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Strategies & Market Trends : Winter in the Great White North -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: marcos who wrote (4745)	6/20/2003 2:00:27 PM
From: kidl	Respond to of 8273

Hello Marcos, Haven't been doing much posting for a while (aside from keeping up / reading a few threads. The quiet ones ... LOL Thanks for the Rio Tinto idea but I don't think it will work for me. They would have me pinned in two seconds. What else ... Gerle (V.GGL) back to full load on this old-timer and prepared to wait. Mesa (V.MER) Got caught in the DST roll-back but liked their new direction. Took some time and patient $$ but it has started to pay off very nicely. Once again, thanks for your thoughts. Cheers and have a great weekend

To: marcos who wrote (4745)	6/22/2003 12:42:04 AM
From: E. Charters	Respond to of 8273

Ilmenite-Hematite-Vanadanite deposits exist on the north shore of the St. Lawrence near Havre Ste. Pierre. They are in about the 30% TiO2 range. They are upgraded to about 38% TiO2 by gravity and shipped to Sorel PQ, for roast-smelting for Sulphur removal. The roasting plant ships 70% TiO2 pigs. This has been more or less a continuous process since the mid 50's or earlier in that region. Rio controls the main mine there that supplies 58% of the world market. This market dominance overhang may be challengable or it may not matter, as Rio may want to maintain price and other supplies may be dwindling. Problems may be that smelters may not be readily available. Pluses may be that new electrochemical process for separation of Ti metal exist in Britain, and Vanadium has a shortfall in the markets today. The Fancamp deposit is about shipping grade, and fair tonnage is indicated. The recent work apparently has sparked some competitive ground acquisition from Rio. The Rio mine is very profitable. It makes in the region of 700 million dollars per year I believe. I think TiO2 price is about 70 cents per pound. A lot of TiO2 is used for white paint pigment. Ti metal - a demand? --> Titanium metal itself is a whole other matter, and in pure form is no less than 7 dollars per pound. Ti metal price is really immaterial to the mine and a reduction in prices would benefit any mining. The new process to reduce Ti electrochemically from TiO2 in Britain developed about 2 years ago may increase the market for Ti metal. This process holds the promise of being much cheaper than smelting Ti metals as the heat needed for that raises costs. Nothing will change Ti working difficulties as a fabric for production, so we don't expect rapid market developments, but we do see worldwide interest in Ti as a construction material because of its extreme durability. The Russians use Ti piping in their mine plants because it lasts forever and can withstand high heat and corrosive atmospheres easily. The military has begun to use titanium armour in some machinery for weight saving. Titanium cladding on buildings and structural members for bridges has been used and is increasingly suggested. Ti coatings wear coatings on tools, and eventually Ti auto parts may become more widely used. Is the Rio operation a smothering monopoly or a functional aid to marketing? Is there a niche for a twin mine? It is hard question to glibly answer. EC<:-}