General Category > Oddball
Cost of Steel
crueby:
A number of people here (myself included) have used old handwheels and cart wheels to make flywheels from - can be a cheap way to get a larger diameter disc. Leftover cast iron pipe works great for flywheel rims too.
propforward:
Occasionally I avail myself of the scrap bins at work. A piece of drop to us is a lovely piece of stock to a home machinist / model engineer. But the company gets money back for scrap so I always ask permission, which I don't always get.
But I've learned which management tend to say "yes" more and my success rate has gone up. :D
Jo:
Sadly our clubs often have to clear workshops when their members pass on to the great workshop in the sky. While the tools are often quickly sold on the metal stocks normally hang around and end up for sale CHEAP! at the shows. ME shows are often a source of good quality stock for little money. And it is always worth mentioning your needs to other model engineers who may have "spare" :o
I am trying to remember when I last brought some metal :noidea: I think I brought several different sizes of stainless from EKP in 20 off 30cm lengths for making studs about 5 years ago but buying big/expensive stuff :paranoia:
Jo
mikemill:
Years ago, when I started building the Bentley BR2 Radial engine I needed quite a lot of steel in various shapes and sizes, near where I worked in London was one of the largest steel stock holders in the capital. I made a list of my needs and went into the sales office and explained what I was making, and the chap behind the desk said oh you want samples don’t you wink wink, he then wrote a note and told me to go the warehouse and see Joe. I was shown where the offcut bin was and told help yourself, after I got enough steel to last me a lifetime Joe helped me to load it all in the car, I gave Joe a five pound note, happy days.
Mike
derekwarner:
So Mike says...'I was shown where the offcut bin was and told help yourself' .....
Yes, but disappointingly Mike, comments like these are diminishing at a great rate of knots..... principally due to increased concern for 'liability insurance costs' which effectively prohibit any unescorted/inappropriately attired person from accessing the scrap bins area
Have you seen anyone throwing an offcut piece of material into the scrap bin lately?......
:facepalm:.......safety hat + hearing protection headset + safety glasses + safety gloves + safety toecap boots plus a fluro coloured vest :Jester:
These insurance costs are unfortunately just a fact of life that has changed the world
Derek
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