Job for a gold miner!

IT is a management job offering a great opportunity for one successful candidate. The National Trust is looking for a gold mine manager to run its Dolaucothi Gold Mines near Pumsaint in Carmarthenshire. Although they no longer operate as working mines, the site in the Cothi Valley is a tourist attraction which runs guided tours for visitors who can pan for gold. The precious commodity had been mined from the hills at the site since Roman times but the last time it functioned as a working mine was in 1938.

The Romans who exploited the site almost 2,000 years ago left behind a complex of pits, channels, adits and tanks.

Mining resumed in the 19th century and continued through the 20th century, reaching a peak in 1938. It is a legal requirement that the mine has a manager but the role is more one of overseeing the conservation of the site and further developing it as a tourist attraction.

Jacqui Kedward, the trust’s property manager for Carmarthenshire, said the mine closed when costs became too much to extract the gold.

“There is still gold in the hills, but the cost of getting it out was prohibitive.

“The site is preserved by the National Trust because it’s one of archaeological importance and still has the pick marks the Romans left behind.

“Historically the manager would be someone who would have organised the shifts and the extraction of the gold.”

The previous manager is moving on after more than six years.

Mrs Kedward added: “We’re looking for someone who has a great passion for working with the National Trust but it is also important that they can help develop Dolaucothi as a tourist attraction.

“The mines are a bit of a hidden gem so there is lots to be done to promote it as a tourist attraction.”

Elements of heating

We have the capacity to manufacture a wide range of parts including heating elements to any given drawing, sample or customer requirement, using the most up to date Milling, Turning, Welding and Sheet Metal Working equipment available.

We specialize in the manufacture of components to very exacting quality standards, tight tolerance, customer specific requirements and offer a very responsive repair service.

We pride ourselves on our levels of customer care and our ‘Total Quality’ approach ensures that our customers receive their orders on time, well packed and in perfect condition.

If you would like any heating elements made to size or order then please contact us.

Niobium Suppliers

Niobium has a similar structure to Tantalum and is produced in a similar method.

It too has a very high melting point of around 2470°C. It has excellent corrosive resistance and has good cold ductility. It is however half as dense as Tantalum.

Applications include; sintering trays and boats, special chemical applications, superconductors, medical components, jet engine parts and is used in the lighting industry.

If you need or would like Niobium for equipment or if you would like us to help you out using the Niobium then please contact us.

Stock

Wrought Products As a stockist of Molybdenum, Tantalum and other refractory materials we are also able to offer a very reactive and competitive wrought product service.

We stock a wide range of materials in plate, sheet, bar, rod & wire form and can supply a range of standard sizes with a very quick turnaround & Delivery.

If you are interested in buying any of our stock then why not contact us?

Information

If you would like any more information from SMF then please see our site for details.

Or feel free to take down the details below and contact us.

For all wrought Material and Fabrication queries and requirements please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tel: 01268 820409

Fax: 01268 280665

Email: sales@special-metals.co.uk

Morgan Stanley dropping prices in 2012

Apparantly Morgan Stanley has lowered its 2012 prices for the majority of metals and minerals, citing “uninspiring” prospects and the case for a stronger dollar

The revisions follow a belief that the risk of a full-blown global recession increased in the second half of 2011, the firm said in a note. “Our bear-case scenario for 2012 and 2013 in particular reflects the downside risks in base metals and bulk commodities from this major growth risk.”

“In general, we are negative on the metals with sizable surpluses such as aluminum, nickel, lead and zinc,” the report said. However, the firm said it remained positive on copper, which it said was “supported by low inventories, high levels of supply disruption and a restocking cycle in China.”

Despite remaining a “favored base metal,” copper could average $3.70 a pound in 2012, down from $4.01 a pound in 2011 as well as an earlier 2012 forecast of $3.80 a pound. A strong U.S. dollar and weak euro are negative for commodities in general, the house said.

Having to beat metal thieves

Along with his usual church-related daily tasks, the vicar of St Augustine’s Church has had to add checking the roof for missing parts to his list.

“You quite often get damage to the stonework as well from people removing the lead and climbing around,” the Reverend Matthew Tomlinson said.

The 19th Century church, in Edgbaston, has been targeted by metal thieves six times in two months, something Mr Tomlinson said was “pretty disheartening” for both him and his parishioners.

The vicar said that despite being based at the church for 11 years, the metal thefts at the end of last year were the first he had encountered.

“We replaced the stolen lead and it was stolen again four or five days later,” he said.

The church was one of dozens in the city targeted last year by thieves attracted by the rising price of non-ferrous metals.

Now, the House of Commons is to hear further calls for new laws to tackle the growing problem of metal theft which counts hospitals, historic buildings and the rail network among its victims.

Metal theft leave people in darkness

Peterborough Lions Rugby Club has been left powerless after the latest in a string of clubhouse break-ins saw thousands of pounds worth of electricity cable stolen.

