where can i get some scrap metal to practice with? pieces of tubing would be best but flat is ok too. where would i find **** like this - doesnt matter if its free or costs a little bit, but of course free is better

 

go to a steel shop. go to meineke. or any other exhaust place. go to car shops that make custom exhaust. just go around to anywhere that may use the stuff and ask them if you can have their scrap. or go through their dumpster if you really want

 

Yea I just go to some local muffler place, and ask if I can take some of their garbage to practice on. Then I take it home, cut it up into a million pieces, and go crazy.

 

I ripped the heat shields off my stock civic... that allowed me to practice for a day or two...

 

Most muffler shops would actually like you to take their scrap away. It costs them money to get rid of it.

 

be aware that you "could" run into something from an exhaust shop that isl plated with something that will be harmful if you weld it.

 

tell you guys a funny story. The other day I went to a local steel plant to get some prices on some ells and t's. So this guy was on a machine cutting pieces of 1/4" flat. He was dropping pieces that were only and inch or two squared and then throwing them into the trash bin. I ask if I could have a couple pieces of scrap from the bin and the guys says "sure pick out what you want and bring it inside for use to weigh for pricing". I was like, wtf, you guys were gonna throw it out.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by catchawave &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">tell you guys a funny story. The other day I went to a local steel plant to get some prices on some ells and t's. So this guy was on a machine cutting pieces of 1/4" flat. He was dropping pieces that were only and inch or two squared and then throwing them into the trash bin. I ask if I could have a couple pieces of scrap from the bin and the guys says "sure pick out what you want and bring it inside for use to weigh for pricing". I was like, wtf, you guys were gonna throw it out. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Most places actually get $$ from recycling the scrap. For instance @ our shop if we break a drill or something it goes in a scrap bucket one for HSS & one for Carbide, then we turn around and sell it back to places that make/form blanks.