The cost of copper

[dtknowles]

There is an alarm being raised about a copper shortage in the next decade. Demand for copper is rising but production is stagnated. An increase in price is needed to stimulate increased production but there is expected to be a lag between price rise and production increase leading to a shortage.

Just something to keep one's eye on.

Tim

[frkelly74]

I got $3 a pound today for #2 copper at the scrap yard. Price is up.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Thieves recently posed as "workmen" complete with high vis work clothes in order to steel 320 yards of copper wire supplying light poles around a sports oval.

[MUSTANG]

expect to see old copper mines to be reopened as soon as Biden is out of office. Yerrington Nevada immediately comes to my mind as an example.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

There is a large stash of Copper in the ground in Northern MN, More than we will ever need.

The [1979] study also found that the ore deposits of the region contained an estimated $50 billion of minerals and that a copper-nickel industry in the region could create over 2,000 new jobs.

that is $50 Billion in 1979 dollars
https://www.lrl.mn.gov/guides/guides?issue=coppernickel
>>>>>>>>

But as long as the Dems run this State, as well as the White House, it will stay in the ground.

Here is a quote from an AP article from 3 months ago,
"PolyMet mine in Minnesota becomes NewRange Copper Nickel"

That project remains on hold because three key permits, which were issued over four years ago, are still tied up in challenges in courts and regulatory agencies. Because of those, NewRange still isn’t projecting a date for major construction to begin. Environmentalists have opposed the mine because the copper and nickel in the Duluth Complex are bound up in sulfide minerals that can leach sulfuric acid when exposed to water and air. For that reason, President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to kill another proposed mine nearby, Twin Metals near Ely, which sits in a watershed that flows into the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. While the administration last year committed itself to expanding domestic sources of critical minerals for electric vehicles and renewable energy, it says the Boundary Waters merit special protections

https://apnews.com/article/teck-reso...d30e1cc5d2cdd4

[Electrod47]

I tried to upload but no soap....go to https://aheadoftheherd.com/copper-con/ for an interesting take.

[abunaitoo]

How can I tell what type of copper I have????
Probably going to be re-roofing soon and going to replace the solar water heater.

[Pipefitter]

How can I tell what type of copper I have????
Probably going to be re-roofing soon and going to replace the solar water heater.

#1 copper will be not shiny bright, but clean of verdigris and other substances, #2 copper will have verdigris (the green oxidation) and or tar/dirt from other roofing materials.


I have a few hundred pounds of scrap copper in the garage, was saving it for my retirement party. I think I will wait and see just how high scrap copper will go before I make a trip to the scrap yard.

[HWooldridge]

The forecast shortage is dependent on the development of electric cars. Theoretically, this will become the primary market driver for most of the copper consumption.

I find it interesting that no less an industry leader than Toyota has decided not to pursue 100% electric in the foreseeable future. They don’t believe the infrastructure will be created in a timely fashion, so they are going with hybrid designs.

[Winger Ed.]

How can I tell what type of copper I have????

It should be either more or less pure Copper, or Brass (An alloy of Copper and .
You can get a real good idea what you have just by the color.

If the replacement is different, it won't be a big deal for the connections no matter what the old one is made from.

[abunaitoo]

Any idea what kind of copper is used in solar water heaters????
Don't want to go through all the work for just a few penny's worth of copper.

[reloader X]

expect to see old copper mines to be reopened as soon as Biden is out of office. Yerrington Nevada immediately comes to my mind as an example.

Wilson Ranch fire balloon
During World War II, one of many Japanese Fu-Go balloon bombs launched at the United States landed on the Wilson Ranch near Yerington.[10] The ranchers, not knowing what it was, attempted to notify the authorities by mail, but did not receive a response until after they cut it up and used it as a hay tarp.[11]

[Winger Ed.]

Any idea what kind of copper is used in solar water heaters????
Don't want to go through all the work for just a few penny's worth of copper.

Take it to the scrap yard and ask them what you have before you spend a lot of time and energy cutting it up.

[GregLaROCHE]

Apparently there’s a lot of copper on the sea floor. It comes from thermal vents near undersea spreading of the earth’s crust. Some of the big players are now starting to look into undersea mining.

[Winger Ed.]

Apparently there’s a lot of copper on the sea floor. It comes from thermal vents near undersea spreading of the earth’s crust.

Copper and several other minerals. The big problem is that they are at incredible depths.
Many of our above ground mines were once deep sea vents in pre-historic times.

[dtknowles]

More bad news.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...a5dedf72&ei=39