Look in the local yellow pages under metal. I found my local metal
distributor by cold calling a local fab shop on the phone and asking
them where they get their metal. The local distributor he referred me
to has been good to me, I pay cash and they don't ask me my name, no
need to prove that I am a business, etc.

Welding 26-28 ga aluminum is probably a lot harder than you think it is.
Even steel of that ga is not going to be easy. You might try 24 ga and
see if you can weld it and bend it. Easy to bend is only half the story
for this project. You might be better off having a local shop roll
thicker material in a slip roller, rather than trying to weld something
that is thinner than your skill and equipment can reliably weld.

Wrapping a cylinder of 1" diameter will be hard, but maybe that is not
what you meant. If that is what you really want to do, forget it and
buy a tube instead.

Good luck. Sounds like a sculpture project.

Richard



Zipper wrote:

I'm looking to buy some sheet metal for a project I am working on. I'm done
a little research and I'm pretty sure that I'll need 26-28 gauge Aluminum or
Steel. I will be wrapping this around a 78"x37" cylinder. I will also be
wrapping a 110"x1" cylinder and cover a 35" diameter circle. This doesn't
need to have much strength since it won't support anything. I do need to be
able to bend it around these objects, so I figure 26-28 gauge should allow
me to wrap it around by hand. What I don't know is where to get this, and
about how much it would cost. I live in Atlanta, but I don't mind having it
shipped, so long as it doesn't cost too much. This will be for show, so it
does need to look pretty nice. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

F.Y.I. I'm pretty new to welding/metalworking in general. I'm working on MIG
welding right now, and I'm enjoying it alot. Thanks again

-Zipper

Thanks for the reply. I'll try that. Sorry I was not explaining my
measurements correctly. They are as follows: 78" circumfrance x 37" height
cylinder, a 110" circumfrance x 1" high cylinder,o and a flat 35" diameter
circle. This will be a TV stand. It is supported by a steel frame, The base
of the unit is a 37" tall cylinder, and the top is a 35" diameter circle to
support the TV. I'm using 1/2" hollow steel square tubing that hs 1/16"
thick sides. Also I'm using I believe 1/16" thick square rods to provide
cross support to keep the unit from twisting. I will also be using the smae
1/2" hollow steel to create 3 shevles, this will provide the last of the
support nessesary (I hope) to keep the unit from twisting around. I have the
frame done, but the shevles tubes and the shevles themsevles are not put in
either. I'm puting a Sony KV32HS510 TV on this stand (this TV weighs about
180 pounds (it is not a big screen either, it's a standard 4x3 hi-def)).
Thanks again for the help.

-Zipper

Formica markets a line of metal for countertops. Bright and brushed
finishes. Gold, silver, black. I have constructed decorative tubes from
this by wrapping it around Sonotube concrete forms. Bonded it to the
tube with double sided tape and/or contact cement. It's called Metalmica
available in 4x8 sheets at large commercial suppliers.
we bought it from Frost Hardwoods in San Diego

Zipper - I work at Sabel Steel just south of Atlanta in Newnan - we're
a metal service center and can locate this or just about any other
metal you need.

If you wanna try and find it in town I'd try Phoenix Metals or
J.M.Tull although they might hit you with a minimum order price that
can knock your socks off.

Give me at 770-252-4280 and ask for Scott

I'll be glad to find this stuff for you.

Scott Davis

On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 03:42:57 GMT, "Zipper"
wrote:

I'm looking to buy some sheet metal for a project I am working on. I'm done
a little research and I'm pretty sure that I'll need 26-28 gauge Aluminum or
Steel. I will be wrapping this around a 78"x37" cylinder. I will also be
wrapping a 110"x1" cylinder and cover a 35" diameter circle. This doesn't
need to have much strength since it won't support anything. I do need to be
able to bend it around these objects, so I figure 26-28 gauge should allow
me to wrap it around by hand. What I don't know is where to get this, and
about how much it would cost. I live in Atlanta, but I don't mind having it
shipped, so long as it doesn't cost too much. This will be for show, so it
does need to look pretty nice. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

F.Y.I. I'm pretty new to welding/metalworking in general. I'm working on MIG
welding right now, and I'm enjoying it alot. Thanks again

-Zipper