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Steel stockholders in the UK, who do you use?

Demon69

Titanium
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Location
Area 69.
London metal in garth road have gone and that was the only place local to me (KT5) that I could find, nice that they were local, I could scrounge through their scrap bin :cool:. Theres Parkers / West yorkshire steel etc, ive not rung em yet. I only need small quantities atm but hey you never know down the road.

Any light you can shed on pros/cons of different places, and any suppliers down surrey way most welcome.
Cheers.
 
I think it depends what you want. For a lot of the work we do in the museum where I work we use a local steel stockholder, who is good for box, flats, tube, angle etc in full lengths. For round bar, the best they can supply is EN8 (or the equivalent) in full lengths. This is OK, but we occasionally need something a bit more unusual and they don't do engineering steels beyond EN8. I suspect that most local steel stockholders will be similar.

You can get more exotic steels in full lengths from some of the big national stockholders that you already know, but the costs can be a bit hard to take unless you can actually use a full length.

Shorter lengths can be got from Ebay, but you have to be lucky to get what you want, and there is a limit on the diameters that are available.

Like you I would be interested to know where to get shorter lengths of higher specification steel at reasonable prices in UK.
 
Nope I managed to reply but nothing else, ........I can't do private messages - post new threads, add links etc etc

Please help
 
Demon, I've been trying to reply to your private message but something won't let me, lets see what happens here.
Phew! I thought it was something I said :D

Nope I managed to reply but nothing else, ........I can't do private messages - post new threads, add links etc etc

Please help

Thats weird :confused:. First up I guess is try restarting or logging on from another computer, see if youve the same issues. If that doesnt resolve ill msg milacron for you np.
 
I use a local fella now but I used to use Acenta ,they were OK to deal with and are national, they do all types of high carbon ,bright stainless etc ,and continuous cast iron.
 
I use a local fella now but I used to use Acenta ,they were OK to deal with and are national, they do all types of high carbon ,bright stainless etc ,and continuous cast iron.

Ah I really miss LM now I need something. Do Acenta deal with small orders?
 
Im switching to ever more online sources, yeah you pay a bit more, but i don't have to deal with them it just gets delivered. Get fed up with the local metal place who i probably should not name being cunts and calling me small time because i order low weights, but then its hard to make high tonnage in 16G ERW and at times im buying multiple hundreds of meters too, not just part lengths. Equally there range sucks and i have to go else were to get even a fraction of the sizes i need.

What kinda metals you after and in what sizes? IME that has a big impact on viability of online sources at sensible price points or not as well as recommendations for alternatives.

Steels not getting any cheaper thats for sure, but these days i always try and buy full lengths for anything under 2"

You mention parker, not been impressed with there pricing on bright rounds or sections for a while now, theres cheaper to the tune of including VAT + free delivery than there website was offering last month.
 
Im switching to ever more online sources, yeah you pay a bit more, but i don't have to deal with them it just gets delivered. Get fed up with the local metal place who i probably should not name being cunts and calling me small time because i order low weights, but then its hard to make high tonnage in 16G ERW and at times im buying multiple hundreds of meters too, not just part lengths. Equally there range sucks and i have to go else were to get even a fraction of the sizes i need.

What kinda metals you after and in what sizes? IME that has a big impact on viability of online sources at sensible price points or not as well as recommendations for alternatives.

Steels not getting any cheaper thats for sure, but these days i always try and buy full lengths for anything under 2"

You mention parker, not been impressed with there pricing on bright rounds or sections for a while now, theres cheaper to the tune of including VAT + free delivery than there website was offering last month.

Well in the v near future I want to make some tool holders out of something sensible in the 2" x 1" range, could probably go a full bar on that. But most of the stuff ill need will be cut lengths for whatever im doing att, anything from cast iron to aluminium.
The Parkers calculator I cant seem to make much sense of for cuts, prices always seem to come out way high. I just had a slug of EN19T off ebay for less than a third of what they wanted. Price isnt the be all but I dont wana get royally shafted.
Which of the online suppliers you liking atm?
 
You would have to get in touch but they certainly used to ,generally I would buy a full bar but I did sometimes buy short pieces of bigger diameter stuff.
 
Well in the v near future I want to make some tool holders out of something sensible in the 2" x 1" range, could probably go a full bar on that. But most of the stuff ill need will be cut lengths for whatever im doing att, anything from cast iron to aluminium.
The Parkers calculator I cant seem to make much sense of for cuts, prices always seem to come out way high. I just had a slug of EN19T off ebay for less than a third of what they wanted. Price isnt the be all but I dont wana get royally shafted.
Which of the online suppliers you liking atm?


For Ci etc etc there's College Engineering, the cheapest they are not, but they will saw to size Cast Iron Bars - College Engineering Supplies - Buy Online

P.S. They do other materials as well and their site is worth a good rummage.
 
