Where do I

Buy Mild Steel bar from?

No, this is not a trick question, I have a reliable supplier of most everything else I need but where do I buy Mild Steel from - That is as advertised?

Plenty of sellers on "that auction site" but so far evey time I have asked what the material is specifically it has drawn a vague answer. Maybe I am asking the wrong sellers?

Thanks,

graham.

Have you checked the advertisers on this site? I think it is one of them that has a helpful ecplanation of the different types they stock, by EN numbers.

Also you could fo along tothe Sandown show and check the stores there.

Graham,

If you said where in the world you are people would be able to help more.

If you are in the north east of England try M machine in Darlington. (01325 381300) They will post but buying locally saves on postage.

Cheers

John

A number of sellers on Ebay use the EN identifier so I think it's better to search for the grade you are after. I bought some EN-3B a while back to make a cross slide.

Hi John, I apreciate your comments about where I am but two things spring to mind here. It is a pretty safe bet I am in the UK and given that I am, geographically it doesn't matter really as we enjoy a good postal/courier service (unlike Italy - don't go there). The other thing is that I always make a point - on all the forums I frequent - of stating my name in my signature and my location. Although I have done this in my details here my location does not show up and there is no signature panel. This is not a criticism of this forum, it is just the way it is and the reason I am haphazard putting my name at the bottom of my posts, it's a memory thing.

I could buy from M machine and save on postage as well even though I live near Manchester, as my son lives near Darlington It is one supply that didn't occur to me as somehow I have it hard wired in my brain that they are non-ferrous suppliers, my brain really isn't what I imagine it used to be.

I would love to go to the Sandown show, but it is just a bit too far for me. Don't get me wrong, I travel all over and would love to dgo, but I no longer enjoy long journeys. I was looking at going to the Manchester show next year (going off topic) but I cannot find the event advertised at all. Harrogate is probably the next one I will go to.

So, off back onto "that auction place" and what we could really use is some sort of Price Comparison website that compares all the different prices for all the different materials on there - We could call it Compare the Metal Meerkat!

graham.

Look up Yellow Pages - Steel Stockists and ask to poke around their off cuts bin - buy by the weight and buy 4 x more than you need, that way you will have some stock for the next project. Ask them what the colour codes mean that they paint on the end of bars.

Hi Graham,
I find Scimitar Steels good for bright drawn steel (They do not stock hot rolled steel.) They do not do mail order so they would be no use to you if you live in South Africa or Antarctica ! As Others have said GIVING SOME IDEA OF YOUR LOCATION WOULD BE A GREAT HELP for questions like this.

Les.

And just for the record, I prefer buying from vendors own websites, like Noggin End, as I feel I am dealing with that person and not some go-between, besides, Mike provides a good service and quality materials.

" GIVING SOME IDEA OF YOUR LOCATION WOULD BE A GREAT HELP "

see the post above yours and please refrain from the use of capital letters. I am not deaf.

.

Graham,

A quick check around this forum will show that to be far from a safe bet.

MichaelG.

All you really need for general machine shop use is bright commercial mild steel and free cutting mild steel, no real need for leaded MS. Try M K metals who advertise on this site, I've always found Viv to be very helpful.

Michael G,

To go OT, I have in the past assumed forum users to be in UK. Wrong!! I have made personal contact with users in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Greece and the Irish Republic.

Now I ask first before making rash promises to send things!

Phil

It's not a specialist model supply place, but I get my steel from a local supplier in Paignton in the West Country - they are called Austen Knapman (their website is here) and they have always been helpful, seem cheap to me?

The steel I have been buying is the black coated stuff but seems to machine ok?

They will get any grade you want if you ask them

Regards

Chris Parsons

.

Phil,

Not sure if you mis-read my post [?]

... I was telling Graham that it was far from safe.

MichaelG.

There's Cromwell who have branches all over and do silver steel.
In Cambridge there is mackay which is an old fashioned Aladin's cave tool shop but they have a sub section of materials supply. I imagine they supply the university and nearby small development companies so are small user friendly. It therefore seems that other areas with active small inovation businesses could have something similar.

I have also sometimes noticed that local ME clubs sometimies have links to their local suppliers' websites.

We need a better structured list of places all over the world.

Edited By Bazyle on 14/11/2013 12:46:15

Graham,

Sorry to get back on topic but I use **LINK**

You might have to buy some rather long lengths but the grades are listed when you look at specific sizes of metal. Very good for aluminium as well and won't pass off poor grade stuff as 6082.

Trevor

I have, in the past, used Barrett Steel in Oldham and the people there were extremely friendly. I had a great morning there once doing a bit of Skip Diving but they have now been taken over and there was all hell to pay the last time I tried it. They want you to wear steel capped boots, Hard Hat and Yellow jacket just to go in the yard and their new policy is six metre lengths only. Nothing shorther

This elf n safety in engineering always amuses me. On the evening news there is the bunch of reporters and the transport minister all wearing hard hats and flourescent jackets in order to perform the opening ceremony of a Motorway (what? the tarmac is going to fall up?) and we all watch the driver and fireman of a locomotive weighing thoiusands of tons travelling at good speed and they are all wearing cloth caps. Perverse really.

Anyhow, back on topic and I agree, a small quantities suppliers directory would be a good idea.

Trevor, thank's for that link. Pontefract is only an hour up the road so that would work. Comforting to know they sell what they advertise too. Nothing worse than buying a specific grade for a job only to find it is something else entirely.

I was only yesterday talking about a load of 8mm bright steel bar we had bought and it was impossible stuff to work with. It was supposed to be "mild steel" but snapped as soon as you tried to put a bend in it. I use it in the forge now for general Blacksmith work but it is going to take me a while to get through it. There is quite a bit. Originated from China apparently.

I live near enough to Canterbury & once in a blue moon get my steel from Parker Steel. It's a little bit of pain having to phone up the day before to ensure the engineering steels are in.

Failing that, a good place may be a local engineering firm. If you can cultivate the storeman, he may know what grades the stuff in the scrap steel skip are...

Regards,

Richard

You can always set your Personal Profile to state where you (roughly) are and we can left click your name to find where.