrap metal pile at discounted prices .. they also like to sell to artist etc. they have lots of steel for pros too. Funny , I always have noticed the little steel selection at Lowes and Home Depot, I could see that being good in a pinch or just fun to check out when in the store. I also find metal in the trash lol I just found a Christmas tree in the trash stand and all , with four perfectly brand new threaded eye bolts in the stand. I can’t see throwing that in the trash !

[@GrimReaper-xt7my]

I am a welder helper usually after I get done using the acetylene torch to cut metal I use the steel after the metal cools down and I pick up metal

[@bruced1429]

My metal supplier sells tube steel ,round or square or rectangle in 20 foot lenghts and angle iron in 24 foot which I have them cut in half . Their aluminum comes in 12 foot lenghs, When cut they all fit in on an angle in my truck (8 foot box) sheet I get cut 4 ft by 4 ft unless I need 6 foot then I buy the whole 4 by 8 sheet. Any left over peices eventually get used so I don.t worry about buying the exact amount and a little extra comes in handy when you make a mistake,

[@ceasar3696]

I always price my steel online. I find it easy to print off the list from online of what I am going to order from the local steel supplier. It is usually less than half the price to by local than online even before shipping. But I have a flatbed semi and can get whatever length is cheaper. 24 ft is usually cheapest around here. I just cut 70 coupons for my daughter to practice with out of 11ga 1 1/2" w x 24ft it cost $10

[@juanmireles1356]

Miller… smart man 👍

[@MG-vo7is]

Great info!

[@ZiggZagg11]

This is very timely... I have been wondering about this... I have even looked at the coupons on Amazon... I could not justify... Yesterday I tried welding on some old metal shelves I had in the basement... They were so thin that I burned thru as soon as I struck an arch 1/16 rod at 25amp so I even tried going lower...It just was not weldable at my skill level... I will have to prepare for the next warm (above freezing) day...

[@ZiggZagg11]

I did get to use my new grinder on the metal shelves... It is fun... I may use the short one for my welding table for a while...

[@ZiggZagg11]

I am just playing around as I used to weld in my first job out of high school...I am now kind of retired at 62 and am really kind of waiting for things to go back to normal so I can go shopping for scrap steel (and every other normal thing)...

[@pkennedy4256]

I use my local scrap metal recyclers. I go in and tell them I want to shop. They charge me 5 dollar's which goes towards the purchase. They charge 30 cents a pound for steel

[@vroomvroom4061]

could you do a video on how to weld high carbon or tool steel. I would like to understand that so when I begin, metal doesn't get wasted.

[@derekgreen7319]

Tip: tractor supply is expensive. Lowe's and home Depot carries the same stuff as them and it's cheaper.

[@cluebin8398]

Another place you can pick metal up cheap sometimes is recycling centers. Some will have a room where they put clean material that comes in which they can make more money selling it as-is compared to scrapping it.

[@fredcsensits4476]

Metal supermarket located in Baltimore will cut to length and any quantity you want

[@larryfine4498]

The junk yard is an option. Lots of people/junkers haul some decent metal for scrap. Sometimes you can get some good material before it hits the crusher.

[@pmchamlee]

Helpful - Thanks!

[@mattsabin3059]

I am a boyscout with the welding merit badge and i can confirm the use of those coupons for the badge

[@philliptoone]

10:35 Inkscape! I've never used it for CAD/design but it is awesome non the less. :)

[@TimWelds]

I use it a lot for artsy stuff, but rarely for mechanical design. I have other CAD software that I use for mechanical stuff. For a beginner looking for a simple, free option, it's a good starting point. Thanks for the comment!

[@philliptoone]

@@TimWelds I really like OnShape.

[@Jointhe_v0id]

Metal Supermarkets. National chain. Their motto is... Any Metal. Any size. Really fast. They also offer services such as cut to Any size no matter how small. Shearing. Bending/breaking. Punching. Delivery also. Very affordable materials.

[@upmineandyours]

good evening every one.... here is another place you can try they world wide Metal Supermarkets they do cut to size. if you have something cut to size you don't have to buy the full length like you do with some places...they sell by the inch also and depending what area your in they can deliver to.....