The Metal Store™ Official Website | Free Delivery PS7+ | 1 Free Cuts is pretty good for sectional stuff, not so great for bright mild steels or alloy steels, delivery is free over £75 and i recommend em highly!!

Aluminium Warehouse is pretty good for a lot of aluminium profiles and sections - cut plate but are not so great on the stainless but are very good - the best online i have found yet for steel ERW if its a size they do, use to be great and fast, seam a lot slower these last few months delivery wise anything upto nearly a fortnight which in my worlds kinda painfully long, but hey i still buy from them? maybe a victim of there own success of late here is hoping they can catch up??

Jenkins Steel Online Metal Supermarket is who i normally go to for smaller cut length specific grade stuff in bright, everything from them has been first glass, really nice material, they do a lot of En** flavours in a pretty wide range of sizes both round, flat, square bright and black and have a wider range than listed on there site, hence pop em a email with the specifics and they are great to deal with. Not sure how they compare cost wise, but unless you need full lengths this is one of the few places to offer what they do to my knowledge grades wise?

Steel Tube Direct | Buy Steel Tube & Steel Pipe are the people if you need to match a asshole odd ball tube size, my goto for 14mm ERW which is akin to unicorn shit at the best of times. If it exists in tubular form these guys can get it. Not the cheapest, but they don't leave you feeling like you have been badly violated either unlike www.*******.co.uk!!

www.metalmaniauk.com also a good source, pretty wide range, but not so much alloy steels, but very much cut to length odd bit specialists.

www.directplastics.co.uk Are my goto non metal supplier, great stuff and first class 100% Reliable fast delivery service. price always seams very comaprable - better than other sources every time i have gone comparison shopping too.

None of the above are probably the people to goto if your after anything by the lorry load, but if your after anything upto 50 of 3m lengths they have all done me well in the past, all of them do a really nice job on the packaging too. Several places i have tried over the years have not made the above list, but the usual disclaimer, im just a customer of the above, they are there because they have done a good job thats all.

Now if only i could find a fucking laser profilers that would stick to delivery deadlines, online qouteing (if you need 3 days to fuck with it to work out a price, sorry my customers have moved on already, i need a price and having a customer on the hook asap, i often qoute shit in 5-7 different material flavours and quantities and often late at night - early in the morning) My compertition works 9-5 i work 24 hoursits my edge. equally my experience of places doing there own qouteing of my work is they fuck up so much on material thickness or finishes its unreal, much rather just do the leg work myself through something like IP lasers online customer portal) and sensible pricing (not cheapest though but you can fuck off if you think im paying a £50 rapid - drop everything and rush surcharge for a 5 working day delivery (yeah over night rush thats fair but 5 days, goto work you lazy bastards and do some work!!) must do aluminium in all grades, stainless in a mixture of grades and lots of finishes and wrap the stuff so it all arrives here with out being spread across the couriers van or dented to fuck. Cut well enough they dont need to employ a army of gorillas wielding angle grinders on what was spouse to be nicely cut profiles (if i want shit profiles i have a plasma for that. Oh yeah and not hit me with a £30 surcharge for a non industrial premises delivery of sub 10Kg in weight (ie dont use drop kick tuffnels as there main and only delivery agents) IN return im looking to place around £1K of cutting a month and if i could get what i truly need and 5 day turn around fucking reliably that could be more like 2-3K a month come next year. Oh yeah and im paying upfront, either the point i click order or the point the lazzy wanking office staff send me a payment link - invoice with the bacs details.

All i want a supplier i never see, i never have to call, i just want to upload my profiles select the material get a price and order, pay for it and have it arrive within a known and stuck too time line under 10 working days, possible exception for the occasional break down - bad weather. I dont even want - need credit or 30 day terms, am happy with the simplicity of money upfront, I send em profiles all the details + money they send me quality parts + on time is that really asking too much??
 
The Metal Store™ Official Website | Free Delivery PS7+ | 1 Free Cuts is pretty good for sectional stuff, not so great for bright mild steels or alloy steels, delivery is free over £75 and i recommend em highly!!

Aluminium Warehouse is pretty good for a lot of aluminium profiles and sections - cut plate but are not so great on the stainless but are very good - the best online i have found yet for steel ERW if its a size they do, use to be great and fast, seam a lot slower these last few months delivery wise anything upto nearly a fortnight which in my worlds kinda painfully long, but hey i still buy from them? maybe a victim of there own success of late here is hoping they can catch up??

Jenkins Steel Online Metal Supermarket is who i normally go to for smaller cut length specific grade stuff in bright, everything from them has been first glass, really nice material, they do a lot of En** flavours in a pretty wide range of sizes both round, flat, square bright and black and have a wider range than listed on there site, hence pop em a email with the specifics and they are great to deal with. Not sure how they compare cost wise, but unless you need full lengths this is one of the few places to offer what they do to my knowledge grades wise?

