Hobby welder / fabri-cobbler. I do things like a set of brackets to hold a kayak on the back wall of my shed. Or, a stainless handle/T to go in the end of my push pole (old one is stuck on the mud somewhere). That kind of stuff. Rebuilt the steering arm on my old Johnson outboard. I hardly ever need enough material to need a trailer to move it. HomeDespot/Loews sells common steel and aluminum in small sticks, but, it is relatively expensive. And, they don’t handle any stainless.
Now, looking at how I might put a bench seat in the back of my little Bentz 14’. I have the fiberglass seat and am thinking a couple of stainless brackets would be neat so I could pin the seat in when I want it and easily remove it. Finding some cut-offs from someone would be all I need. Where to go to look for this kind of material? Are there any materials supply houses that sell in small amounts like this? I see some online stuff, but, as you’d expect, shipping metal is kinda expensive. Located in Charleston, SC.
I’d try Charleston’s Rigging and Marine Hardware (843) 723-7145 up at the Cooper Shipyard. If you get Mike, try to soften him up with a metallurgy joke (like, add some chromium to reduce his yield strength), he’s really knowledgeable.
we get them to make stainless wire rope harnesses for us, they can crimp and swage at like 100,000# and have a lot of odd stainless.
if not, i ordered a couple sticks of some SS bar stock from Grainger a while back and it was a pretty good deal for what I needed tool.
Take a trip out to Charleston Steel and metal off 52 between goose creek and moncks corner. They used to have a complete area devoted to steel/ stainless of all sizes that they sold by the pound. They used to get in a lot of stuff from Nucor that was blems/ and such. Great for project work.
Phone: (843) 722-1340
Like you said metal prices are outrageous right now. I’ve got to get a 1000lb to get free shipping from Universal Steel Supply, Inc. out of Georgia when there used to be no minimum. You might give them a call and see if it’s worth a drive to them? They’ll sell large or small quantities and will also cut to order.
Phone: (912) 964-0249
good luck with your project!
Another place to check… Custom Fab off Sidneys Rd here in Walterboro. I’ve picked up scrap pieced from them on several occasions… They didn’t gouge me.
(843) 835-5520
Sure thing. I hate my local shop closed. Not sure why it did, it always seemed to be busy. Prices were good and they’d sell small scrap pieces for next to nothing.
"Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It's Hand", but really, who cares?
Try Dillon Supply on King Street extension if you have to have new or just find a scrap yard. I buy steel for .30/lb or sometimes you can just make them an offer for what you think its worth at the scrap yard in Georgetown.
DFreedom, Metal Supermarket is open in North Charleston. They’re exactly what I was hoping. Small enough to sell a stick or two at a time and big enough to have enough stock to be useful.
Ordered some 0.25" x 1" flat bar, yesterday to make some mods to a little utility trailer this weekend. Perfect.
Kinda’ dangerous. My hobby welding projects have been constrained by the lack of easily available materials. This will undoubtably lead the need for an oxy/acetylene setup, and a real drill press, small plasma cutter, and, and ,…
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17' Henry O Hornet w/ Yamaha 115
26' Palmer Scott project hull
14' Bentz-Craft w/ Yamaha 25
I had a $299 plasma cutter that I bought from Amazon. Had it for about a year never had a problem with it. Except it apparently had legs. I forgot and left it in the back of the truck at the boat landing. Of course it walked off.
And as far as acetylene oxygen argon and such I lease my tanks. I think they’re around $99 a year.
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