Thread: metals sales...

No mate unless you are looking at bulk that is in the tonne lot other wise the small distributers will screw you for every dollar

Originally Posted by Toolin Around

I'm looking for rectangular brass solid bar in around 10mm thick by 50mm wide and HSS pre hardened and tempered back in about 6mm thick by 50mm wide. Does anyone know where I can find that without having to buy a ridiculous amount.

Thnx Matty

Matty, it would be useful to know the other dimension in both cases, ie how long do you want it?

10mm thick brass is an unusual size, you can get 6.25 mm or 1/4" and 12.5 mm or 1/2". 3/8" or 9.5mm is available very occasionally but only in some alloys. The minimum purchase is usually a 2 meter strip although some places will provide offcuts for a premium.

I presume you are going to use the HSS for a blade of some kind. Have you ever tried to form a bevel in this stuff before?

Cheers

Hi Matty
Im sure tis has been posted on here before... but it might help. I dont know about the HSS but this place might be able to help with the brass. I have bought brass from them before and they are very friendly to deal with. They sell by the weight so you can get as much or as little as you want and they have quite a large selection of sizes.

http://www.emcoaustralia.com/index.html

cheers
BD

Originally Posted by Brown Dog

http://www.emcoaustralia.com/index.html

BD, that's a good site and being able to buy by the foot like that is definitely a plus. Toolin,
they also say they have Tool Steel Blanks as well so maybe they will have the HSS you need.

Originally Posted by BobL

BD, that's a good site and being able to buy by the foot like that is definitely a plus. Toolin,
they also say they have Tool Steel Blanks as well so maybe they will have the HSS you need.

I agree, great site, thnx fo rthe link . Ordered a few lengths of brass round and flat stock. HSS only comes in annealed form in the dimensions I want so it's not of any use to me. Don't think there are any shop's close by that will harden and temper back a couple blades.

For future reference, Brass & Copper, Stanton Road, Seven Hills.
Will sell you anything they have in stock by weight, sometimes 2 metre lengths, sometimes 30cm if that is what's in the rack.
Cheers
Graeme

Originally Posted by Toolin Around

I agree, great site, thnx fo rthe link . Ordered a few lengths of brass round and flat stock. HSS only comes in annealed form in the dimensions I want so it's not of any use to me. Don't think there are any shop's close by that will harden and temper back a couple blades.

I'm not sure if this is of any value or not but McJing sell HSS blanks but only up to 3/8" x 1-1/2" x 10" - you can cut these up with a metal cutting disc. If you do it slowly you won't upset the hardness as they're designed to operate at high temperatures. I wouldn't want to be cutting a long bevel in a piece of this stuff though.

Originally Posted by BobL

I'm not sure if this is of any value or not but McJing sell HSS blanks but only up to 3/8" x 1-1/2" x 10" - you can cut these up with a metal cutting disc. If you do it slowly you won't upset the hardness as they're designed to operate at high temperatures. I wouldn't want to be cutting a long bevel in a piece of this stuff though.

Been there! But I'm looking for 2" wide and that seems to be hard to find in hardened form. When I make a scrub plane I'll order from them a 1 1/2 piece.

In my quest for some tool steel I tried enco... Holy crap! I knew the brass was high priced (about 2.5 times what I used to pay) but what the hell is with the tool steel prices. He quoted me $166 for a piece 2"x1/4"x18". The same stuff is about $30 in canada. I'm very thankful I brought the tool steel with me for the chisels I made a while back. If I'd known it was going to cost about $800 for what cost me less than $150 I'd ave brought a tonne of it. What gives. I know this is an isolated place but that's just blatant stealing. Is there anywhere here where they're not thieves.

Originally Posted by Toolin Around

In my quest for some tool steel I tried enco... Holy crap! I knew the brass was high priced (about 2.5 times what I used to pay) but what the hell is with the tool steel prices. He quoted me $166 for a piece 2"x1/4"x18". The same stuff is about $30 in canada. I'm very thankful I brought the tool steel with me for the chisels I made a while back. If I'd known it was going to cost about $800 for what cost me less than $150 I'd ave brought a tonne of it. What gives. I know this is an isolated place but that's just blatant stealing. Is there anywhere here where they're not thieves.

