I've just visited this company, it's only 5 miles from me, they do offcuts of various metals and plastics for turning on lathes etc. There is also a branch at Peterborough.

I bought two pieces of aluminium round at 5 inches by 1 inch thick at £9 the two, which seemed reasonable to me. Apparently ali is still measured in Imperial ! Yaaa

They had ali, brass, phospor bronze, titanium and plastics in stock in round bar, hex, square etc etc.

Website here http://www.locatesupplies.co.uk/

They are cutting me some 12mm plate at 400x100 for a manifold flange.

[Edited on 11/1/05 by Rob Lane]