[@tomk3732]

Other than local steel yard this stuff is for rich people. Get metal from local auctions, either while pieces or stuff you can scrap. Usually price is close to scrap price or say double, so what you do not use you can scrap at scrap yard. Heck when it was legal one could buy directly from scrap yard at 2x the price. I.e. I pay about 10x less for my metal than the video maker.

[@shawng7902]

We have a local scrap yard that will take it in and mark it up. Sell it right back to you. Ive learned my lesson. Plan your welding table to the plate you find lol. Reason they cost $3000. Have a buddy who owns a muffler shop. Im gonna aggravate him till he lets me load up with scrap exhaust pipe

[@MrJockoDundee]

Any comments on cost/availability of purchasing steel descaled? I seem to spend more $$ on consumables for removing mill scale than welding wire.

[@smokefentanyl]

Try a vinegar bath . 24 - 48 hrs does it . Than wipe dry or hose off with pressure washer and wipe . Not ideal for tubing unless the black residue isn’t an issue . Seriously give it a shot you’ll be surprised man. Eats the scale down to bare metal . Buy the most concentrated vinegar at the grocery store while at the same time looking out for cost . Getting cheaper stuff will just mean it needs to soak longer , no biggy; in the meantime I just smoke a ciggie

[@MrJockoDundee]

@@smokefentanyl Ha, yea . . . used to be in the metal processing business. HCL or H2So4 will work a lot better at about 20%; but I don't want to put a pickling operation in my shop. LOL.

[@barrybrum]

$20.00 or more shipping charges at the James Lincoln Foundation makes buying scrap/practice coupons cost prohibitive.

[@creeplife2802]

I find now online, it's very expensive, about 40 bucks for a 1 inch square tube 8ft 1/8 wall

[@OrangeeTang]

UK/EU use mm, I know if you're educated in the US inch measurements is straight forward, but for me (UK) comparing inch and mm is so confusing, inch doesn't seem to be a precise measurement.

[@angrydragonslayer]

A large part of US high-end manufacture uses only mm as well but for hobbyists, this is what you should expect

[@sptrader6316]

Businesses that do metal artwork, often have metal scraps they will sell cheap or free.

[@EripolJem]

welding accessories pls. :)

[@rtz549]

Need some place that sells cheaper metal. Wish Metal SuperMarkets would sell some made in Mexico steel just for certain projects when any metal will do. They can still sell the USA metal for other projects.

[@BlueMacGyver]

This really good advice, however I will never buy metal at a Lowes or Home Depot. They could have the last steel on Earth and still no.

[@gmarch4618]

Metalsupermarket in Sarasota charges full price for their remnants. Used to deal with one in NC that offered discounts on remnants and i miss that place. I brought this up to the people at the front counter at the Sarasota store. The lady literally measure to the 1/8 in when calculating the price. So a 12.125 x 12.125 gets priced at that, not 12x12. Her response is its still new metal a I am getting a savings on not be charged for cutting to size from the large pieces. Grow up.... The I generally avoid the one in Sarasota as much as i can.

[@joseph428]

Hey Tim so I’m 16 and wanna save up for a new welder but I wanna get a multi processor do you know of any good one that aren’t too expensive?

[@berniemac8413]

I’ve heard the Omni Pro 220 is a great multi process welder...

[@TimWelds]

