somersetminer
9 years ago
Trident is neither here nor there, it doesnt employ 15,000 people! I'm impressed some of you can dismiss the industry so easily, talk about it being backward etc, its on a par with the best steel plants around the world, regardless of what you guys think of the future of heavy industry here. Harping on about the coal is pointless, these jobs are on the line NOW
somersetminer
9 years ago
"Tamarmole" wrote:

"somersetminer" wrote:

"Tamarmole" wrote:

"exspelio" wrote:

"The Fresh Prince of Portreath" wrote:

Should I find myself at the end of my life from a health point of view, whilst in full operation, I will stroll into Brussels EU HQ with a shopping trolley full of explosives, shout Alan's Snackbar and blow the bastards up.

It won't make any difference, but I will get sent to hell in style.



If we get together, we could push a bigger trolley ?.



Given recent events this is crass beyond belief.



Crass it may be, however unlike recent events, we are not talking about innocents here, we are talking about people who, mostly with little knowledge of or connection to this country, have nonetheless conspired to crush the economic life out of various parts of it. I find that offensive, and
if you dont............well you damn well should!



You seem to have missed the point by a country mile.

I couldn't give a s*** about people's politics, we are all entitled to our own views - personally I think Cameron and his lackeys should be strung up by the balls for what they are doing to this country. That is neither here nor there. AN is not the right place to be waving flags of whatever colour.

What F**ks me off is people making jokes about bombing Belgium. That is crass. The people who died (big word - think about it) in the recent bombings were innocent people who were murdered(another big word) to satisfy some tossers ego trip. Any one who makes jokes about this sort of thing is behaving like a t**t.



If you read between the lines, certain comments just MAY have been tongue in cheek.........
Anyhow, nothing said here will convince me that the EU's involvement in UK affairs is a good thing, so I will leave it there I think.
Ty Gwyn
9 years ago
Them 15,000 jobs were sold down the river when Osbourne done his deal in China,this is only the formalities,
With HS2 rails being supplied by China,that alone shut Scunthorpe.

Maybe the Chinese will purchase Port Talbot,there`s more chance of that than this government helping to keep workers in employment.
somersetminer
9 years ago
"Ty Gwyn" wrote:


Maybe the Chinese will purchase Port Talbot,there`s more chance of that than this government helping to keep workers in employment.



It appears so at the moment, but we live in hope...
Morlock
9 years ago
Part of the FT article.

"FINANCIAL TIMES SATURDAY
Tata ‘only going through motions’ of UK steel sale
Peggy Hollinger, Peter Campbell, Jim Pickard and James Crabtree

The Indian steel giant Tata expects to shut its British plants and is only “going through the motions” of a sale, according to several people close to the top of the company.

The group has privately given up any hope that a white knight will emerge to save the jobs of 15,000 steel workers and could mothball plants in as little as six weeks."

“Tata has been trying to sell this for the last 18 months and they simply cannot find a buyer,” said one person familiar with the company’s internal plans. “They are now going to shut it down.”
Coggy
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9 years ago
In 2009 Tata warned the government that the Climate Change Act would cause unacceptable costs to steel making, and mentioned that it may have to close plants. And its come true, admittedly there is also the problem of the Chinese dumping their overproduction at less than cost. That, though doesn't seem to have affected the Tata Ijmuden plant, maybe the Dutch don't punish their steelmakers like we do ?
if eight out of ten cats all prefer Whiskas
Do the other two prefer Lesley Judd ?
Coggy
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9 years ago
If you have the unfortunate luck to live North of the border you had better beware..https://twitter.com/GreaterGlasgPol
if eight out of ten cats all prefer Whiskas
Do the other two prefer Lesley Judd ?
BertyBasset
9 years ago
Back to the Trident/Steel thing.

Part of the government's Trident renewal proposal is the protection of 15,000 jobs. Strangely enough Tata employs 15,000 in the UK. Maybe it will get sold as a going concern.
christwigg
9 years ago
I've had a pop at labelling the photos, they are in a random order chronologically which doesnt help unfortunately.

