I have been picking up steel in various types and lengths for the past couple of months for some delayed projects. Lots of frustration as you can't get a straight answer on the price of steel. One individual in the same company will sell me 20 ft of 2.5 x 2.5 x 0.25 inch square tube for one price then another guy will sell it to me for $38 less. Makes you feel like you are are being cheated somehow. You have to have a company account to get the good prices. In addition, you either buy in 20 ft segments, pay ridiculous cut fees or look at what they have in the remnants building to see if it will do. Of course the remnants are never less than 48 inches and most of the time (80%) much larger, 120 inches or so. Often times it works out well, but sometimes you are looking for a relatively small section and don't need 10 or 20 feet of 5/8" x 3" strap.
Today I finally got what I think was a straight answer on the no drops available issue.
Being in the PNW with all the aerospace and airline parts manufacturing; several years back enterprising folks went in and picked up various drops and machined them into parts, sold them to FAA regulated companies and thus did not have the proper documentation for proper tracking of steel from mill to final product. Did not have a PMA.
Unapproved aircraft part - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Several people went to jail, a couple of companies ceased to exist, and most steel companies now track every piece of steel so that it is known where it comes from. Prices go up and scrap is no longer available from the drop pile. All steel is apparently tracked to the recyclers.
Thus price of steel goes way up and no drops are available. I read where folks elsewhere get drops all the time and I had been wondering why I could never find them. Now I at least partly understand why. I understand the rational but it sucks how it affects the general person who does not run a multimillion dollar machine shop.
Today I finally got what I think was a straight answer on the no drops available issue.
Being in the PNW with all the aerospace and airline parts manufacturing; several years back enterprising folks went in and picked up various drops and machined them into parts, sold them to FAA regulated companies and thus did not have the proper documentation for proper tracking of steel from mill to final product. Did not have a PMA.
Unapproved aircraft part - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Several people went to jail, a couple of companies ceased to exist, and most steel companies now track every piece of steel so that it is known where it comes from. Prices go up and scrap is no longer available from the drop pile. All steel is apparently tracked to the recyclers.
Thus price of steel goes way up and no drops are available. I read where folks elsewhere get drops all the time and I had been wondering why I could never find them. Now I at least partly understand why. I understand the rational but it sucks how it affects the general person who does not run a multimillion dollar machine shop.