Today Malcolm Larrington, clubhouse manager, said the latest theft was a “kick in the teeth” to staff and players who had battled to fix the clubhouse.

He said: “We have had five or six metal thefts over the past couple of months, which has cost us thousands of pounds of damage.

“We have been lucky that we have had some replacements donated to us by Batt Cables, but this keeps driving our insurance up. The gates were also stolen, costing us £1,500.

“This is just another kick in the teeth for us.

“Now we have no electricity, which means we have no lighting, no heating and no cooking facilities.

“We have been taking part in midnight vigils in the clubhouse to protect the rest of the cables. It is very cold, but we have hooked up a generator for a couple of small lights and a small camp stove to make ourselves cups of tea to keep warm. I have been on some of them and it is freezing.”

The club now faces a race against time to secure some generators ahead of their top of the table clash with Lutterworth on Saturday, as well as looking to secure planning permission for a permanent clubhouse.

Mr Larrington said: “We want to make sure the game goes ahead, as we don’t want to be beaten by the thieves.

“We are waiting to see if we can get permission for a new brick club house, rather than the one we have at the moment.

“If we can get permission, it would make a huge difference. We could have proper security, with a fence and CCTV.

“As it is we will be looking at concreting the cables into the ground, which just will add more cost to the club.”

Miners injured when gold mine

Three men injured while working at an underground gold mine site in the state’s Goldfields have been taken to Royal Perth Hospital for further treatment. The men were flown to Perth by Royal Flying Doctor Service and then taken by St John Ambulance to hospital as trauma patients suffering from chest injuries, bone fractures and a suspected spinal injury. The two miners and a contractor were injured when a sheet of construction material fell on them at the Agnew gold mine, located about 23 kilometres west of the Leinster townsite. Two RFDS planes were sent, one from Kalgoorlie and one from Perth, to bring the men to Perth for further X-rays and treatment. The men, aged in their late 20s and 30s, were assessed by an RFDS doctor and found to be in a serious but stable condition, with non-life threatening injuries, according to RFDS spokeswoman Joanne Hill. One of the men has possible spinal injuries as well as broken limbs, she said. The 31-year-old man suffering chest injuries was the first to land at Jandakot, followed shortly by a 26-year-old man with the possible spinal injury and a fractured arm, Channel Tenreported. A 38-year-old man suffering from a fractured leg accompanied the 26-year-old man and all three men were conscious throughout the flight, according to RFDS doctor Sally Edwards. It is understood the men were constructing an explosive storage area when a piece of concrete reinforcing mesh fell on them. The mesh was not part of the underground mine, which is owned by South African gold producer Gold Fields. Gold Fields said it alerted authorities to the incident this morning. The Department of Mines and Petroleum has confirmed it is investigating the incident. “Mine safety inspectors from the department are now making inquiries into the incident, which will be subject to a formal and thorough investigation,” a spokeswoman said. “The department will take any necessary appropriate action upon collection of all evidence.”

Gold forecasts after sell-off

Two billion banks lowered their gold price forecasts for 2012 even though they maintained their bullish view, after the metal’s decline last week briefly sent it into a bear market.

HSBC and Barclays both cut their 2012 gold price targets by over $100 an ounce after the metal posted a gain of 10 percent last year to extend its run to an 11th consecutive year. It was, however, its smallest annual gain in three years.

HSBC’s chief commodity analyst James Steel slashed his 2012 forecast to USD 1,850 an ounce from his previous target of USD $2,025, citing a weak euro, liquidation related to equities’ losses and lackluster physical demand from emerging markets.

Steel also kept its 2012 silver view unchanged at USD 34 an ounce but he cut his price forecasts for platinum and palladium.

Final crackdown on special metal thefts

A new scheme to tackle the problem of metal theft has launched, making it easier to trace sellers of scrap metal and harder to pass on illegitimately obtained copper and other metals.

Operation Tornado is starting as a trial project in the north east of England, and will require people who are selling scrap metal to provide proof of their identity and address.

CI Robin Edwards said: “There is a clear correlation between the price of copper on commodity markets and rates of crime. The legislation for dealing with the crime, dating back to 1964, is outdated and needs redrafting.”

According to British Transport Police, more than £13m worth of metal has been stolen from the railways. The force says that the thefts are one of their biggest challenges after terrorism.

‘A human as well as an economic impact’

In a statement, the police said: “There is a human as well as an economic impact. While communities have lost power or communications, people miss appointments, interviews, flights. Churches and householders have had to replace roofs, councils replace manhole covers, and even plaques have been taken from a cemetery.”

Happy New Year

We will be re-opening on Tuesday 3rd January (tomorrow).

So if there is anything that you ned doing or any questions that you have then please contact us.

Open from 9am tomorrow morning.

Look forward to hearing from you all throughout 2012.