rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428 
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Post by rykk on Sept 7, 2012 17:23:23 GMT -5
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 7, 2012 17:42:40 GMT -5
Rick I can tell you what I was told, I do not know if it is the truth. It was blamed on the Chineeze. So I contacted some Chineeze sellers of rare earth minerals and they would sell it to me a lot less then in the USA. I would have to purchase a metric ton to get the price low enough to be competitive. :blush: I did not purchase the metric ton ;D. This is one of the places that has dropped their prices from $40.00 per 4 oz to $41.95 for a lb. www.facetshoppe.com/cart/cerium_oxide_pure.htmlStill high but it seems to be starting to come down a little. Mike |
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Don
Cave Dweller 
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Sept 7, 2012 17:55:02 GMT -5
Hey, lets do an RTH group buy-in and get a metric ton to divvy up. Lets see, 1 metric ton = 2204 lbs, that might be enough for the tumbling members; maybe we should get two?
LOL
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 7, 2012 18:27:53 GMT -5
there you go again Don...love your take on things!!!
We just need to know who will let us store two metric tons of cerium and do the divvving up for all of us. So just how much realestate does two metric tons of cerium take up??
LOL
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Post by geoff on Sept 7, 2012 19:01:45 GMT -5
Put it in my yard. My neighbors are afraid to say anything bad about me. Its nice being that angry guy with all the guns sometimes.
Not to mention, it would blend in real nice with all the SNOW we are getting in Deadhorse today.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2012 21:57:00 GMT -5
Yeah, good luck getting what was promised from the chinese.
How will you know if your material is in spec? How will you know it aint SnO?
I have a buddy works for a metals distributor. His story is not one delivery from the chinese was up to spec. Many contained arsenic when the steel was meant for kitchens. One was high in uranium!
The prices in your links are for pallet or container quantity. Those buying that volume are paying less. Likely us little guys must clean up existing inventory before we see new prices.
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 7, 2012 22:01:26 GMT -5
The way to purchase stuff from another country is you have to ask for it to be inspected when it gets into the country. It costs monies but it is better to assure it is what you want. The monies is put into a sort of an "esscro account" and no one gets paid until the buyer is happy with what they sent. Then the monies is sent to the seller.
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Minnesota Daniel
freely admits to licking rocks
A COUPLE LAKERS
Member since August 2011
Posts: 891
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Sept 8, 2012 1:12:10 GMT -5
CeO is $25/lb at the Rock Shed. 5 pounds is $100.
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rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428
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Post by rykk on Sept 8, 2012 1:45:13 GMT -5
"... The prices in your links are for pallet or container quantity. Those buying that volume are paying less. Likely us little guys must clean up existing inventory before we see new prices..."
I'm sure that rock shops have always gotten their cerium, directly or indirectly from vendors whom have imported large amounts. As to cleaning up existing inventory: At the prices I've seen, I would imagine sales are way down and this inventory will languish for a good long time until a new shop comes along that has paid current prices. At that point, I reckon they'd have to lower their price to compete and probably have to take some loss so as to have room to buy at the cheaper rate so that they don't lose customers that would end up buying most of their other supplies from the shop with the lower cerium prices.
There is a very large rare earths mine in the USA that is just about to open back up. It's a national security thing since rare earths like selenium, cerium oxide, niobium, etc are used in electronic displays, lasers, and semiconductors. I'll just end up using SnO, which I've found at a good price or grind a little longer with AlO. I certainly have not and will not buy any at the prices I've seen, especially in light of the information I've found. I just looked again and the price on ebay was $104 for a pound. This carp has gotten totally out of hand and that particular seller is quite obviously gouging the heck out of whomever is desparate enough to buy from him/her.
"... It was blamed on the Chineeze ..." (sic)
That's correct. However, the initial problem was between China and Japan. Then the Chinese started making lame excuses to limit supplies and to rein in their miners to artificially drive up prices. Unfortunately for them, there is a very large amount of smuggling of rare earths out of China and their "approved" miners were losing their shirts by being undersold. Coupled with the impending reopening of the American mine (has a cool name but I forget what it is), the Chinese government has been permitting more and more exports to try to stay in business since last year and the market prices have collapsed by a good 70% since last November. I think the WTA or whatever international authority has ruled against China in the dispute, as well, since _ I think - they were taken to international court by the US and others. Not sure about that part., though.
Anyhow, the person on ebay is obviously corrupt but I would have expected rock shops' inventories to have been pretty much depleted after almost a year unless they bought many hundreds of pounds of the stuff. Wouldn't think so, at last year's prices unless the rock biz is far more lucrative than I ever imagined. The whole bit really frustrates me. I had some CeO that I think I paid like $14 - $20 or so for in late Spring last year and haven't seen any at a sane price ever since.
Rick
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rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428
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Post by rykk on Sept 8, 2012 1:59:13 GMT -5
"... CeO is $25/lb at the Rock Shed. 5 pounds is $100..."
Woohoo!! Now, that's more like it! This post came while I was - slowly - typing the previous rant. From the pic, it *looks* like it's the white, sub-micron "good stuff" and not the pink or brown "optical grade". I had not looked at the RS in a good while because the price was high and then, later, they were out of CeO and SnO. If it is the "super cerium", it looks like I finally might actually get my Big Diggins aggies shined up without a lot of undercutting of the matrix.
Thanks,
Rick
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 8, 2012 4:48:36 GMT -5
I have purchase the cerium from the rock shed.
The standard cerium = red peachy colored stuff.
The Premium cerium = off white slight color (this is what the rock shed sells)
The Super (French) Cerium = Pure White
I have all three kinds and you can tell the difference when you see them side by side.
Mike
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 8, 2012 22:19:59 GMT -5
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Minnesota Daniel
freely admits to licking rocks
A COUPLE LAKERS
Member since August 2011
Posts: 891
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Sept 8, 2012 23:03:04 GMT -5
The Rock Shed also has SnO priced about the same as CeO. I too have CeO purchased from the Rock Shed and can confirm what Mike said. It is the premium grade.
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rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428
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Post by rykk on Sept 9, 2012 17:52:08 GMT -5
How much of a difference - if any - has anyone noticed between the "premium" and the "super" cerium?
Thanks,
Rick
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 9, 2012 19:10:25 GMT -5
I'm afraid to try the premium. I don't have an extra bonet for my polisher. I do not want to contaminate my White Super cerium. But will give it a try when I get the 6" leather disc up and running.
Mike
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