This pile cost me $122 and consists of 7 pounds of stainless, 67 pounds of cold-rolled steel, 19 pounds of aluminum, 4 pounds of brass, and 20 pounds of hot-rolled steel.This pile cost me $122 and consists of 7 pounds of stainless, 67 pounds of cold-rolled ste One man's trash is another man's treasure, and nothing proves that more than dunnage and drops. Dunnage and drops are pieces of wood or steel that didn't make the first cut and ended up on the floor, in the trash, or on the scrap pile. Oftentimes these pieces can be had cheap and can be very useful around the shop. I recently took a trip to the local Industrial Metal Supply steel yard to get some material for the many projects I have going on in my garage. I usually know exactly what I need, but this time I only had a vague idea. I knew I needed some solid stock for use with my press and some plate to finish up a bumper. I came home with everything I needed, plus some other stuff I didn't plan on getting but will definitely use in the future. Many customers only need, say, 17 feet of a 20-foot stick of tubing or steel, and since they don't have the tools at home, they have the steel yard cut the material for them and the last 3 feet ends up in the drops bin. The trick to getting deals at the metal yard is taking your tape measure and a small magnet and asking where the drops or scrap pile is first. It's usually cheaper because it's scrap and the yard has already made its money on the previous customer. It can be a crapshoot, or should I say "scrapshoot," because they won't always have what you need. But if they do you'll likely spend less money. Here are just a few of the things I got on my recent trip and why you definitely want to haul home more junk. Drops can be made into tools as well as parts for your 4x4. On the left are a piece of stainless steel, aluminum round stock, cold-rolled steel, and a block of brass. The stainless and cold-rolled make for tough punches, while the aluminum and brass are great as soft punches for knocking out bearings and races from hubs you want to protect. These four pieces were no more expensive than the punches and chisel on the right, and with a grinder or lathe you can make them into similar or better tools.Drops can be made into tools as well as parts for your 4x4. On the left are a piece of sta The first thing I needed was some solid stock for my press. I found a pile of cold-rolled steel pieces and collected some blocks of equal lengths and widths. It is best to get two of each if possible to evenly stack up under whatever you need to press, and the cold-rolled usually has a more consistent thickness. In this case I used the solid stock under the knuckle and the large piece of round stock to press a rusted unit bearing from the knuckle.The first thing I needed was some solid stock for my press. I found a pile of cold-rolled Another great use of dunnage is for holding or propping up parts when you're welding. This large block of aluminum will quickly soak the heat away from the thin sheetmetal to help reduce warpage, and the aluminum is less likely to be accidently welded to the steel. The steel blocks are heavier and even more useful to help prop up various parts during welding, plus they are half the price of aluminum.Another great use of dunnage is for holding or propping up parts when you're welding. This SOURCES Industrial Metal Supply www.imsmetals.com Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
