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18th March 2014, 08:46 PM #1Senior Member
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- Sep 2009
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- Penrith, NSW
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- 116
Where to buy scrap metal to practice on lathe?
I'm looking at running my lathe soon as I should have the serpentine belt in soon.
Never used a lathe before although been reading the Hercus book along with a tonne of YouTube videos.
I'm keen to buy some cheap scrap to practice on and was wondering if anyone in Sydney had some suggestions?
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18th March 2014 08:46 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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18th March 2014, 09:31 PM #2SENIOR MEMBER
- Join Date
- Oct 2011
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- sydney
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- 880
Hi,
I used this bloke off epay:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Copper-Ro...eb41142&_uhb=1
I bought some bright MS bar of varying sizes for $1 a kg. He's at Heathecoate though if you wanna pick up.
Ben.
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18th March 2014, 11:00 PM #3Senior Member
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
- Location
- blackburn vic
- Posts
- 221
Cheap scrap
Hi Neevo
Auto wreckers will get you axles, shock absorbers, wheel hubs etc
Roger
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18th March 2014, 11:18 PM #4GOLD MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jul 2010
- Location
- Melbourne
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- 7,775
Just a word of warning. If you have truly never used a lathe before, "mystery metal" or black bar might not be a great place to start, as your next thread may well be "why cant I get a good finish on this mystery metal?" as some of them can be just nasty. Which will be a little hard to help with as no one will know if its you or the metal.
Having said that................wheelie bin axles seem to turn real nice
Stuart
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19th March 2014, 01:34 AM #5GOLD MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jul 2006
- Location
- Port Huon
- Posts
- 2,685
When I was in Sydney, I bought bits of metal from an eBay seller - offcuts_galore.
He has a wide range of stuff and is reasonable on postage.Geoff
The view from home
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19th March 2014, 03:56 AM #6GOLD MEMBER
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- sydney
- Age
- 64
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- 3,566
Try Edcon Steel at Blacktown or any other steel merchant in your area.
Edcon will cut to size or already have off cuts in a variety of materials.
Other merchants will probably have off cuts but might have a minimum length to cut if off a length of bar.
It will be cheaper than driving to Heathcote or buying through Off Cuts Galore.
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19th March 2014, 08:16 AM #7
While your at recommending guys any good scrap suppliers in Melbourne
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19th March 2014, 08:22 AM #8Senior Member
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- Penrith, NSW
- Posts
- 116
Cheers all. Didn't think about the mystery metal bit. Plus I forgt really how cheap steel is new. I've got a Metaland up the road from me. Will go and see if they have any scrap or otherwise I will just buy some new bar. Anything I should ask for specifically to practice on?
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19th March 2014, 10:02 AM #9
Wheely bin axles are wheely easy to find if you pick the right time. (smiley here)
Dean
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19th March 2014, 12:48 PM #10
Neevo,
An address at "west of the rest of the world" doesn't allow any one here to help a real lot. If you are western NSW or may be even WA your options are going to be different from those available in big regional areas.
Hey! we are not after GPS co -ordinates but someone in or near your local area may be able to point you to what you want.
Scrappers and wreckers seem to be in the bigger areas, where as a small rural community may still have an engineering business still viable.
These blokes probably have ends of bar that they might sell to you at the right price.
Bigger centers may have a Tafe center. Make friends with the fitter & turner teachers who might allow you access to the left overs bin.
Grahame
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19th March 2014, 01:16 PM #11Senior Member
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- Sep 2009
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- Penrith, NSW
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- 116
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19th March 2014, 02:00 PM #12.
- Join Date
- Feb 2006
- Location
- Perth
- Posts
- 27,796
I go to a local steel supplier who has all manner of scrap bits and pieces in a bin at $1/kg.
They have some very interesting shapes left over from plasma cutting, lots of discs up to 1" thick, bar, square rod, tube and lots of she and RHS.
While not for a lathe this was an unusual 16 mm thick shape I picked up yesterday.
Anyone have ideas what to do with it?
The long edge is straight but had ripples on it from the plasma cutter.
This grinder stand was all made from scrap including all the locking handles etc
As was this BS brake,
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19th March 2014, 02:16 PM #13
While not for a lathe this was an unusual 16 mm thick shape I picked up yesterday.
Anyone have ideas what to do with it?
To me it looks like the start of a lifting beam to be used with a gantry and block and tackle........
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19th March 2014, 05:38 PM #14GOLD MEMBER
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- Oct 2010
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- melbourne, laverton
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- 1,469
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19th March 2014, 06:05 PM #15
Bob
Not trying to run this thread off course.
But that looks like a pretty impressive grinder stand there.
Any more pics please would be great.
Matt
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