Recycled steel if you can find any.

[thehomeengineer]

Hi All
With the high cost of steel, I have resorted to using any old steel I can lay my hands on be it from scrap yards, skips, material I have been given or lying around or any other means.
I called a local material stock holder who is very well priced. Well I had bit of a shock when getting a quote for some mild steel bar, for a project I wanted to start. After checking out prices else were the prices quoted were very competitive but out of my price range. So, after waiting a couple of months a piece of material turned up in a skip the exacact size I required. So, dragged it out (a bit rusty and had quite a few holes drilled in to it) but I was so happy with the find, As can be seen from the photos I was able to cut the pieces require for the project, missing the previously drilled holes in the bar.
The piece of bar is 50 x 50 by about 600mm long bright mild steel. grade unknown. The price of a new 3m length, I was quoted £200.00 + vat (well I nearly fell of my chair, good job I didn't have my head in a skip I would have fallen in lol, I honestly thought they had made a mistake.) I was expecting a price of £40/60 + vat.
Here are some photos of the find, and how I cleaned the stock faces up on a home made lapping plate which holds an emery cloth taught on a flat steel plate. The 1” linisher is used to de-burr the sawn ends and the lapping plate removes any dings and dents that might be present on the bar. I do this even to new stock material as you can’t guarantee the bar has not been damaged from the stockist and I dont want to transfer the dents from the material on to the machine vice or machine table.
Anyway, always on the look out for useful stock for the workshop but even more so now.
As can be seen once cleaned up a big money saver and still have a few cut offs left over for other projects.

Off cuts left over

linisher

Home made lapping plate

Required material cut and de-burred ready to used and the remaining offcuts

Thank you for taking the time to view and happy hunting.
The Home Engineer

[DIYer]

Thanks thehomeengineer! We've added your Lapping Plate to our Cleaning category,
as well as to your builder page: thehomeengineer's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Lapping Plate by thehomeengineer

tags: plate

[Paul Jones]

thehomeengineer,

You saved yourself a lot of money finding this scrap steel.

I looked at the price of a 2"x2"x120" piece of new hot rolled mild steel (ASTM A-36) in two 5 foot sections (which is less expensive than any other cold rolled steel) and the price was $225 without shipping charges.

Luckily, I have friends who manufacture with cold rolled steel, mild hot rolled steel, 316 stainless steel and silicon bronze. Ironically they now have to pay to have their scrap hauled away in CA. They are willing to have me remove whatever I need at no cost.

As compensation, we pay for dinner with our wives and we all enjoy the time out.

Regards,

Paul Jones

[ncollar]

thehomeengineer,

You saved yourself a lot of money finding this scrap steel.

I looked at the price of a 2"x2"x120" piece of new hot rolled mild steel (ASTM A-36) in two 5 foot sections (which is less expensive than any other cold rolled steel) and the price was $225 without shipping charges.

Luckily, I have friends who manufacture with cold rolled steel, mild hot rolled steel, 316 stainless steel and silicon bronze. Ironically they now have to pay to have their scrap hauled away in CA. They are willing to have me remove whatever I need at no cost.

As compensation, we pay for dinner with our wives and we all enjoy the time out.

Regards,

Paul Jones

Ha! Paul
The first time I heard the CA did something stupid and someone benefits from it.

Here where I live in Florida we have to big fab shops, the one wants what ever the book says it cost plus cutting. the other is a bigger shop that has their hands in it

all, and have a lot of drops from cut off and from CNC production jobs. When I go there they ask what I'm looking for and lead me right to the GOOD STUFF. They tell

be 5 buck or something close to that and I'm on my way. The 2X2 you bought, quite a few years ago I got a machine that had a cantilever set up to counter the heavy

weigh and in the two tube columns was a 2.125 X 2.125 over 6 foot, I got two of them and cut a piece and go to cutting on it. Love that salvage side.

Enjoy all you do

Nelson

[thehomeengineer]

Hi Paul/Nelson
With the exchange rate USA to UK it is cheaper but still a lot of money (in my opinion). Often when doing a web search, it will bring up USA sites and it is noticeable the prices are a lot cheaper for you guys, and the choices are better. What I like about the USA is the fact you can buy almost anything you need at competitive prices on have it shipped/posted at cheap rates, and the Americans do seem to make quality tools. I have ordered from the US before and even with shipping costs it is still cheaper than buying in the UK. Just have to wait a bit longer but even that is getting a lot better. Cannot believe you have to pay to have scrap taken away. Scrap steel price in the UK is about £180.00 per/ton Copper is about £3000.00 per/ton so we are still weighing in.
Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and the comments made.
The Home Engineer

[Captainleeward]

Nice addition to your shop... :O)

[Glot]

I always hit the metal recyclers resell section. We get cheap metal and they get a decent price. Both win. Amazing what they can have at times. Gearboxes, motors etc.

[Troll Hunter]

I use a piece of 1/4" plate glass as a lapping plate with grinding paste as the abrasive. Cheap and easily replaced when the surface is no longer true and it can be as large or small as needed.

Mike

[Toolmaker51]

Home made lapping plate
The Home Engineer

I'll add a tip for those building a lapping plate of their own. Dry paper and wet or dry both work well.
In hand lapping, strokes taken in a straight line often results in the corners out of plane, even circular movements aren't ideal.
Proper lapping is best done in figure 8 patterns, and periodically alter the hold 90° too.
A good way to interpret attained degree of 'flatness' is easy. Take one easy single linear stroke; then re-orient 45° with another single linear stroke about HALF the distance of prior stroke. You will see fine, evenly distributed scratches 45° to each other; just like a properly honed engine cylinder. It sometimes helps to dye a few places with red or blue permanent marker [felt tip pen].

[ranald]

thehomeengineer,

You saved yourself a lot of money finding this scrap steel.

I looked at the price of a 2"x2"x120" piece of new hot rolled mild steel (ASTM A-36) in two 5 foot sections (which is less expensive than any other cold rolled steel) and the price was $225 without shipping charges.

Luckily, I have friends who manufacture with cold rolled steel, mild hot rolled steel, 316 stainless steel and silicon bronze. Ironically they now have to pay to have their scrap hauled away in CA. They are willing to have me remove whatever I need at no cost.

As compensation, we pay for dinner with our wives and we all enjoy the time out.

Regards,

Paul Jones

now that's what i call a win win Paul: good on all of you