Small quantity metal resource in doc area

[Roger Feeley]

I just moved to falls church va. Does anyone know of a place that will sell me steel aluminum and brass by the foot?

[John K Jordan]

Are you mostly needing just a few short pieces, perhaps for small machining projects?

I occasionally order brass and aluminum rods and bars online since it is harder to find than steel, at least where I live.
I have bought from Online Metals: http://www.onlinemetals.com
I've also bought through amazon, for example: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FMWXVC

When I started welding I found fabrication shops would gladly sell offcuts at good prices. Also they would sell new stock in 20' lengths but at higher prices than the big local steel supplier. The industrial steel suppliers here will only sell full sticks but they will cut it as needed.

Can you find a local metals recycling place? The one near us is a fantastic place to buy various sizes of stainless, mild steel, aluminum and plastic, etc, sold by the pound. The prices are just over scrap and far cheaper than buying new. Once we even found 10' lengths of new 1/2" thin wall titanium tubing for very cheap! However it does take a lot of browsing and repeat trips to see what they've gotten in.

I did a google search for steel 'angle iron washington DC' and it looks like there are lots of possibilities.

JKJ

[Bill Orbine]

Try McMaster-Carr. Google it.

[Roger Feeley]

Thanks to all,

I know about buying over the internet. I guess I'm sort of old-school in that I really prefer to keep my money local if at all possible. I've found a few metal places but they aren't as convenient as what I had in Kansas City. I'm inside the DC beltway and land is simply too expensive for light industrial unless they built here 40 years ago when land was cheap. I was talking to a guy at the bank that owns a rental place. He told me that they could make more money leasing out the land than they make off the business. The only reason they don't move is that they have customer relationships and don't want to leave them high and dry. He said he knew that it made no business sense to stay but they like the business and it's what they know...

I knew what I was getting into so I'm not complaining. I'm just figuring out how to adapt.

[Eric DeSilva]

I used to use Potomac Steel & Supply (http://potomacsteel.com/), but it is south of the beltway off I-95--a longish trip. I think I'm going to use BMG out in Manassas in the future (http://www.bmgmetals.com/contact_Manassas.php), but it is only because they deliver to TechShop in Crystal City--they don't appear to have weekend hours, so if they didn't deliver, I couldn't use them.

[Roger Feeley]

I used to use Potomac Steel & Supply (http://potomacsteel.com/), but it is south of the beltway off I-95--a longish trip. I think I'm going to use BMG out in Manassas in the future (http://www.bmgmetals.com/contact_Manassas.php), but it is only because they deliver to TechShop in Crystal City--they don't appear to have weekend hours, so if they didn't deliver, I couldn't use them.

Eric,

Does BMG do retail. I'm not a business and can't buy wholesale. Also, do they have a storefront in Manassas where I could, for instance, buy 3' of 1" brass or something?