Well, I thought I would try out the trick of going down to the local industrial estate and trying to find some off cuts of metal that people didn't want any more. The first metal fabricator that I went to had just had their skip emptied this morning (typical!).... but they suggested another place, and that came up trumps.... the thought of a tenner in the tea kitty seemed to do the trick and I came away with a stack of different sheets cut to what I think are the ideal size for me to practice on! Below is a picture of the haul, which going from left to right is 9 bits of 1.5mm, 23 bits of 2.5mm (I think, or maybe 2) and 14 bits of 3mm. I think I got a reasonable deal for £10, I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong, certainly much better than a couple of bits I got from B&Q!!! I will post soon with my efforts that you can comment on.