[falense]

I have been looking around for good sources for aluminum in north California for quite a while now. I have not found even an outdated list of local suppliers for California. Ultimately I hope to find a scrapyard or similar that received leftovers from machine shops. There are a couple of metal suppliers I have tried that sells drops and cutoffs, and I will list my experience with each of them here as I visit them. Please contribute if you have suggestions for places to get metal stock for the hobby machinist in California. Note that I am specifically looking for local suppliers, so online stores do not count. Thanks!

To start this off:

Gorilla Metals, 705 Comstock, Santa Clara, Gorilla Metals
They had a fairly decent sized cutoff rack, price as of this month was $4 per lb for both stainless steel and aluminum. I got the feeling that anything not aluminum would count as stainless steel. They quoted me a lower price for non-stainless which I do not remember atm. I walked out with about $40 in aluminum. They have no minimum as far as I can tell.


Places I might go to in the future: Alco Iron and Metal, South Bay Metals and Bay Shore Metals.

[awerby]

The trouble with junkyards is that they sell material that's usually damaged in some way, and they don't necessarily know what it is. And surprisingly, it's not always cheaper than brand-new material of known composition. You just have to be ready to buy a whole piece, if you're buying it new. Some places will cut things to size for you, though, like TCI in Hayward Custom Metal Cutting, Metal Finishing | Aluminum Supplier & Precision Machining - Hayward, CA and Maxx Metals in San Carlos: Maxx Metals

[falense]

Thank you for the suggestion. Do you have a ballpark price range for those you suggested? From their webpages it seems that they are "call us to inquire" types of places.

In my case, being a complete novice, I expect to be very efficient at making scraps of perfectly good materials. This is why I feel that scrap yards and cutoffs is the place to start for materials.

[dixdance]

I've had great luck at a scrap yard here in Rochester NY. Most of the yards no longer let people in to pick thru or buy, but these guys are very friendly, and the material is sorted by alloy. I found some really large (2'x3') pieces of 1" jig plate with the protective plastic still on for $2/ lb (I think) a few years ago.

Some material is damaged for sure, but a lot of it is just from shop clean-outs or closings. Old jigs and fixture plates, bases, etc. Once got a round disc with 50 1/4" drill jig bushings, a great score because it was "irony" aluminum, worth way less than clean, uncontaminated stuff.

[Heavymetalcnc]

I know you said no online stores, but online metals has whatever you are looking for at whatever length you want. Starting at 12" lengths. The aluminum prices are very reasonable.

[ChrisAttebery]

I use South Bay Metals. Most of what they sell is new. They don't have a lot of scrap.

I also use Campbell Metal Supplies in San Jose. (569 Charcot Ave.) They mostly sell new but they also have a decent rems area. They have a $35 minimum.

I bought from Aluminum REM Center for years but they closed suddenly last summer.

I have also used Gorilla Metals but they aren't nearly as professional as Campbell Metals.


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[greggv]

Max Industries in Gardena ca. They ship

[MidnightKrawler]

There is Alan Steel & Supply in Redwood City. The one time I was there the people seemed friendly and they sell aluminum by the pound.

[KCress]

I was repairing a lapping machine and needed about a 16 x 10 x 0.25 inch piece of aluminum plate. Having seen "Sims Metal" on the way to where I was working I gave it a shot. I was very pleased with the place. They do have a minimum of $10 which I have no issue with. The helpful guy helping me asked me if I wanted more of the plates and I said, "sure I could use more than one". He said, "you might as well get your ten dollars worth" and proceeded to set me up with 3 plates.

They kind of pointed around and said, this is there, and that is over there, and look in that area. They told me sheet was on the racks to the right. I noticed they include 6" thick slabs as sheet. LOL

This is in south San Jose.


Sims Metal Management
1800 Monterey Hwy
(408) 494-4200


Monday:8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Tuesday:8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday:8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Thursday:8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday:8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

[falense]

I also use Campbell Metal Supplies in San Jose. (569 Charcot Ave.) They mostly sell new but they also have a decent rems area. They have a $35 minimum.

Dropped by Campbell their prices were $2.5-$3.0 per lb. They had an excellent selection of cutoffs, thanks!

Max Industries in Gardena ca. They ship

Their web page does not list prices or stock as far as I can tell. Do you have price example?

There is Alan Steel & Supply in Redwood City. The one time I was there the people seemed friendly and they sell aluminum by the pound.

Do you happen to remember what they charged?

I was repairing a lapping machine and needed about a 16 x 10 x 0.25 inch piece of aluminum plate. Having seen "Sims Metal" on the way to where I was working I gave it a shot. I was very pleased with the place. They do have a minimum of $10 which I have no issue with. The helpful guy helping me asked me if I wanted more of the plates and I said, "sure I could use more than one". He said, "you might as well get your ten dollars worth" and proceeded to set me up with 3 plates.

Nice! That works out to about $2.5 per lb.

[DaMeat]

Not metal places and their stock is hit or miss, but:
HSC electronics in Sunnyvale
Weird Stuff
I've bought tons of aluminum plate from them, not surplus prices but quality is always nice.