That's awesome! I got my first welder when I was about your age and made a little spending money repairing railings and gates. That's how I got started. So, before I answer your question, there are three things that are important to know about entry level multiprocess welders. First, in addition to the welder, you will need a gas cylinder for MIG or TIG, and they use different gas types, so if you want to run both processes, you will need 2 cylinders, which cost quite a bit. Second, the TIG feature on most entry level multiprocess machines is lift arc, which means that you have to touch the tungsten to your metal to get the arc started, which is okay, but not ideal. The last thing about them is that the TIG feature is DC only, which will not work to TIG weld aluminum. (There are some machines that really will do everything, but they are really expensive). Don't let me talk you out of it if you really want a multiprocess, but if there is one type of welding you mainly want to do, I'd get set up for that to start and look at a second machine down the road. I have videos about each of the processes on the channel if you want to know more about them. If your high school doesn't offer a welding class, a lot of trade schools offer an evening intro to welding class that might be a good chance to try a few processes to see what you like before you spend your hard earned cash. Here are a few entry level machines to look at for each of the processes: Multiprocess: -Look on craigslist for a used Lincoln 210MP (really solid machine) -I haven't tried it, but I would look at the Titanium Unlimited 200 from Harbor Freight as well. I have had good luck with 2 of their Titanium welders -Also haven't tried it, but a lot of people on KZbin have reviewed the Yeswelder multiprocess from amazon. I have tried a Yeswelder TIG, and it worked surprisingly well for the cost. MIG: -Titanium MIG170 from Harbor Freight. I have this one and it works really well for the cost. AC/DC TIG and Stick (TIG welds aluminum very well): -Primeweld TIG225X. I have this one and it rocks. -AHP AlphaTIG (They released the new model and are clearing out the old ones at a really low price right now) Low Cost DC TIG & Stick (Mainly for Steel): -Yeswelder TIG205DS. I have this one. It has HF start and works really well for a price under $250 Cheapest Stick Welder: -DekoPro from Amazon. I have this one too. It's cheap and works well.

[@joseph428]

@@TimWelds thank you so much this helped me a lot

[@havenmcgarity1472]

@@joseph428 I'm your age as well and while multi processes is nice its expensive for beginners I'd recommend finding a Lincoin tombstone they go for between 100 and 200 dollars and are built extremely well mine is 47 years old but its stick only

[@jmmetals1872]

I’m 16 too I just bought a multi process weld it was pretty cheap and works well It’s the Hobart multi handler 200 it does tig, mig, and stick I got it for about $950 brand new (A Miller 215 multi process goes for $1600 and does the same) It’s cheap for a brand new multi process I recommend it

[@1pcfred]

Inkscape is not online software. Inkscape is GPL software. Means it is free and open source software. So you can have your own copy of the program. Maybe he meant Fusion 360? Which is online gratis software for non-commercial use. I am not going to try to explain their licensing scheme. It is complicated. Anyone interested in a free parametric modeling software package needs to look at FreeCAD. It is genuinely free software. It is also pretty limited in functionality too. What do you want for nothing? Parametric modeling can be fairly difficult for some to pick up. I know it was for me. And if you think that is bad you should see OpenSCAD. heh

[@mikecoughlin4128]

I see coupons for sale all the time. What are they used for?

[@GlueTubber]

smelt them and cast them into shape

[@michaelthomas7898]

Practice, practice, practice

[@joederue2392]

I wish you would have talked about right on peaces and fright. Even though price our up and down.

[@brianpatrick8441]

Im a self employed metal fabricator and thats who you go to buy drop from. Just bring cash!!

[@Genxisthebest]

Good video but when using a microphone every time a person swallows or gulps it really transfers over and sounds awful. I'm sorry to say it this way but I couldn't think of a more gentle way. But you are a real man so I know you won't take offense... But I wanted to apologize anyway. Again thanks for the info.

[@M70ACARRY]

I live next to Worthington Cylinders. I get free scraps.

[@TimWelds]

Very cool! I used to live in Delaware County just north of there.

[@n9wox]

You sound a little under the weather. Take care.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks Tom!

[@jrsydvl7218]

If onlinemetals doesn't have it, I found it at speedymetals.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks for the tip!

[@dingo1135]

Home Depot is expensive for some thin metal ☠️

[@angelhernandez8386]

Metal supermarkets

[@toycoma98]

I used to get from weldmetalsonline but their website changed or got updated and when i checkout it shows $80 priority mail, the old website with my previous orders shipping was $8-$15.

[@TimWelds]

I've never ordered from them, but it looks like they have a lot of cool stuff! I kind of want to try the extreme cope challenge, but I probably wouldn't pay that much for shipping :)