Online shops- Where to buy materials.

[Blackdavid]

Hello. I would like an admin to put this post sticky, so everyone with the same question as me gets the answers fast.

question is:

WHere to buy all the materials we need?

A site from where we can buy all for areasonable price would be perfect!

 

[rebush]

Blackdavid: For alot of my metals I use Exact Metals out of CA. Most of the stock is 12 inches long, which is good for model engine work. The shipping prices are great. Got 5 pcs of 2 1/2 dia aluminum 12" long shipped to Fl for $5.25. Hope this helps. Roger

 

[Walltoddj]

Blackdavid: For alot of my metals I use Exact Metals out of CA. Most of the stock is 12 inches long, which is good for model engine work. The shipping prices are great. Got 5 pcs of 2 1/2 dia aluminum 12" long shipped to Fl for $5.25. Hope this helps. Roger

He's right I buy a lot of my materials from Exact Metals if you don't see it call him. He had some 7/16 hex I needed but was not listed. Also shop around lot on E bay, Google, and unless you need it now keep an eye out on the net for sales like Enco.

Todd

 

[Blackdavid]

I shop around ebay every day as I am buying things from the world mostly from it, But the metals are just to expensive.. Does Exact metals have a site? I can't call them, I live in Croatia..

 

[chucketn]

I shop around ebay every day as I am buying things from the world mostly from it, But the metals are just to expensive.. Does Exact metals have a site? I can't call them, I live in Croatia..

They have a website, but it seems to be under construction or renovation. All I can find on it is a few sizes of 6061 Aluminum square bar. None of the steel selections show any choices.

http://www.exactmetals.com

Chuck

 

[Sshire]

Speedymetals.com
Onlinemetals.com

I use both. Good service. Sold by the inch which is great when you need that small bit.

 

[Philjoe5]

One of your best and least expensive sources of metal will be a local machine shop willing to sell cutoffs or drops. I am lucky to have 3 such shops where I can buy cast iron, bearing bronze, aluminum in any form, and free machining steel. It took a while to find these but they are all more than happy to dispose of their drops at scrap prices. These guys know me so well now they will often cut a piece to size for me.

Cheers,
Phil

 

[Blackdavid]

In my area there is just one Machine shop, from an old man who has not much job to do.. So it is really hard to get scraps..

Anyways, do you guys know of a site with metric units like milimeter, centimeter etc..? Im not practical with inches, and I would probably order the wrong size..

 

[Tin Falcon]

David :
giving us your location would help us help you. second of all if you want to be a machinist model builder then a good place to start is learning and understanding
math including converting metric to imperial measurements and visa verse.
Tin

 

[Walltoddj]

In my area there is just one Machine shop, from an old man who has not much job to do.. So it is really hard to get scraps..

Anyways, do you guys know of a site with metric units like milimeter, centimeter etc..? Im not practical with inches, and I would probably order the wrong size..

Here a couple of great programs that are free and work for conversions.

http://metricconversion.freeservers.com/

http://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/

I like the first one the best pick a unit type in the number hit calculate and it's done very simple to use and super handy.

Todd

 

[mikbul]

Online Metals, Enco, MSC, and Victor is where I get tools and materials.

 

[Tin Falcon]

This guy is in Europe
but not elling us
Tin

 

[Sshire]

Well, Jeez! That would have helped to provide a more realistic answer. I have ordered stuff from Hemingway and RDG, but would confine orders of chunks of metal to a more local (to me) supplier.
This is a good point. If someone has a question, a geographic location is mighty helpful in getting a usable answer.

 

[geoff p]

This guy is in Europe
but not telling us
Tin

Do ANY of you blokes actually read: he has stated quite clearly "I live in Croatia".

A quick Google for Croatia, USA comes up with only travel sites, so I suppose you haven't yet copied Croatia as a town-name.

Rant over
Geoff,
Thailand

 

[lohring]

Information on materials as well as a lot of other topics is available at https://sites.google.com/site/lagadoacademy/useful-links#categories

Lohring Miller

 

[MachineTom]

Seems like a loooong way to go for material. I wonder how the money can leave the country.

But, I sometimes make very simple parts for a guy in UK, the postage is often equal to the part price. Yet he says he can't get them made at home, Go Figure.

 

[Blackdavid]

I live in Croatia. I know how to use a lathe, a mill and everything is fine as long as I have metric measurements. But the only thing I don't understand the 1/6, 1/3, 4/5 things.. And don't know how to conver it..

 

[bazmak]

Hi David,dont worry you will soon pick things up
Top no divide by bottom no x 25.4 = metric
1/6. therefore 1 devide by 6 x 25.4 = 4.233mm
Easy as for materials.Find people/companies who manufacture /repair things
local and go see them.Scrap/offcuts is cheap postage expensive
regards bazmak

 

[Tin Falcon]

I don't understand the 1/6, 1/3, 4/5 things.. And don't know how to conver it..

I understand you wanting to work n metric and that is fine.
1) metric is easier you have to think and remember less.
2) I expect you grew up with metric and that is what you are used to.
3) I expect your machine tool dials are calibrated in metric as are you measuring tools.
I on on the other hand grew up with am used to and am tooled in imperial measurements.

converting from imperial measurements is rather easy but it can get tedious.
there are various approaches to your dilemma.
1) simply work off metric plans. There are many out there both designed as metric plans and ones converted by someone else from imperial to metric.
2) perform a scaled conversion if you let 1/16 of an inch = 1mm you will get a model aprox 66% the size of the original but it will come out in even millimeter. Or you can make 1/32 " = 1 mm and end up with a model aprox 125% of the original but again have even MM dimensions.

3) conversion charts such as this one:

http://mdmetric.com/tech/cvtcht.htm
the chart gives fractional inches decimal inches and mm side by side .

4) metric to inch /inch to metric converter. These are available on line or can be downloaded and installed in your computer. The above link has such a converter.
5) last but not least you can do (Uhg) the math. simply divide the top number of a fraction (the numerator) by the bottom number( the denominator) then multiply by the conversion factor.

I know from memory 1/16" =.0625 " 1/8 =.125 ", 1/4 =.250 , 1/2 =.500 3/4 =.750 .........

now simply multiply your decimal number by 25.4 and you now have the dimension in millimeters.
I do not know about your part of the world but here in the USA calculators are available virtually at any corner drug store ,discount store etc.

A good college level programmable calculator that will do calculus and differential equations will run something like $ 150. But basic scientific calculators can be had in the $10 -$15 range even dollar stores Cary varied models of calculators even scientific calculators for YES $1.00 USD so there is from my point of view nor reason you can not convert. I admit you may not want to take the time and that is your choice.

My basic school education as well as my machining training included basic math lessons in working with fractions and decimals and converting from one to another. And I also learned about the metric system and have a working knowledge of it.
Tin

 

[Shawn]

For many tools and metals I have recently discovered http://www.amazonsupply.com and they can't be beat as far as shipping costs to Canada. Quite often shipping can be 50% or more of the total cost of an order for me but Amazon seems to have a very good deal worked out with their courier and pass that on to the customer. Most of the metal I have ordered in the past came from eBay dealers but amazon beats their shipping costs by a wide margin. I also have the package on my doorstep in three days which is amazing.

Shawn