Too much steel?

I'm in the process of setting up a steel sculpture to replace my wood one. There is a local listing for 3 x 3 x 1/4" angle iron, 38 feet for $40. Is this a reasonable deal? I could do most of my sculpture with that. I don't see many listings for suitable steel locally. There was a previous listing for 2" x 1/8" square tubing for $2 per foot. I don't have a welder. My thought was that I could drill and bolt this stuff together. It does sound pretty massive. It's thick enough that I suppose I could drill and tap it to make a neater assembly. I am using 25 gallon Megapots, which are about 20 inches in diameter. I brew 10 gallon batches in them. I could use a reality check before I do this thing.

Man, that 3 x3 x 1/4" steel is way heavy at 4.9 lbs per foot. The rig would certainly be strong enough if properly welded or bolted together, but it will be extremely heavy especially when you add all the accessories like burners, pumps, casters etc. I've got a work bench made from 2 X 2 X 1/4" angle and it takes two men and three boys to lift it into a pickup truck bed. The total weight may not be an issue if you don't plan on moving it much, but be sure to consider the weight before you buy the steel. The 2" X 1/8" is somewhat lighter at 3.05 lbs/ft but it's still heavier than it needs to be. I would check with a local steel supplier. This type of steel is not very expensive and the supplier can also cut it to size for a modest charge. It's worth it. You might try going down to the steel yard and talking to someone about it. Corner one of the yard guys and explain to him what you need the steel for and ask for his advice. I think you may be surprised at how helpful the yard guys will be especially when you mention brewing beer. I'm sure they will hook you up with the right stuff and might even be able to help you out with the welding or know someone who can. Also, there's nothing wrong with bolting the steel together. If you go that route, I would suggest using at least Grade 5 bolts. These are much stronger than your ordinary Home Depot bulk bin bolts. The difference is major and the stronger bolts let you really torque them down without snapping them off. You can twist or shear off a common ungraded bolt with very little effort. Don't trust them to support much of anything. Trust me on that one.

The other issue you might run into with the 3" angle iron is the flats are not flat. It's a good 90 degree outside corner with flat sides, but the inside of the angle iron will be tapered. This means that the faces will not fit flush as you bolt it together.

It's not a deal breaker, but it is something you should be aware of because it can affect the design and stability...

I can rent a miller stick welder from ACE for $40, you might even be able to rent from HD or Lowes.

Thanks for the info and advice, guys. 38*4.9=186 pounds! Yikes! I don't plan to move it much, but I don't want to hire a mule to move it when I do. I will try the steel suppliers, and let that 3 x 3 go.

Good move IMO. Schmooze the guys at the steel yard a little. The promise of some home brew in exchange for some advice might go a long ways to solving your problem. If there's a bar nearby, invite them to go and discuss it over a few brews. That won't cost you much and might really help speed the process a lot. That sort of approach has nearly always worked for me. You might get everything you need for almost nothing if the chips fall the right way. It's well worth a shot.

I like it. Will the steel workers into a drunken state and coerc things out of them.