Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 So I'm wondering where to get some square and round stock about half inch in diameter mild steel. I am sure I can go to the junk yard and find some but is there anywhere that they sell it with known carbon content. Also what kind of steel is good for a beginner smith? like 1018 or a36 or what? I don't know if those are good or whatever just using as an example Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 This is where doing research comes in handy. These questions have been asked tens of thousands of times on this forum alone, and countless millions of times around the internet as a whole. Every town of decent size should have a metal supplier that sells large pieces to mills, factories and all the various shops working around the area. The yellow pages and internet should turn something up in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 I just did a web search on your town's name with "steel supplier" and came up with three good looking options within a 45 minute drive. Call them first and ask if they sell drops: the selection will be limited to whatever they've been cutting lately, but the price will be more affordable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Rather than looking in your phone book, you post on a international forum asking us all to do it for you, when its your back yard ? ummm ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 To those Americans born into the era of manufacturing, it's second-nature to reason, that you should be able to buy ANY commodity, from a business devoted to supplying that material. ( ie: A Tire Store, A Lumber Yard, An Electrical or Plumbing Supplier ) But things change. Here, ... in Southern Pennsylvania, ... many of the wide variety of Industrial Suppliers that existed 20 years ago, have gone the way of the Dinosaur. While the OP's question might initially strike you as lazy or thoughtless, ... I'd point out that my local telephone company no longer bothers to publish or distribute a "Phone Book". Things change. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 @Steve Sells I wasn't asking anyone to look anything up, I was just asking if there's any stores that sell stocks not being a warehouse. Like Lowes, TSC, Home Depot, etc. I'm not going to be able to goto a steel supplier and afford to buy a bunch, unless as JHCC said they would maybe sell "drops" which I think is just like the spare that they cut off and have no use for? Also, was wondering what a good kind of steel might be for a beginner to practice on. I tried looking that up and I'm not finding any consistent answers. 17 minutes ago, SmoothBore said: ( ie: A Tire Store, A Lumber Yard, An Electrical or Plumbing Supplier ) That's more so the kind of answer I was hoping for as well, I know a lot of people say they go to auto shops to get coil spring and leaf spring for free/cheap. Also, trust me I know that's most things have been posted on here before but it's not exactly easy to search this site, easier to use google and add iforgeiron to the search, even then it's not always accurate. And I always try and google things before I post, unless it's something super specific. Even then when I google something like this, all I find is people saying the same thing as what people are saying here. I'm just trying to see if any stores sell stock by the piece, not by the pallet, while still have a specific carbon content. Also, I'd rather not have to order things offline if there's a possibility of buying it near by. 2 hours ago, JHCC said: I just did a web search on your town's name with "steel supplier" and came up with three good looking options within a 45 minute drive. Call them first and ask if they sell drops: the selection will be limited to whatever they've been cutting lately, but the price will be more affordable. Thanks, not exactly what I was looking for but I didn't know you could ask about "drops", so that may be helpful. Hopefully they would let me come buy $20-$50 worth of steel cause I can't go drop a bunch on a load. At least not until I know what kind I'm good at working and what I'm trying to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Find a local welder and ask where they buy stock has worked for me in the past. Some places will piggyback orders for you as they get a discount the larger their order is. (My local windmill, old style, repair and installation company sells steel on the side about 1/3 cheaper than the lumberyard for instance) For general smithing we mainly use A36 which is generally what you get when you ask for "hot rolled mild steel" these days. (and it comes in 20' "sticks") By the Way you have your prices backwards! My local steel supplier, Area Steel, sells by the 20' piece which is the standard length that steel comes in. I can generally buy 20' of steel for about the same cost that Home Depot sells 4' of the same stuff. We don't deal with the steel mills that want to sell a 20,000 pound melt, the intermediate suppliers sell in reasonable amounts. Getting started I would suggest 3/8" and 1/4" (down here we can only get 1/4" as cold rolled 1020, much more expensive and comes in a shorter "stick" 10' long IIRC.) And as mentioned I always asked about rusty, off size, bent, "damaged" steel as the forge doesn't care and the wallet does! (Last time I bought 1/4" sq stock I ended up getting 90' of it for a 60 foot price as I cleared out their bin on it; stuff they couldn't sell; but I was happy to buy like "short lengths" that saved me the cost of cutting it to haul home to boot! Left a nice clean area for their next order and a happy steel seller!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 13 minutes ago, Pr3ssure said: not exactly what I was looking for No, that's exactly what you're looking for. It's not what you think you're looking for, but it's what you need to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 There are numerous websites that also sell literally any steel. Online metals sells A-36 and 1018 in every size you could ever want, Hudson Tool Steel sells advanced tool steels such as A-2, O-1, and S-5, and companies like Texas Knifemakers Supply and Jantz sell lots of simple carbon steels like 5160 and 1080. I have bought from all of these companies in the past, and have had good service from them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 2 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: For general smithing we mainly use A36 which is generally what you get when you ask for "hot rolled mild steel" these days. (and it comes in 20' "sticks") Alright, some things I've seen have been very varied about a36 but it seems to be the most consistent thing I'm finding. by the way, thanks Thomas for always giving me some good information and baring with me. I've been trying to research as much as possible before my dad comes home for thanksgiving, he's bringing me some tools and random things he's picked up out on the road since he was last home. 6 minutes ago, JHCC said: No, that's exactly what you're looking for. It's not what you think you're looking for, but it's what you need to know. By that I was meaning I was wondering any specific stores, but no that is what I was looking for. I figure most suppliers have anything that I would be looking for, are there certain kinds