Steel Tube Direct | Buy Steel Tube & Steel Pipe are the people if you need to match a asshole odd ball tube size, my goto for 14mm ERW which is akin to unicorn shit at the best of times. If it exists in tubular form these guys can get it. Not the cheapest, but they don't leave you feeling like you have been badly violated either unlike www.*******.co.uk!!

www.metalmaniauk.com also a good source, pretty wide range, but not so much alloy steels, but very much cut to length odd bit specialists.

www.directplastics.co.uk Are my goto non metal supplier, great stuff and first class 100% Reliable fast delivery service. price always seams very comaprable - better than other sources every time i have gone comparison shopping too.

None of the above are probably the people to goto if your after anything by the lorry load, but if your after anything upto 50 of 3m lengths they have all done me well in the past, all of them do a really nice job on the packaging too. Several places i have tried over the years have not made the above list, but the usual disclaimer, im just a customer of the above, they are there because they have done a good job thats all.

Now if only i could find a fucking laser profilers that would stick to delivery deadlines, online qouteing (if you need 3 days to fuck with it to work out a price, sorry my customers have moved on already, i need a price and having a customer on the hook asap, i often qoute shit in 5-7 different material flavours and quantities and often late at night - early in the morning) My compertition works 9-5 i work 24 hoursits my edge. equally my experience of places doing there own qouteing of my work is they fuck up so much on material thickness or finishes its unreal, much rather just do the leg work myself through something like IP lasers online customer portal) and sensible pricing (not cheapest though but you can fuck off if you think im paying a £50 rapid - drop everything and rush surcharge for a 5 working day delivery (yeah over night rush thats fair but 5 days, goto work you lazy bastards and do some work!!) must do aluminium in all grades, stainless in a mixture of grades and lots of finishes and wrap the stuff so it all arrives here with out being spread across the couriers van or dented to fuck. Cut well enough they dont need to employ a army of gorillas wielding angle grinders on what was spouse to be nicely cut profiles (if i want shit profiles i have a plasma for that. Oh yeah and not hit me with a £30 surcharge for a non industrial premises delivery of sub 10Kg in weight (ie dont use drop kick tuffnels as there main and only delivery agents) IN return im looking to place around £1K of cutting a month and if i could get what i truly need and 5 day turn around fucking reliably that could be more like 2-3K a month come next year. Oh yeah and im paying upfront, either the point i click order or the point the lazzy wanking office staff send me a payment link - invoice with the bacs details.

All i want a supplier i never see, i never have to call, i just want to upload my profiles select the material get a price and order, pay for it and have it arrive within a known and stuck too time line under 10 working days, possible exception for the occasional break down - bad weather. I dont even want - need credit or 30 day terms, am happy with the simplicity of money upfront, I send em profiles all the details + money they send me quality parts + on time is that really asking too much??

Haha thats brilliant! Funny enough I just realised I bought Some EN19T from jenkins through ebay, wa here next next day.
My therapist tells me it best to get it off my chest, have at it brother, youre among friends :D
 
Trust me thats barely the start of my laser cutting moan. i don't see why dickheads spend that much money on a machine and then do so piss poor on customer service. I could grasp it if i wanted like 2 or 3 bits cut, but a grands worth of work ad the lazzy bastards can't even normally tell when it will be done.

Would not be so bad, but one of the few good laser places i have found who do deliver in time are great on small bits but anything more than about 20" of cutting on a part and there prices go nuts, like totally magnitudes more cost, like same part from other source is 1/4 the cost. Oh yeah and my customer does not want me to use them as they have trump lasers and the customer sees that as supporting the current USA presidents whims i kid you not. Think laser cutting is driving me to therapy or suicide.

Today a laser cutting order arrived here, should have been here start of week, been making the bits up non stop as there to go to a trade show tomorrow so then becomes my rush. Some truly lovely cutting on about 80% of the order, this place does a great job cutting aluminium, truly beautiful edges, customers love it, parts literally sell like hot cakes when this supplier cuts em, previous suppliers and shitty cutting we only sold about 1/4 the rate they now do, at shows people walk over fondle the lovely smooth edges, the pieces glint in the sun light and they just sell themselves. So 3mm aluminum the parts look and feel beautiful, the 5mm mild steel parts look like they have been cut by a blind gorrila and then ground with a angle grinder putting like a 1/4" by 10 degree bevel on every fucking edge. They just look like total shit total and utter shit. Why they can not just leave the slag on or better still adjust the fucking cutting speed to get a clean edge on 5mm mild steel is beyond me, but they just cant, this is now the third order were the 5mm thick parts are shit and the real kicker there not even nasty profiles, hell the 8mm thick sprockets they cut are things of beauty but oh no that 5mm gotta be cut by the drunk grilla and ground by the ass-hole.

Am beginning to think i should start posting up you-tube videos of unboxing the laser cut orders and name and shame the suppliers.
 
Ive been struggling myself after mcreedy's went.
Trying to get square tool steels is driving me nuts, I suppose its because everyone is making washers on their cncs
 








 
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