Hi All,
I guess there are many here who fabricate fittings out of 316 stainless for their boats. A difficulty I usually encounter is sourcling small quantities of rod, tube, flat bar, angle, etc.
That is, until I came across this supplier - allthingsstainless.com.au
From their website, they apparently supply 316 rod, bar, etc, by the metre and the other stuff (nuts, bolts, etc) by the piece.
Note I have no connection with this company - I haven't even used them yet. Maybe someone can post some feedback on them.
Generally, how about posting info on your favourite supplier of all things marine. This would be a useful resource for many of us.
regards,
Allan

Yep - I've used AllThingsStainless and was very happy with their service. They are exactly what they claim to be - online suppliers of stainless steel.

I don't have a background as a metal worker, so have no other experience in sourcing material, but being a full time worker, I don't have time to drive around looking for metal shops. Online ordering and delivery to the door was wonderfully convenient.

Pay attention to the finish of the metal. I've not done this before, so when I got Mill finish flat bar I was surprised that I'd have to polish it up myself.

HG02 said..
George Archer ordish road south dandenong
Check the net for address its off greens road just off east link
Victoria

www.archermetals.com.au/

I have used All things Stainless and Sterling's to purchase S/Steel. Products fabricated through Allthings are top class and their service is awesome. Drop them an inquiry on there web page and they call you on the phone.
I buy raw material usually through Sterling's. They have a good range of short length shaft, bar and tubing in the sales dept and there is always a bargain in the bargain box.
Recently I needed some 1/4 " flat bar in 316. I couldn't get the imperial size so I figured that 6mm would be fine. I bought two x 2m off cuts of 6x40mm but when I got home and measured them they were close to 5.5mm. By the time I machine and polish, I would loose about .7mm leaving the finished product too under size.
Interestingly I had a small piece of left over 6x50 mm flat "bar" in the shed so I measured it and it was 6.4mm.
To cut a long story short, the pieces of off cut 6x40mm I bought that were under size are cut from sheet, so I requested 6x40 rolled bar and found the "bar" was closer to size. The salesman at Sterling's allowed me to measure the thickness of the 6x40mm bar they had in the warehouse. I found the 6m length I wanted and he cut it in half and sold me 3m of it. I ended up with my product polishing up at 6.2 mm, near enough to 1/4"
That's what I call excellent service.
I always try stainless with a magnet, I find the 35year old 316 on the boat a better quality than the 316 I buy from Sterling's ,,,although the 316 "shaft" seems just as good...