Welding / Metal Supply for Hobbiests in Northern VA / DC

March 4, 2007 1:17 PM

I'm taking up welding as a hobby and was hoping someone might know of a good metal supply shop that would be a open to hobbiest (i.e.: they are willing to sell small quantities and have weekend hours). I find that home depot and lowes offer a limited selection of steel, so it would be nice to find a place i can buy mechanical tube steel, small gage pipe, and other misc steel.
posted by NGnerd to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (11 answers total)

You're going to have to look in the yellow pages or what not. There are undoubtedly metal suppliers in your area, or welding supply shops. I talked to some people who took a welding class, and asked them to find out some places to get metal, and they pointed out a few places to me. It's really just going to require some research and legwork.

There is an online metal supply place that I have used for very small orders from time to time: Online Metals
posted by RustyBrooks at 1:52 PM on March 4, 2007

it might help if we knew what city or region you where in.

I've found Industrial Metal Supply Co. to be quite willing to accommodate purchases of small metal quantities. I don't know about the weekend hours. They are at 3303 N San Fernando Rd Burbank CA.
posted by subtle_squid at 1:57 PM on March 4, 2007

Subtle_squid: "Northern VA / DC"
posted by misterbrandt at 2:10 PM on March 4, 2007

Besides actual metal suppliers you might want to cultivate a relationship with a welding shop. They'll be able to supply you with advice and small quantities of metal. I've got a local place that'll sell me off cuts for scrap price.
posted by Mitheral at 4:08 PM on March 4, 2007

Go to the junkyard. Ask the person who teaches the metal sculpture classes at the local college.
posted by gum at 5:04 PM on March 4, 2007

I second the college suggestion. Most mechanical or agricultural engineering programs have metal shops where students work on design projects. In my experience, they are pretty accessible on weekends (especially if you can make friends with the shop manager) and usually have an abundance of scrap metal around.
posted by ajr at 6:57 PM on March 4, 2007

In my neck of the woods you can strike up a friendship with a local firm, and get a license to make off with small pieces of scrap. That's what my friends have done.

But if you're taking up welding as a hobby, you should take a class. My understanding is that welding does not lend itself to self-instruction, for your own safety and for the safety of others. Whoever teaches locally will have an appropriate answer for you.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:38 PM on March 4, 2007

These guys look good as well: metalsdepot.com. "Most all metals suppliers have minimum orders, minimum quantities, and charge exorbant fees to cut material to size. Not at Metals Depot! We welcome orders of all sizes and will gladly cut to length, with no minimums and a minimal fee for cutting. You buy only what you need. We strive to satisfy all customers' requests and make resourcing for their projects as simple as possible. "
posted by mosk at 8:13 PM on March 4, 2007

There are suppliers that do counter sales of small quantities of new and scrap metal by the pound. Check the Yellow Pages. Or call the local vocational program and ask to speak to a welding teacher - they should be able to tell you which dealers in your area are your best bet.

And seconding the taking the class thing, esp. if you're doing anything that's going to take a load. You can learn from a book, I guess, but having somebody with experience to guide you is a huge confidence-builder. They'll teach you how to make sure your welds are good, how to select the appropriate filler metal for a given task, and give good solid pointers on technique. Plus they'll usually let you work on your projects in class after you get the basics down - it's a cheap way to get some fundamentals and try different stuff before you commit to a particular method/set of equipment.
posted by Opposite George at 11:34 PM on March 4, 2007

I've used Online Metals before and have no complaints. Paying to have raw materials shipped to you might not be the cheapest solution, though.
posted by lalas at 11:15 AM on March 5, 2007

Some metal retailers sell cut ends of stock by the pound.
posted by Raybun at 5:10 PM on March 5, 2007