Where can I buy sheet metal

[ariel & eric]

I was at a craft show last weekend and saw these cute magnet frames. I asked the guy what was used to make it magnetic and he said he used sheet metal. He cuts it himself with some tool I have no access to.

I tried HL and it is too small. Home Depot comes in rolls so I would need to cut or 100 of 4x6 which is too small and too many. I'm looking for pieces around 7x7 or so. Not fussy on size too much but need it to be big enough to make a frame but no too big.

If your wondering what he did to make them is he (or someone) covered the sheet metal with SB papers and embellished them. Used cute magnets and put some kind of hook on the back to hang it and then you have a picture holder. I thought they would make great teacher gifts - you can decorate any way you want. I saw some for kittys, dogs, grandkids.

Now I just need to find the sheet metal.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

if it's on a roll it is not sheet metal, it is most likely aluminum if it is in that scale.
DH says to go to the hardware aisle of Home Depot or at Sears Hardware or any other good hardware store. Take a magnet with you to test it to see if it is not aluminum. The sheet metal will come in flat sheets 8x8 ??? and larger.

DH said you can also go to an office supply place and get magnetic white boards that you can alter. May be a lot less fussy to deal with.

 

[Lisa]

DH says to go to the hardware aisle of Home Depot or at Sears Hardware or any other good hardware store. Take a magnet with you to test it to see if it is not aluminum. The sheet metal will come in flat sheets 8x8 ??? and larger.

DH said you can also go to an office supply place and get magnetic white boards that you can alter. May be a lot less fussy to deal with.

That DH of yours knows a lot.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Menards (hardware store) will carry it and most of them cut them to size for you! POST PICTURES when you are done! Sounds very cute!!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

DH just said an inexpensive way would be to check your local phone book for HVAC supply and call those places and see if you could buy from them. (He used to work HVAC, so he knows ahaha ). You would get the whole sheet, for a pretty decent price.

Then the tool you would need would just be a pair of Tin Snips which are fairly inexpensive.

Tin snips

are tools used to cut thin sheet metal. They use the same principles as common scissors, but are able to handle thicker and harder material. There are three different types of tin snips; straight cutting, left cutting, and right cutting. Straight cutting in a straight line, left cutting snips (usually red) will cut in a curve to the left, and right cutting snips (usually green) will cut in a curve to the right.

In practical use the red snips pictured will be used in the right hand, for straight or curving cuts, with the base material to the right being cut neatly and the left hand will be pulling away a spiraling offcut. The green snips work in the opposite fashion in the left hand, with the waste being on the right.

Another option is Aviation snips and are around 10$ more (still under $25) and cut easier.

ACE HARDWARE also sells a pack of sheet metal, but they look pretty small for your project. They do have free ship-to-store. It does not give too much information though under description, so it could possibly be aluminum.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/...+metal&parentPage=search&searchId=21369196674

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

That DH of yours knows a lot.

yes he does, which can be a blessing and a curse.

 

[ariel & eric]

Thanks everyone. I will try Menard's this weekend. DH and I are going to the farmer's market and will be close to there. I am really trying to find it cut already so I don't have to purchase anything I won't use again. The stuff at HL was about 3x7 - way too small, the same with Home Depot 4x6. Needs to be smaller than 12x12 so I can use only one sheet of paper across if I want.