Nearly all of it is my best guesses.

I wasn't there.

I only got inside the place once back in 1997 on my induction course and never again since.
Jim MacPherson
9 years ago
Good work Chris.
Cat_Bones
9 years ago
Thanks for the additional info... very interesting!
ttxela
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9 years ago
The entrepreneur fellow on the news thinking of buying was talking this morning of replacing the blast furnace with an arc furnace.

He was also talking of using 'locally sourced raw materials'

I was under the impression that the only working iron mines in the UK were for ironstone for construction?
Jim MacPherson
9 years ago
He's using scrap steel and the arc furnace produces steel, no need for iron ore.

It's cheaper but poorer quality, generally.
staffordshirechina
9 years ago
"ttxela" wrote:

The entrepreneur fellow on the news thinking of buying was talking this morning of replacing the blast furnace with an arc furnace.

He was also talking of using 'locally sourced raw materials'

I was under the impression that the only working iron mines in the UK were for ironstone for construction?



That doesn't mean that Tata don't own a lot of reserves that "could" be worked, although the quality of the ore is poor compared to imported stuff.

Les
christwigg
9 years ago
"Jim MacPherson" wrote:

He's using scrap steel and the arc furnace produces steel, no need for iron ore.

It's cheaper but poorer quality, generally.



He's already got an electric arc furnace in his back pocket.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/liberty-steel-still-goal-creating-10976041 

Quote:

Liberty Steel has acquired a rod and bar mill and electric arc furnace, from the former steelworks based at Sheerness Docks.

The group is eager to move the equipment to Newport in order to add scrap-melting and rod and bar making facilities to Liberty’s existing hot rolled coil capacity there.



Jim MacPherson
9 years ago
Back to the mini-mills of the late 70's, good for rebar, less so for much else, perhaps technology has moved on a pace, I'm sure a current metallurgist could provide information.

I think I went down to Sheerness Steel in the 1978/9 and amongst other things trying to work out the impact of rapidly rising oil prices on steel production and demand. Maybe we just live in a circle.
[photo]105325[/photo]

As an example of how it works.

Another tale 'steel mill myth', the furnace on the diagram was in some respects the same as a soaking pit. There was a fatality at Lackenby ( might have been Rotherham - can't remember exactly where I was working at the time) when an employee fell into one and allegedly a journalist rang up to ask how much water a soaking pit held.
Cuban Bloodhound
9 years ago
It's worth having a skim through this:http://cdn.steelonthenet.com/pdf/future-of-steel-laplace-2012.pdf
It predicts a move away from integrated steelworks to mini mills using DRI iron producing EAF steel.
ttxela
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9 years ago
"christwigg" wrote:

I've had a pop at labelling the photos, they are in a random order chronologically which doesnt help unfortunately.

Nearly all of it is my best guesses.

I wasn't there.

I only got inside the place once back in 1997 on my induction course and never again since.



Excellent, Thanks!

Just goes to show it's worth keeping photos of old work projects - although somehow I don't think even the passing of 20 years would make a picture of my new stapler interesting 😞
Jim MacPherson
9 years ago
My that's a lot to read but I shall progress.

A similar prognosis was offered in the 1970's when Sheerness and others were set up, but it didn't really happen then I think in large part to quality problems often related to the concast part of the process. My recollection is as a non-metallurgist necessarily feeble and about 40 years old.

I do, very vaguely, recall some developments with direct reduction processes at that time.
Jim MacPherson
9 years ago
Just goes to show it's worth keeping photos of old work projects - although somehow I don't think even the passing of 20 years would make a picture of my new stapler interesting :(



Since re-covering my Dad's cloches, as I failed in using his sheet plastic welder, I've found swan-neck staplers strangely useful:)

I've also just shown I don't know how to use the quote facility:confused:

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