of steel that would be more likely to be in the scrap pile at certain times of year? I'm going to call the closest one to me and see what there policy is on coming by and asking questions about "drops". Also, am I getting that right, drops is basically just the scrap off of a big piece that got cut and they can't use it at the length it's at? 7 minutes ago, Will W. said: There are numerous websites that also sell literally any steel. Online metals sells A-36 and 1018 in every size you could ever want, Hudson Tool Steel sells advanced tool steels such as A-2, O-1, and S-5, and companies like Texas Knifemakers Supply and Jantz sell lots of simple carbon steels like 5160 and 1080. I have bought from all of these companies in the past, and have had good service from them all. I've checked out a few online sources. I'd like to avoid ordering online for now because of shipping costs but I'm not ruling it out as an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Just now, Pr3ssure said: Also, am I getting that right, drops is basically just the scrap off of a big piece that got cut and they can't use it at the length it's at? Yes, that's correct. For example, if a steel supplier has an order for 1/2" round cut to three-foot lengths, they'll get six from a standard 20' stick, with a 2' chunk left over. The 2' chunk is the drop. @ThomasPowers recommendation for rusty and bent is also good; I have a 20' stick of 1/4" round that was basically a noodle and that I got for even less than the usual drop rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 Cool, thank you. I don't think it would be that big of a deal to get a rusty or bent piece since the whole point of smithing is to manipulate metal. Do you know if it's a bad idea to put a chop saw blade on a miter saw to cut metal? Something else I've found mixed reviews on doing, I just don't want to buy a chop saw if I don't need one, they look basically the same to me but I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genesaika Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 My local home Depot have square and round stock for sale. Not sure on the carbon content though, it's probably listed on the manufacturer's website. I think whatever steel you have available is good to start with. Honestly you will likely get a different answer from every blacksmith you ask on what's best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 That's the one store I don't have near me, the closest Home Depot is about an hour or more away. Yeah, I'm just trying to see what everyone says about what steel and try the most popular out at first. My uncle has his own car shop, he recently closed it for business but he's never gonna stop doing work in it for friends and family. I'm going to go down there and try and find some nice sized pieces as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genesaika Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 I'm sure lowes, your local hardware store, or any craft store would also have it. I just can't confirm that they do is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 2 minutes ago, Pr3ssure said: Do you know if it's a bad idea to put a chop saw blade on a miter saw to cut metal? That's a horrible idea. Chop saws and miter saws run at very different RPMs, and miter saws don't usually have clamping mechanisms to hold the stock in place during cutting. Recipe for disaster. For 1/2" stock (round or square), a hacksaw is probably sufficient. I've done lots of cutting with an abrasive cutoff wheel in a 4-1/2" angle grinder, but I've lately fallen totally in love with my portable bandsaw, picked up for $40 used. Less noisy, faster, and less grit floating around the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 Just now, genesaika said: I'm sure lowes, your local hardware store, or any craft store would also have it. I just can't confirm that they do is all. Yeah, when I was at lowes last week I wasn't able to find any. I wasn't exactly looking for it, just as I was looking for the stuff I needed I was keeping an eye out. I need to just go back and ask or call them and ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 But, as noted above, for a lot more money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 5 hours ago, JHCC said: That's a horrible idea. Chop saws and miter saws run at very different RPMs Yeah, some things were saying as long as you can put the chop saw blade on it it works. After looking more into I found out that chop saws have things to prevent you from getting hurt if the blade brakes and that because of the high rpm's it will usually make the metal extremely hot. I was just wanting another opinion. I don't know why I wasn't thinking about an angle grinder. I don't have one here but my dad has one for me when he comes home. I'd say that's a much better option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 For the love of Yellin, please make sure that you wear proper protective gear when using it. You only have one set each of eyes, ears, and lungs; make sure to use goggles and a face mask, earplugs or other hearing protection, and a decent dust mask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elemental Metal Creations Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 At my "local" steel supplier 2 hour drive 1 way I can get 20' 1/2" round a36 hot rolled for about $7. 1018 cold rolled is about $12 in the same size, cut 1 time If I need it cut more it is $1 a cut. This is the only new steel supplier in at least 4 countys. About all the big box stores sell a36 in shorter pieces but you pay dearly for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 A hack saw is cheaper than a chop saw which is, in turn, cheaper than a plasma cutter. You are young. You have plenty of time to keep a sharp lookout for quality, bargain tools. Using TPAAAT, trolling yard sales, and checking estate sales, estate sales etc. You will run into a good buy. Smith and, if you continue at it you will really need such equipment in good time. Regards, and welcome to the craft, IFI, and the denizens here, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 So I just emailed the closest steel supplier and asked about A36, they say they have it in 3/8 round and that's it. I asked about drops and scrap and he said " In terms of scrap and minimums; we do not have a minimum order but we do only sell full stock lengths of material." So I figure that means no, but I assume I may have better luck if I just asked when I went there. Also, you say you get 1/2 inch for $7? They just said they sell it for $40.66 for a 20' round 3/8" Sounds like I should look somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elemental Metal Creations Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 3 minutes ago, Pr3ssure said: They just said they sell it for $40.66 for a 20' round 3/8" Sounds like I should look somewhere else. OUCH! I don't think 20 ft in 4 ft lengths would cost that much at Lowes. If I remember iwill check when I am there tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 20, 2017 Author Share Posted November 20, 2017 Yeah, it didn't sound right. More listings came up for suppliers around me that was just the closest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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