Metal Prices

[dfrisk]

KRAIG - That was trip #1. Dan's drillpress was happy to help take Our picture, Bryan's camera had a time delay and it sat on the DP table. Bryan had a special cake made for Dan's B-day with the likeness of a CCO. That was a Good Day.
Bryan & I made another trip up later, maybe a year after that one. I met Him at Madsen's and We drove over to Dan's for a bit. Bryan had a welding job for Dan to do.

As I'm sure anyone who's met Dan would agree, He's a Great person. As long as He knew about it in advance I'm sure He wouldn't mind a few of His old friends dropping in for a bit.
Last time We talked He was so excited about finding His '70 (I think it was) Boss 302, and Yes, It was yellow. I haven't even seen His Giddings & Lewis 2-1/2" boring mill yet! He bought it for scrap price, and with some help from people I worked with @ G&L He reconditioned it.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Sorry Art, didn't mean to hi-jack your scrap metal thread.

 

[aaytay]

 

[junderwood]

Art,

I have come to the same conclusion as you on building loaders. It seems the price of the components is just too high unless you want a project. I got a real good deal on a Johnson loader frame, mounts and bucket at Little G. Then stumbled accross a pump valve and some hoses there too. All I need are some cylinders and some steel for the mount to put it on the 1872. If that hadn't happened I would just buy a tractor loader package. I will still have pretty close to what a used loader can be had for in this one when I finish.

 

[dfrisk]

O-K, CRS set in....it was "The Crawler", not a CCO. Not sure I'd seen a pic of the Boss before. It Looks Good!

ART - Is there a tool & die shop or general machine shop around Your area? They would know who the best sources are for different types of metals. I know there's lot of steel supply co's around Minneapolis/SP. FWIW, Dan used to buy His steel from one of My suppliers when I bought steel for G&L. That's how I first heard about Him.

Unfortunately Dane Cty seems to have something against "junk yards", no place to buy used steel anywhere close. I buy from a welding/fab shop about 10-12 miles away Son found several years ago. He sells steel & alum. from His stock and will order almost anything readily available but it's not what I consider cheap. I get what I need for a project then get a couple odd drops of stuff I use frequently, angle iron and flat bar mostly. He has a cantilever A-frame steel rack that covers the area of a one-stall garage and I bet He has close to 40,000# of steel and some alum. on it.
Place down in the Quad-Cities that came about when all the old obsolete stuff sold out of the closed JD, Case, CAT, & IH plants now sells steel & aluminum. They have some neat stuff, pre-painted aluminum like enclosed trailers are skinned with but it's far from cheap. For some reason like most places I've seen, they keep the stainless and aluminum INSIDE out of the weather and the steel outside so it rusts.

And to stay on topic, the comments about the imported engine stands, hoists, jacks, etc. ANYTHING I've seen from a primary metal working supplier either personally or professionally, imported from a "low cost country" has been marginal. The Supplier Quality Engineer at My last job has gone to China every 4-6 months for the last 12 years and even He says they're poor, they ALL let quality slide, and eventually You will get bad parts from them. The trick is to Catch them before they cause problems or hurt someone.

 

[manutter]

Just bought a 22'stick of 2"x2"x1/4" $52.00

 

[dfrisk]

MIKE - That's a good price, less than $0.44/#.

 

[kredlinger]

For a job I'm working on I had to buy 4" C channel 7' length x 4. Paid close to $130, thought that was a good price for me. Our scrap copper prices have dropped seriously, locally we get .80/# clean, .30/# insulated but yet idiots are STILL stealing it! Aluminum is .20/# clean or cast & it takes alot to make it worth while hauling in, the old tractor fund doesn't grow quite as fast anymore, RATS!

 

[hsimon]

art- the scrap prices are in a down turn, the local scrapyard is almost asking for the scrapper to pay them to take the iron.

 

[blanasa]

I think that's a good thing. Less incentive for people to part out and scrap good Cubs.
Cheaper prices for steel.
Probably means that the Chinese industrial machine is slowing down. Less polution. Less garbage coming into our country.