Which enco are you referring to? and what type of tool steel?

If you are referring to US - Enco, on their website cataldog the price of a pre-hardened 4142 stock with dimensions 2" x 1/4" x 36" (no 18" available) is US$68.96 or about US$30 for half that.

Now shipping a 6lb weight to Oz via USPS flat rate parcel is US$$35.15

Total price is US$103 = AUS$125. A 36" bar will give you 9 x 4" blades or AUS$14 a blade - that is a reasonably cheap blade. Mind you I wouldn't use it for plane baldes as I don't think it is hard enough.

If you are referring to HSS, tool steel of this dimension this is not shown on the US-Enco cataldog. Considering McJing sell 3/8" x 1-1/2" x 10" HSS for AU$40, $166 does sound unreasonable.

Woops sorry wrong name Emco was the place not enco.

Originally Posted by BobL

Which enco are you referring to? and what type of tool steel?

If you are referring to US - Enco, on their website cataldog the price of a pre hardened 4142 stock with dimensions 2" x 1/4" x 36" (no 18" available) is US$68.96 or about US$30 for half that.

Now shipping a 6lb weight to Oz via USPS flat rate parcel is US$$35.15

Total price is US$103 = AUS$125

A 36" bar will give you 9 x 4" blades or AUS$14 a blade - that is a reasonably cheap blade.

I have to look at their site! the price from emco was for annealed O1 tool steel. You're saying it prehardened and tempered - saves me the hastle of doing it myself. I was buying sterrett annealed O1 for anywhere from 20 to 35 for an 18" length in canada depending on the dimension. I'm going back for a visit at xmas so I may load up on metal before I come back or at least mail back half a tonne of stuff.

Originally Posted by Toolin Around

I have to look at their site! the price from emco was for annealed O1 tool steel. You're saying it prehardened and tempered - saves me the hastle of doing it myself. I was buying sterrett annealed O1 for anywhere from 20 to 35 for an 18" length in canada depending on the dimension. I'm going back for a visit at xmas so I may load up on metal before I come back or at least mail back half a tonne of stuff.

US-ENCO has Starrett O1, 1/4 x 2 x 18 inches @ $18.55 a length.
We got a tip from Schtoo in Japan that this was not as good as their "Made in USA" stuff so we went for it in the 1/4 x 4 x 36" size for US$67, allowing for 1mm kerf cutting thats 17 x 2" wide plane blades or US$4 or ~US$5 per plane blade plus shipping. You also have to heat treat it but this is not big deal for me as I have access to a 1200oC furnace at work.

Their prehardened stuff is only Rc 34, I don't think that's hard enought for a plane blade. I'd like to see at least Rc 48 or even 52

HSS will be considerably more expensive and harder than this.

Yeah, what Bob said.

There's a bunch of online retailers, Enco is about the cheapest and they are very easy to deal with. Fast too. Think LV for metal working folks.


The Starrett is good stuff, I have a few kilograms here myself. The problem is that I read it has a tendancy to warp during heat treat, and I found it to be true. Of the half dozen things I have made, all but two have warped. Strangely, the one that should have warped severely (a filed tooth plane float) stayed dead flat.

The steel Bob and co. got is not Starrett, and I can't recall the name of it, but it's at least as good as (and I would have preferred it) the Starrett, and possibly better. I know that at the time, I could find no bad reports and no reputation for out of the ordinary warpage.

Heat treat is dead easy really, and if you are in no big hurry, I will be making a small furnace in the very near future (read as, next week) for all manner of things which should be easy, quick and cheap to make and run.
Basically, a large tin can packed with some insulation, something to take the heat on the inside and a few strategically placed holes for heat, exhaust and oopsies. I want it mainly for melting small amounts of ally and bronze, and case hardening old-school style. It would also do good service as a heat treat forge.

Anyways, that's about it.

Toolin, if you are dead set on HSS, then maybe McMaster-Carr can help, also good prices, good service and a much wider product range. I think Enco lists 40,000 things, McMaster is closer to 400,000 items.